Breaking the Boundaries
by calatrava
Summary: The Yondaime summoned the Shinigami but he didn't get what he expected. The sealing afterwards fundamentally changed the boy who learns to become a master of the blade, to fulfill his destiny as the Guardian of the Three Paths. Naruto AU with Bleach
1. Prologue

**Breaking the boundaries**

Here is a little idea after reading some Bleach and I decided to incorporate bits of it into the Naruto universe. While it does use some of clichéd parts of the two fandom's, I hope to make a semi original alternative universe out of it. If not, then I hope for an enjoyable story nonetheless.

Many thanks to Juopunumies and his editing skills. In his words, I hope this acknowledgement is a "dream come true" and makes him "happey"

Filthy lies… -Juopunumies

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me. Sadly

Chapter started: 08Jan08  
Chapter edited: 23Mar08  
Chapter revisited: 26Oct08

* * *

**Chapter One**

**As for all things, there are beginnings, which are sometimes known as prologues. This is one of them. **

Namikaze Minato expected a few things when he summoned the Shinigami into the mortal realm. Something on the lines of a large, skeletal monster, possibly with some sort of knife or scythe. Definitely a scythe. But he most certainly didn't expect a blonde skinny man in a bucket hat with a cane by his side.

_Did I make a mistake?_ Double checking his seal array, he desperately tried to see if there was anything wrong with the summoning he had just performed.

Meanwhile, the other blond man looked around himself with a semi amused and dazed expression. _Here I was working on a new gigai, and I get sucked into this place. Where the hell am I? This doesn't seem to be Earth, or any place like it. And what the hell is that?_

The thing in question was a giant red fox with nine tails. Narrowing his eyes, he released some reiatsu to try and identify what it actually was.

_Odd, it is emitting an energy that I have never seen before. It's powerful, and seems to be like reiatsu, except not. Yet it seems oddly like a hollow's cero. I wonder …_

The Yondaime, after some muttering, scribbling and staring at the other blonde, decided to speak. "This might be a stupid question and all, but are you the Shinigami by any chance?" he asked hopefully.

The other turned around to him and said, "Of course not, I'm just a handsome and perverted scientist," where a fan popped into his hand and was raised to cover his mouth.

Minato sweatdropped. _Scientist?_ He thought with a puzzled expression.

Seeing that his audience was slightly confused, and noticing the rather decidedly low levels of technology in the surrounding areas, he decided to be slightly more serious. "Relax, to answer your question, yes, I am a shinigami. My name is Urahara. Urahara Kisuke. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're the one that summoned me here, ne?"

"Well, I tried to summon something to help me seal that," he pointed to the rampaging Kyuubi, "into my son," he pointed to a cute infant lying on his back, blissfully unaware of what was going on.

"Well, questions about your parenting aside, why can't you just defeat it, or drive it off?" asked a genuinely curious Kisuke.

"Trust me, I would if it was anything other than a damned elemental beast where one strike of its tail can cause tsunamis!" replied a rather indignant Hokage.

Kisuke looked at the fox with more respect now. Sure it was large and intimidating, but so were many other hollows, much like Gillians. It was in his experience that the most deadly things were those that resembled humans. Intelligence was a wonderful and terrible thing, in equal measures.

"So, what do you expect me to do about it? I'm not sure I can seal …" Before he could finish that question, the bijuu finally took notice of them. Then again, when you are riding on top of a massive toad summon, its hard not to attract attention. It tried to take a swing at both of them, bellowing as it did.

Gamabunta jumped away, drawing its tanto to defend itself. It was getting increasingly nervous. It took the Yondaime a good half an hour to prepare the summons before he rode off to confront the nine tailed fox. As things were not turning out as well as planned, they were out in the open and presenting a lovely target. Things were not looking good.

"I hate to rain on your last parade gaki, but if you don't do something soon, you're not going to be my underling anymore. I know I'm good, but really…"

"I'm trying dammit, well Urahara-san, is there anything that you can do to help us? Konoha will be ever thankful for your assistance."

Normally Kisuke was a laid back kind of person that wouldn't really interfere in such things. Hell, it wasn't really a hollow per se, and he had no obligation or duty to send its soul. It was doubtful to whether it had a soul in any event. But seeing the desperate shinobi beneath him fighting and dying to delay the great beast, and the frantic and determined look that Minato was giving him, he was not indifferent to the situation and his suffering.

And hell, he wasn't the taichou for the twelfth division for nothing. He loved nothing more than a problem that he could find a solution to. But first he needed to study it.

"I'll see what I can do." He gave a preoccupied wave of his hand, his mind currently working on the issue. He really did need to minimise the damage the fox was doing first though.

**Bakudou Ninety Nine "Kin"**

Fabric burst out from his hands and tried to bind the fox in an effort to immobilize him. Iron shafts then tried to pierce through to hold it in place. Sadly, it didn't work. It would have taken a hell of a lot of reiatsu for him to begin to bind one limb, let alone the whole beast along with its tails. _Ok, I guess I have to call in for some help._

One thing that Kisuke was good at was creating portals. It wasn't something that Soul Society approved of, as they liked to control the movements of their shinigami. But because of his position as head of the Research and Development division of the Gotei Thirteen, he had a semi legitimate excuse for things that would land others in hot water.

This one thing was a summoning stone that he gave to his closest friends. If they ever needed help, they could use their own to summon the other. Kisuke wondered if it would actually work, as he didn't really know where he was at the moment, and he had the nagging suspicion that he was in another world.

Luckily for him, they did.

The sound of fabric tearing got his attention, and when he looked up into the sky he saw a hole open up and out came two figures. One was a tall male and the other a dark skinned female. Both of them wore black robes with a white haori and carried swords with them.

The man looked around him, found Urahara and stormed over to him.

"You idiot! I was in the middle of something dammit, why did you call me to this place?!" He asked this with a dead serious expression on his face, and some severely clenched eyebrows.

Not to be left out, the other came over and snarled at him, "And I was busy teasing my fuku-taichou as well, you better have a damn good reason for calling me here! She nearly laughed dammit!"

Kisuke gave a sardonic grin and pointed to a slightly perplexed looking fox with nine tails. The others turned around and were silent for a few moments.

"Well, I've seen you do some weird shit Kisuke, but that takes the cake," commented the woman.

"I didn't create that thing you idiot! This man," he pointed to the Hokage, "managed to summon me here to seal that thing into his son!"

Isshin looked incredulous, "Into his son?! Man I know I'm never going to be as bad a father as you are". Little was he to know that he would regret those words in the future.

Urahara coughed to redirect their attention, "Well that aside, I was wondering if you could try to kill that with me, and if we cant, would you hold it off while I try to think of something?"

"Hey don't write me out of this picture dammit!" Minato gave a slight pout at this. While he recognised that the three of them were probably more powerful than him, he still wasn't a push over. There was a reason why he was named the Yellow Flash and had ninja flee on sight if they ever encountered him. Being discounted like this made him feel awfully helpless, a new and entirely unwelcome feeling.

The three shinigami gave him an appraising look. Thankfully their powers were not limited by the Council and they could fight at full strength, though killing it was another question altogether. But they also recognised the look of wounded pride in his eyes, eyes that had seen comrades stand and fall in their desperate attempts to stop a frenzied beast. They understood that they could not ask him sit back quietly.

The three of them simply gave a nod to him before they burst into action.

* * *

_Well, things could have gotten better._

The three shinigami first assumed that the Kyuubi was some sort of Gillian Menos Grande. Large, slow and powerful. Well, it was large and powerful, but was more agile than what was physically possible and managed to fire red flames at them. Things turned out for the worst when all nine tails were used in the fight that they could barely hold back with their zanpakuto's. It appears that it was holding back its power until the shinigami had appeared on the field.

What amazed them was that Minato was using odd techniques to fight off the fox, things that they had never seen before. Things that he called _jutsus_ that seemed to manipulate a form of energy called chakra. Kisuke deduced that it was the same thing as reiatsu, except that it was only used by living beings.

Urahara was observing on the sidelines, trying to think of a way to finish off the bijuu. Straight forward attacks were doing no good, as it was regenerating too fast for it to do any damage. Chakra based attacks were not really effective against it, but oddly enough reiatsu was.

_I wonder, reiatsu is the spiritual energy of the dead. Chakra is the physical and mental energy of the living. That would mean that they are diametrically opposed to each other…_

In the background, Kisuke could feel the unleashing of a zanpakuto's _shikai_.

_That means that kido spells should be effective against this. But the most powerful destructive spells were made against humanoid enemies, even a Kurohitsugi wouldn't be enough against it…_

The initiative was regained by the remaining fighters, with the Kyuubi roaring its fury at the both of them.

_I wonder, if I could manage to seal it into a gigai that is filled with reiatsu so that it would absorb or annihilate its chakra…_

_But I don't really have enough time to do this_. The cry of a baby brought him out of his thoughts. He slowly walked over to the child and his face furrowed again in thought.

_Wait, if we could sever the body of this beast and seal the soul into the child, we could then infuse this boy with enough reiatsu for that purpose. For all purposes, that damn fox is still alive, and its power would still be there even if we took the physical body. It really was an interesting animal…_

In the battle, the cry of _bankai_ could be heard. Combined with _shunpo_ and the _Hiraishin_ technique, all the combatants were a blur against a howling mass of red fury.

_Shit, they are unleashing their bankai already?! Ok, well I don't have any other plan so I guess we have to wing it. I'm sorry for this kid, but when you die I'll try my best to send you to Soul Society.

* * *

  
_

Things never really turn out the way we wanted.

The ad-hoc plan was to convert all of Minato's chakra into reiatsu, and then infuse it into the child. Doing so would cause the death of both the child and the Fourth. Minato was willing to accept his death, but not that of his son. But given the choice of two deaths as opposed to everyone in the village, it seemed like there was no choice.

Giving the two a moment together, Minato held his child with much tenderness.

"Son, I'm so sorry that it has come down to this. What I'm about to do is unforgivable, and I can't really ask you to forgive me anyways. At least we will all die heroes because of this," the last part was said with much bitterness.

The baby looked up with a dazed gurgle, unable to comprehend the sacrifice that was being forcibly imposed upon him. He reached out his small finger to grasp at his father, who looked down on him like a god. Minato had to suppress a shudder as he steeled himself for what he was about to do.

The three shinigami came up to him, where Kisuke said, "It's time, our binding spells won't hold for much longer."

"Of course, I … just wanted him to know …how much I love him." Tears were slowly sliding down his cheeks. Minato had given much in his service to the village that he loved so much. But asking for his life and that of his son seemed to be too much to ask. But the cold fact was that at this moment in time, there was no one else that could do this. All the villagers were evacuated and the only reason that his son was still there was because of delivery complications that forced him to remain in Konoha.

Minato held his son's little outstretched hands, and for the last time his heart broke at the cries that he was making as he subconsciously realised that something wasn't right.

Kisuke gave them a few moments before asking softly, "Before we do this, let us know your name and his, so we can honour your sacrifice."

Minato laughed hollowly. "My name? Call me Namikaze Minato. And my son, well I'm sure his mother would have loved to have called him Naruto…"

He stopped himself before he became more sentimental than he was already, "Before we go, let me write a letter to let everyone know what really happened on this day."

With nothing left but determination in his body, he steeled himself for the coming darkness and said, "Let's finish this."

* * *

What was left was silence.

On a fallow field the Fourth Hokage lay dying, his body nearly empty of the chakra that a human needed to live. Through the use of a _kinjutsu_ and some shinigami help, he had managed to infuse all of his chakra into his son, before it was converted into pure reiatsu by Kisuke.

Against the combined _bankai_ of three shinigami captains, the physical body of the Kyuubi was torn to parts. But the truth was that the Kyuubi was more a being of pure chakra than of flesh. Its container was merely a medium to separate the soul from contamination of the outer world. As the soul was out in the open and exposed, they used their skills to force it into another medium. It was finally held in place by a complicated seal from Minato to prevent the fox from escaping.

A human body was never meant to hold reiatsu, and its presence would normally cause a person to die. However, Naruto managed to stay alive and this scared the crap out of Urahara. It could only really mean one thing, one thing only.

Naruto had somehow become a shinigami.

Not only that, he had the entire chakra of the Kyuubi at his disposal. This meant that he was a being with a hell of a lot of power that should not have been able to coexist at the same time. Even that wasn't really the truth of the matter.

Kisuke was left pondering this and was tempted to take the baby back to Soul Society with him, but he realized that if the others found out what he just did, he would be lucky to be exiled. An execution was not out of the picture and he realized that he needed to do something really quick. And that was a good old fashioned cover up.

He had just managed to create a human-shinigami hybrid. And sealed within it was a hollow like soul. If he didn't know any better, he had just created something that defied the boundaries of existence. This shocked him. It also perversely pleased him at the same time.

_What the hell do I do know?_ he asked himself. If this ever got out, he would be lucky if he was allowed to draw another free breath. His frantic musings would have gone further if Konoha forces were not arriving on their very location.

Only the dark skinned female seemed to be aware of the implications of their actions.

"Look, we have just exhausted all of our energy to take out that beast, we need to get back to Soul Society before they realize that we just vanished into another world. We can deal with the fallout then, but we need to leave now!"

Nodding his assent, Urahara looked around him and said, "I think I can find my way back to this place once more, and we really need to keep an eye on this boy. This should have never happened in the first place..." he muttered with confusion.

Kisuke managed to open a portal back to Soul Society, and as they stepped back into the R&D division, the black haired man asked, "And what the hell was that black ball that you used to convert that energy into reiatsu?"

"Well Isshin, that was a little something that I was working on when I was summoned to that place. I think I'm going to call it the _hogyoku_…"

* * *

The Sandaime sighed as he read the last testament of his predecessor and successor. The irony of such a situation was not lost on him.

_Dammit, it was for me to pass the flame onto him. The will of fire travels from the oldest to the youngest generation. It should have never have ended like this. _

But life rarely gives us what we want, and it is how we deal with our burdens that really shows the measure of a man. But some burdens were never meant to borne by anyone, at least not alone.

The Fourth's last wishes were that he and his son be remembered as heroes. Especially his son, who had no choice in the matter. Things did not work out as he had expected, and who would have thought that the mere fact of survival would make things more complicated?

Right now, the wounds were too fresh. Corpses lay scattered across the field, most of them in pieces. Grieving loved ones were eager to turn their anger on any target that presented themselves. Reason and rationality be damned, they wanted their pound of flesh now.

The fact that that hatred was slowly and surely being turned onto the small blonde child on his desk made his heart clench in two.

_What am I to do with you Naruto?_ The Hokage thought sadly. The Council of Fire was slowly, but surely, rallying under those that demanded Naruto's death to completely eliminate the Kyuubi threat. While the Sandaime had every confidence that Minato did the job properly, many were unconvinced that a mortal could seal a beast such as the Kyuubi no Yoko, and they needed to finish off what he had started.

A mortal couldn't, but with help of three death gods, it was just possible.

Sarutobi snarled at such thoughts. Those fools would spit upon the last wishes of their saviour, and dare claim that they were carrying out his wishes. Disgust swelled up and clouded his thoughts, and he tried his hardest to dispel them and get back onto the problem at hand.

Just then, a person knocked at his door and opened it. In came the wan and haunted figure of a red haired kunoichi.

_Ah, the real tragedy starts to unfold_. Uzumaki Kushina had endured much in her short life. Having the love of her life taken away after having a child together was a bitter blow. But having the child used as a sacrifice by said man was in many ways something that she couldn't ever accept or forgive.

_Even now, I'm not sure if she is happy that Naruto survived, or if she wishes him to be dead_. Sarutobi had monitored her actions towards the blond baby and was seriously disturbed by what he saw. At times she hugged the child like she would never let go. At times it looks like she was about the crush him with a cold and detached look in her eye.

The medic nins said that she was suffering from post natal depression. _Even with an ANBU trailing her, I'm not sure if she will be the child's saviour, or the one to take his life away_. While logically Naruto was the most innocent one in the whole room, there was a part in all of them that feared and blamed him for what he held, and what might be in the future.

_What am I supposed to do?_

A mother that could be a threat to her own child, a council calling for his death, the civilian population grieving and mourning their losses. Other nations were aware of their misfortune, and if they showed any bit of weakness at all, then all of these sacrifices would have been for nothing. _Minato, couldn't you have found another way? At least one that left you alive to clean up your mess? You selfish son of a bitch..._

Getting back on track he turned his attention to his more immediate problem, "Ah Kushina, please take a seat, we have much to speak about."

The day of the sealing was something dark and terrible. It all began with a decision, with the best intentions that spawned something unexpected.

It is here that the story really begins.

* * *

There you have it. I'm not particularly happy with this for a couple of reasons. For the most part, writing about the sealing is boring and overdone already. It's a fine line to tread between getting too angsty, and getting too flippant about it. I have tried to strike a compromise about this. But the next few chapters will have more original content and I can play around with some of my ideas, and hopefully I won't need to explain as much and leave some mystery left in the story. But this was necessary for the foreshadowing of the fic. This will be AU from now on, but respect will be given to the canon universe.

Oh yeah, I formatted it so it actually looks like a nice and polished piece of work on the 23March2008. I'm sure I spell checked this, but apparently it didn't work the first time around. It was further redone with the help of Juopunumies.

Please read and review.


	2. Days spent in darkness

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N.

Nice to receive some of those reviews and luckily I have lots of time on my hands, in the next week anyways, to update this little fic of mine. Revisited to correct the mistakes of the past.

Thank you, Juopunumies.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners.

Chapter started: 18Jan08  
Chapter edited: 23Mar08  
Chapter revisited: 15Nov08

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Days spent in darkness**

**Konoha  
Central District**

People usually greet the end of a day with some degree of happiness. Either because work is over, the day is done and a new one can arise again, or that it was time to relax in the comfort of ones home, with family and loved ones. For Uzumaki Naruto, he had none of those things to look forward to.

Making the long walk back to his apartment, he couldn't help but notice the veiled glances, the hardening of people's eyes, and the insidious whispers floating around him. By his side was a tattered teddy bear that had seen much better days. And if you were to pay close attention, you could see it being clenched tightly by its ears as it was dragged along the ground.

Trying the best to ignore what was happening around him, Naruto did what he normally did in these circumstances. He retreated into himself, into his private world where no one stared at him; no one said harsh and cruel things just at the edge of his hearing. A place where he was left alone, free from the reality that ever awaited him. Unfortunately, he still was alone, even in his own mind.

Like a person following a standard routine, he managed to make his way into a small, dank complex and into his apartment. He noted with dull fascination that there was new graffiti on his door, and someone had left a noose around the handle. He looked at it for a moment before taking it off and throwing it over his shoulder. For the last few months he had been expecting things such as that, to the extent that it rarely ever fazed him anymore.

Naruto unlocked the door and went into the living room. He saw that the clock read seven o'clock and decided to eat. He went to his kitchen and rummaged around in his pantry.

_Instant ramen, more instant ramen; I love the stuff, but day after day it gets so boring…_ He sighed to himself. _It's not like I can afford anything better, and even if I could, I can only seem to buy things that are expired, or look like they have been opened already…_

He placed a kettle on to boil, and sat down, watching the steam slowly accumulate as the water reached its boiling point. It wasn't as if there was much for him to do while waiting. His apartment was rather empty, only being furnished with some seats, an empty bookcase and a simple futon in his bedroom. It was functional and cold, utterly sterile.

Once the water was done, he poured it into the container and started eating. Cleaning up was easy, he merely threw the cup away and made his way into bed. He didn't even bother to take his clothes off before collapsing into bed. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off into sleep, with one thought on his mind.

_Kaa-san, where are you? Why did you leave me?_

**_Flashback_**

She said that she was just taking a trip away to see an old friend.

Of course, he begged her to let him come along, but she said that he had to be a good boy and stay in the village. Apparently it was too dangerous to take a little boy out into the open country. She promised him that she would come back with a present for him, but only if he was good and did what he was told.

"Now Naruto-kun, I need you to stay in this house and look after it while I am gone, do you understand? Don't worry now, I will get someone to check up on you and I will come back as soon as I can," she promised with a brittle smile.

Most kids would have believed in their parents. But Naruto wasn't like most kids, not even at his precocious age. He had an awful feeling that something bad was about to happen, and that he wanted to be with his mother if it did occur. But in the end, he stayed silent and smiled at her. She was his mother; she wouldn't do anything that would hurt him, right?

As Kushina saw her child smile at her, her heart was torn into slightly smaller pieces. Emotions were warring within her, the primary ones being guilt and anger. Guilt that she was abandoning her child to a village that would turn on him, guilt that she wasn't strong enough to be the mother that Naruto needed, and anger at the entire situation that they were placed in.

For the last six years Kushina had been living more of an existence than a life. After losing her lover she had problems readjusting to reality. Life goes on, regardless of the personal tragedies that occur, and living in the past only gives rise to regret. Such platitudes are easy to say, but when faced with the situation personally…

It was hard for her to move on when every time she saw her son, she saw the face of his father; the same facial structure, the same spiky blond hair. It was like she was being mocked by her loss by some sick twist of karma. To add insult to her injury, three whisker-like marks had formed on Naruto's face as a result of the sealing. There were times when she was washing Naruto that she had vigorously, even maniacally, tried to scrub them off his face; as if she could remove the 'taint' from his body, until his cries brought her back. This in part lead to Naruto becoming more subconsciously independent as she realised that she could not always control her actions around her son.

Even after six years, if someone were to ask her if she loved her son, she would be hard pressed to give an answer. Her head said that Naruto was her son, no more and no less than that. But deep in her, there was a seed of resentment that she desperately tried to deny. The more she ignored it, the greater it grew until one day she found herself over Naruto while he was sleeping. In her hand was a kunai that she gripped until her knuckles were white with the pressure.

Desperately afraid, she ran back into her room, panting with fear with what she had almost done. She tried to convince herself that it wouldn't happen again, that it was just something she had no control over. But, over time, as she kept waking up in the same situation over and over again, she realized that she had to do something.

As she was moving away, she turned back and saw Naruto jumping up and down, waving his arms to get her attention

"Kaa-san, come back quickly please! Remember to write to me, and don't forget to get my present when you come back! I love you!"

With those last words cutting into her, she managed to fake a smile and wave back at him before she turned and hurried off to the gates.

When she was out of his sight, Naruto stopped waving and felt a shiver come over him. Brushing it off as nothing more than an errant breeze, he started walking back to his home, counting down the time until she would return home.

Little did he know that he was in for a hell of a countdown.

**_End Flashback_**

Naruto slowly woke up when the sun's rays flashed upon his face. Giving a tired yawn, he got up lethargically and went to the bathroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he was brushing his teeth, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and wondered what the hell he was going to do today. After his mother had left and did not return, he was shifted into various foster homes, each of them reluctantly taking him in before kicking him out again.

The excuses were all the same. They were unable to care for Naruto due to his 'special needs' and that he would be better cared by another family, any family as long as it wasn't theirs.

_What do they mean by special needs? There is nothing wrong with me, is there? _

After so many attempts, it was decided that Naruto was to be placed into an orphanage. While that had worked for a while, his location was discovered by others, and there were times at night when people would come and demand loudly for Naruto to come out and face them. Rocks were thrown, windows broken and there were serious fears that they would one day storm the orphanage. He remembered those dark times where he was hiding in his room, trying to ignore what was happening around him by wrapping his blanket around him, praying for the sun to rise again.

_It's all going to be alright in the morning. Just a little bit longer…_

This became his mantra for the long nights ahead of him. After this had happened, what friendships Naruto had with the orphans crumbled. All of them were afraid of him, afraid that the men in the dark would hurt them if they stayed close to him. And most of all, they were afraid that no foster family would take them in if they were friends with him. It was the most poignant introduction to negative emotions, at such a young age, that most kids his age didn't have to face.

Throughout his life Naruto had always noticed that he was treated differently, that others always seemed to go out of their way to make him feel miserable. While his mother was still with him, it was not as noticeable, but when she left, it seemed that someone had called open season on Uzumaki Naruto. First of all his house was forcibly sold by the bank when no one made the payments to the mortgage. His mother's bank accounts were also mysteriously empty, leaving him with nothing but an allowance given by the Hokage to live off. Whenever he asked the old man why these things happened to him, he would never get a proper explanation.

It would always be something on the lines of:

"It's something that you will understand when you're older, Naruto."

"Its not you, Naruto, it's just that they can't seem to see what a great child you actually are, Naruto."

"It is nothing that you have done. Don't worry; it will get better in the future."

After a series of contradictory and useless explanations, he gave up on asking the Sandaime for reasons. Though he didn't show it, Sarutobi was inwardly glad that he didn't have to answer those awkward questions, and prayed that things would get better.

All of this had an effect on the young blond. Before hand he was a happy enough child, oblivious to the things around him and had the attention, if lukewarm love, of his mother. After she had left, he was exposed to world around him, and he finally saw and experienced something no child ever should.

Loneliness. Neglect. Hate. Indifference. Fear. Longing. Despair. Hopelessness.

After being told to leave by the orphanage, Sarutobi reluctantly agreed and managed to get a small apartment for him, as well as a small allowance for living expenses. He had been living there for the last few months, and in that short amount of time, he gained a small measure of independence. But a six year old could hardly be expected to cook for himself and clean an entire house, something which even adults have trouble with.

Given no direction and loneliness being his constant companion, Naruto was literally an island unto himself. With the lack of guidance, he spent most of his time in the park, looking at happy families playing with each other. It was just a stark reminder of something he never really had. And he saw children oblivious to the reality of the world around them. He hated them for that. And how he envied them for that as well.

Everyday would follow the same meaningless routine, and every day he would lose a bit more strength, a bit more of his will. And all of this went unnoticed among those living in the village hidden in the leaves.

* * *

**Soul society  
Twelfth division headquarters**

_I wonder, it all seemed a bit easy. _thought Urahara Kisuke.

The fallout from the sealing turned out to be very anticlimactic for the three captains of Sereitei. When he came back to Soul Society, he discovered that only a few minutes had passed by while he was in that strange new world. It made things much easier to cover up, err, explain to anyone who asked.

His friends just pushed the blame onto him, saying that if anyone asked them what had happened; they would say that he had summoned them as a joke, before saying that they had some paperwork to catch up on and leave in a hurry. He wasn't that impressed that his friends would ditch him like that, but luckily no one really noted their absence at all.

_Point one, time in that place seems to be displaced in comparison to ours. But I wonder what the time dilation factor actually is between here and there?_

Pushing that to the back of his mind, he sat back and thought back on what he had just seen. And more importantly what he had just created. Kisuke had an unabashed love of experimenting and creating things that most people would have left alone. Why he did it, well, not even he could give an answer to that question. It usually revolved along the lines of being:

It would have some use, by some one, in some time, some where. Making the shinigami stronger can hardly be a bad thing, right?

Or more directly, why not?

Usually his friends and colleagues could give him an ever growing list of why he shouldn't actually do it, but that was nothing compared to the agony he felt when the Shinigami Woman Society came and complained that the names that he gave to his beloved creations were not 'cute enough'.

_Why can't they be thankful that I made their lives slightly easier, or more interesting?_ he lamented with a sigh.

He looked at the black sphere lying on his desk and gave another sigh. _I get the feeling this will be the greatest thing I have ever created, or the worst_. A part of him was afraid for the blond baby that had his entire being changed that night. Kisuke had no idea what the hell could have happened, and whether his power was stable enough to control that damned fox.

And that led him to think about what that fox actually was. And what the hell was chakra really? He thought it was physical and mental energy of a living being, but on closer examination, he realized that there was something wrong with that explanation. He just didn't know what, but if he were to trust his instincts on this one, it would seem that the mental component of chakra seemed to be like reiatsu… Was the spiritual energy of a dead person and a living being comparable to each other?

Filing those thoughts away for future contemplation, he realised that the time he spent here meant that Naruto would have aged by a significant amount of time already. Convinced that he needed more data and observation on the younger blond, he planned to make a trip to see how things were progressing.

Being cautious, he pulled out an experimental _gigai_ and implanted a pre production _gikongan_ into it. He had managed to create one that could act as a decoy, useful when he needed a distraction, or he wanted to avoid long boring meetings. He once used it to do paperwork, but seeing that it was programmed to mirror his personality, the _gigai_ tried to create other ones to do it for him. This led to so many bodies being created after another until Kisuke came back and destroyed them all. As much as he hated to admit it, having more than one of him was probably a bad thing.

"Pretend to be me until I come back. If anything important happens, just stall for time okay?"

The faux body nodded dutifully, "Got it boss"

With that done, he went off to get a few more things for his trip. If Naruto was really a shinigami, then he would need a certain something…

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

_I'm getting too old for this shit_.

It wasn't the first time that thought came up, and during the last few months, he had felt all of his six decades of life bear down upon him.

_Is there a sin worse than failure?_ He gave a bitter laugh. _Yes, having those failures stare back at me._

The shinobi known as 'The Professor' sighed when he looked at his scrying orb.

_The fates were never kind to you Naruto, and the way things are going, I am really not sure of what to do_.

Being called to serve after the Yondaime's demise, he hoped to only be a caretaker before some other worthy candidate could be found. The simple fact was that the vaunted 'will of fire' in him was slowly burning out, and somebody needed to take over his position.

Make no mistake, the Sandaime would protect his beloved village with his life, but certain events have shaken his belief in Konoha. He stood up and looked at the massive stone monument where each Hokage had their visage carved upon that massive rock face.

_Ah Minato. If you were looking down on us, how would you feel? Hell, you didn't even expect your child to survive that night, so maybe you didn't even care. More importantly, if you were here, what the hell would you do about this problem? What would you think of your wife who abandoned your son to his fate?_

Once again he cursed Kushina's actions. Naruto was always a happy and lively child, but after the events he was less lively, smiled less and stopped interacting in the world. It was really unhealthy that all he did was stare at families all day. Nothing good would ever come from it, but he was reluctant to interfere. He was at a loss to deny him that, but if Naruto was going down the path that he was currently heading down, he could only really see two branches from the cardinal root.

Suicide.

Voluntary exile.

Both options were unacceptable. With those thoughts in mind, he looked down at a piece of paper that could solve this problem. It wasn't a great solution, but it was a solution nonetheless. If nothing else came up, then it might be lesser evil.

He grimaced at that thought.

* * *

**Konoha  
Outskirts near the Fall of the Kyuubi no Yoko**

A small tear opened up near a clearing, where the air seemed to part, and the fabric of the world was twisted and gave way to darkness. Out came a smiling blond man with a bucket hat that cast a shadow over his eyes. Twirling a cane, he closed the portal behind him and observed his surroundings.

_I wonder how much time has passed since I was last here?_

He saw that a shrine had been erected in a clearing to his south, and as he got closer to it, it portrayed a fallen nine tailed fox with a massive toad standing triumphant over it.

_Well, that wasn't what really happened… more correctly, it was Isshin and Yoruichi unleashing their bankais, with me and Minato using the hogyoku. Then again, we were not in our gigais so no one really saw what happened, besides one hell of a light show and a dying leader_.

He walked over to a seemingly random spot and approached an oddly shaped rock. He waved his hand and the rock changed back its true shape, which was a summoning stone he left before he opened a portal back to Soul Society.

_With one of these here, it will act as a waypoint so only I can get to this place_.

Urahara was rather jealous and protective of new findings, and he wasn't going to let some pesky underling come and take it away from him.

He had the vague feeling that people who could channel chakra would be able to see his shinigami self, if his theories about chakra were correct. But just to be safe, he came in a gigai through the portal. Popping a _gikongan_ into his mouth, he left the medium and decided to enter the main village.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha_  
_Main city**

What he saw did not really impress him.

_Woah, if that's how they treat their heroes, I wonder how they treat their traitors? Better not ask_. After following Naruto around during the day, he came to a few conclusions.

The first was that this village was expressing its gratitude to the blond container in a very cruel manner reminiscent of Spartan days.

The second was that there were a few things wrong with Naruto.

The first was that he did not seem to be as healthy as a boy his age should have been. His height and weight were way below the average, and it seemed as if his clothes had not been washed for a while, like he slept in them.

The second one was that he could not detect any reiatsu from him. Well, more correctly; it was there, but it was very much diminished from the night of the sealing. It was a wonder that the Kyuubi's chakra was actually balanced at all. The closer he looked, the more he realised that there was a problem.

The reiatsu wasn't actually exerting enough pressure on the foreign chakra. This was bad. Really bad. He needed to see someone in charge, otherwise in under a year they would be dealing with one hell of a pissed off demon with an axe to grind.

And after seeing the state of Naruto's treatment, he wasn't so inclined to help out next time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

Retrieving his gigai, Urahara decided that he needed to make a good impression on the leader. After making some small talk with the villagers, he determined that the leader was the Sandaime and that his office was located in the Hokage Tower. Thinking of the best way to convince him that he was a shinigami, he decided that a flashy entrance was in order.

_Hmm, a flashy entrance. How would Kyoraku Shunsui do this… _

The Sandaime was sitting at his desk, going through all the administrative paperwork that plague bureaucracies across time and space. Requisitions, approvals, license dispensations; all of it was enough to give him a headache. As he was about to reach a new drawer he felt a disturbance in the centre of his office. Looking up, he saw an odd sight.

Two sparks of light appeared in the middle of the room, before they moved in opposite directions, leaving a trail of light and traced a circle that was suspended in air. The space inside the circle started to shimmer and disappear, before there was a strong wind that blew outwards. Sakura petals then flew from that void and fluttered everywhere, creating a mess, before a blond haired shinigami came out twirling a cane in his hand.

"Crap, the petals were supposed to gently flow behind me after I entered the room. And float in the air as well. Maybe I should ask Kuchiki Byakuya how he does it…"

Sarutobi didn't know whether to feel amused at the sight in front of him or alarmed that someone had penetrated the seals that should have prevented people from entering his office unharmed. Though he had to admit, there was an element of style in such an entrance.

"Well, that's not something I have ever seen before. Who might you be?" Sarutobi said with a calm voice, though he discreetly moved his hand to a panic button that would have summoned ANBU immediately if the blond proved to be a threat.

Kisuke produced a fan and gave a small laugh, "Oh, I'm just a handsome and perverted scientist that has a few things to discuss with you."

The Sandaime was not impressed. It was a long day, and having a stranger just portal into his office to speak nonsense was not something he was looking forward to.

_What the hell is a scientist? Orochimaru.... _

"You know, entering into my office unannounced and without reason gives me enough cause to arrest and detain you, until I have a certain someone from the Torture and Interrogation division come and have a chat," he said in a dry voice. He hadn't lived this long by being foolhardy, and he rarely underestimated people.

Kisuke chuckled before smirking, "You have nothing to worry about from me, if I wanted to do you harm would I really have done such an elaborate entrance?"

Sarutobi had to concede that point. "So then, who are you and what do you want?"

The blond took off his hat with a flourish and gave a slight bow, "Well, first things first. My name is Urahara Kisuke. I'm also a shinigami."

The old man tensed at those words.

_Was that some kind of implied threat?_

Seeing the reaction at his words, Kisuke laughed and continued, "No, I'm not here to kill you, or deliver your soul; or whatever it is that you think shinigami do. But we do have a mutual problem that needs to be dealt with. He's blond, about 5 to 6 years old, has a demon fox sealed into him. You know who I'm talking about?" he drawled laconically.

"How do you know about the sealing? That is considered to be an S class secret of this village," Sarutobi asked with suspicion in his voice.

Urahara gave a slight smile and replied, "Why, I was there when it happened. In fact, you can thank me for what occurred that night."

He then proceeded to explain what actually happened on the night, where the sealing went wrong and how Naruto was transformed into something unexpected. The Sandaime ran the thoughts in his head. It all made logical sense, though there were parts where he wanted more clarification on. Specifically the process that changed Naruto with that black sphere…

The old man stroked his beard before nodding thoughtfully, "Well, that's a better explanation than what Minato left us in his letter, but I will need some verification of the truth."

"How about this?" asked Urahara, reaching into his robes to take out kunai. Giving it a twirl, he came forward and dropped it on the desk. The Sandaime would have recognised it anywhere. Anyone familiar with it would have as well by sight alone.

It was a three tipped kunai laced with a seal array; the vital component of a jutsu that could decimate an entire battalion in mere moments. A part of what made Namikaze Minato a legend.

"_Hiraishin no jutsu_…" The technique that was the signature move of only one person. During the Third Shinobi War, Iwa placed huge bounties on those kunai, but they were jealously and effectively protected by the Fourth. In fact, after the battle with the Kyuubi, there were desperate attempts by the ANBU to retrieve all of them, lest they were sold and the seal deconstructed by a fuuinjutsu master. It was not a risk Konoha was willing to take. After the cleanup efforts were conducted, they thought that they had retrieved the complete set.

But here was another one. And it was not just any kunai; it was the original one that Minato slaved over until he perfected his jutsu. He never used it in combat, and every other kunai he used from then on was a copy of that original. It was thought that it was hidden away in a sealed vault in the Namikaze estate. But here it lay on the Hokage's desk.

With a dry mouth at seeing the invaluable treasure, he took it in his hand and looked at Urahara in the eyes, "Ok, I believe you. I doubt you would have given me this if you were not telling the truth."

At that, Kisuke gave an enigmatic smile. While the _Hiraishin no jutsu_ was impressive, he rather preferred the _Shunpo_ technique used by the Shinigami. Sure the _Hiraishin_ might be faster, but you were dependant on those kunai, and it wasn't worth the effort to replicate the damn things. His portals handled long range transportation after all.

"Well, we have much to talk about. Let's start off with why Naruto is treated like a leper." Before all of this, the blonde shinigami was speaking in a light hearted voice, but his voice suddenly hardened. There was no doubt that the transition into seriousness meant business.

The Sandaime explained everything to him. It was funny in a way; when it all came out and examined objectively, how stupid the situation was.

But still, Kisuke was hardly impressed, "Ok, I guess bits of it were understandable. Since Naruto survived the sealing, which wasn't really expected, the villagers believed that something went wrong and that the fox didn't die along with him?"

"Well yes, that's pretty much it," admitted Sarutobi.

Urahara winced at the perverse situation before sighing, "Who would have thought that surviving a suicide technique would come to this, but nonetheless. Does he know that the fox is within him?"

The Hokage shook his head emphatically, "No, he doesn't. I don't think that it is something that he is ready to learn at this moment in time. To prevent others from doing it, I passed a law with my emergency powers to make it a crime for others to reveal the Kyuubi's existence in Naruto to anyone".

Though made with good intentions, the main reason why the council agreed with it was that they didn't want the other villages to know of the jinchuuriki's existence. If that power was ever turned against Konoha…

Kisuke appreciated that gesture, but to him it was still unacceptable, "But that doesn't explain why they would try and harm him. If they think that he is the fox, wouldn't they want to placate and make him loyal to your village?"

Hearing it being said so bluntly and logically the old man shook his head sorrowfully, "Which comes down to the heart of it. They are so blinded by their hatred and fear of the unknown that they would rather kill him than consider the problem rationally. It's like some sort of mass hysteria, but no one seems to willing to listen to reason. Changing the hearts of others… it's a hard task…"

Urahara lowered his head until his eyes were shadowed, "What! Are you telling me that your villagers would plan the death of a small child?! He is the only thing that is keeping that fox at bay!"

"I have a few of my Dignitary Protection ANBU looking after him to prevent any overt attempts. Wait, what do you mean by your last sentence?" asked the suddenly alarmed shinobi.

The shinigami gave a sigh. The truth was rarely pleasant, even less so in this case. He explained that if Naruto dies at this moment in time, or in the near future, the bijuu would be released from its physical medium. The seal that Minato managed to graft on Naruto was never planned to hold the Kyuubi, but was to keep the reiatsu and chakra in balance with each other. This balance would prevent the Kyuubi from forcibly escaping the medium that it was trapped within. He theorised that given enough time, Naruto's reiatsu would reach a level that would dominate over the foreign chakra so that the Kyuubi would be sealed until his natural death. When that happened, well, he didn't seem to know, but that was a question left for another time. A human shinigami might prove to live indefinitely.

The more important and pressing issue was that the reiatsu wasn't exerting sufficient pressure to keep the balance.

Noting a few inconsistencies with the explanation he asked another question, "And another thing, where the hell is his mother?"

And that led to another sorry tale. Kisuke was left with shock at how bad life could get for some people. Hell, there were less deserving people living better lives than Naruto. He was not impressed with the situation and made that awfully clear to the Hokage.

"You know, for the supposed military leader of a shinobi village, you don't seem to be doing much for his well being," the accusation crystal clear in his voice

Sarutobi gave a bitter laugh and walked over to his window. He gazed out into the village that he served for so long and clenched his fists.

"Don't think that I would have left him to suffer if I could have done anything about it. Minato was… loved by all of us. He would have been ashamed to see this all happen. But what is done is done and things have only turned out this way after Kushina left …"

Turning slowly back to face Kisuke, he ran his fingers through the remains of his hair and sighed. "The point is that after the rampage, we had to rebuild. Never had we suffered such a loss close to home. As a part of rebuilding, power was transferred over to the civilian council."

"Everywhere we looked, enemies seemed to be looking at us, seeing if we were weak enough to attack. Iwa looked murderous, along with Kumo. Even Suna was looking at us like wounded prey. We needed to rebuild the infrastructure and the economy. If we could attract more people to live in Konoha, we could repopulate our forces. Naruto had his mother to protect him, and normally that would have been enough."

"But that's the point; she is as good as dead now," retorted Kisuke in exasperation.

The Sandaime hesitated before agreeing, "True, but to repopulate our forces, we would need at least 18 years before the next generation could rise up and do the job. With all the uncertainty over the seal, I just couldn't risk a civil war to give Naruto any more protection than he already had. Even now, Danzo is calling for me to give the child over. And the council just may well give into that …"

Kisuke shook his head in disgust before narrowing his eyes once more, "Look, I don't care about your internal politics. I really don't. All I see is that your power is slowly being eroded away, and you are avoiding the issue and trying to take the responsibility off your hands by not doing anything. Enough of that, we need solutions."

"Well the fact is that I have control over shinobi affairs, but Naruto is not a shinobi."

"Why doesn't he become a shinobi? Make him one."

"He is too young at the moment, and he requires the consent of his mother, who is missing at the moment. I can give my permission in her place, but…

The shinigami felt somewhat offended at the hesitation, "He is not going to be left like he is, dammit. He deserves better, and if you fail him, then the entire village will pay for it."

Everything that Urahara had said to him was true. He was getting along the years, and he had let too much slide during his tenure. Thinking back, if it became a contest of wills between him and the council, he doubted that they wouldn't back down. They needed his experience, but his tendency to try and placate them was misguided. While he was a firm advocate of peace, as a shinobi he knew that some things could never be settled by reason alone. A step had to be taken, a line drawn. And thankfully Kisuke was there to open his eyes.

"Tell me what needs to be done," Sarutobi said this with a reawakened fire in his eyes. Urahara was surprised at this sudden spark, and more pleased than anyone else. His first impressions were of an old man being burdened, giving more and more ground until he had nothing left to give. But this was a start. It may only be an ember, but if this 'will of fire' was to be something more than a metaphor, then it all had to start somewhere.

"He will need training. He will need to be cared for so that his body can handle the strain of all the energy in him. Most of all, he needs to be happy. If he is left in the darkness, well, people become the things that we create. Right now, he has the potential in him to be one of the strongest beings in your land. Give him enough reason and he could turn on you and it would not be pretty."

Thinking on it, if Naruto were to die right now, he would not be inclined to seal the fox again. If this was going to be the standard response, then he would have nothing of it. But if he were to survive and awaken all of his latent powers, Naruto might be a match for even Yamamoto-sotaicho and a few taichou of the Gotei Thirteen. Such power was unbelievable. But it was made possible by him. He didn't know if to be happy or afraid at that though.

_That much power… needs restraint. And that is something he will need to learn now._

"Does Naruto know who his father is?" he asked with curiosity.

"No, no he doesn't."

"Why didn't you tell him? Or his mother?"

Sarutobi laughed with little humour, "Too many reasons to list. While many people know that he is the container, his parentage was only known to me and a few others present at the scene of the sealing. His father had many enemies who would have loved to torture and kill the son of their hated enemy. In time, I will tell him the truth."

Kisuke shrugged before continuing, "I don't necessarily agree with you there, and keeping secrets will just push him away from you. That's the last thing that you need old man."

"Before he can reclaim his legacy, he needs to be able to protect himself and the ones around him. I cannot let him become an even bigger target to the world before he is ready," justified the Hokage, unfazed by the snipe at his age.

Urahara left it at that. At least there was reason behind that. He wasn't so sure that Naruto didn't know, or had an idea of what was going on around him. The fact that he bore an uncanny resemblance to the Fourth would have alerted most people. Deciding that it wasn't an issue he had to deal with, he moved on,

"I have something for Naruto; it's something that all shinigami have, and some consider it to be the source of their power. It should create a connection to his reiatsu, and strengthen it."

"What is it exactly?"

Kisuke withdrew a bag off his shoulder, placed it on the floor and drew a long oblong package wrapped in silk from within. Unwrapping it, he unveiled a fairly ordinary looking katana. Expecting something more impressive, the Sandaime looked expectantly at him.

Compelled to give an explanation he obliged, "This is a zanpakuto. It's the spiritual weapon used by all shinigami. It's more of a blank than anything else right now, but once a connection is forged, it becomes a part of a shinigami's soul. Think of it as a nexus…"

Not wanting to get engaged in a philosophical question that still plagued academics he decided to continue, "The point is, the more he trains with it, the stronger his reiatsu becomes. So he will need a blade master to teach him the basics before he unseals the true form of his blade."

"His true form?"

"It's not something you need to worry about now. It won't happen for at least a few more years. Just make sure that he is happy, well fed and well trained. I'll be watching to make sure things are done properly, and if not, well you all will be the ones to suffer the consequences," promised the blond.

Not for the last time, Sarutobi cursed at the position of being Hokage. But behind that all, he was inwardly happy that he could finally do some good. It took the intervention of a death god, granted, but the determination in his eyes was unmistakable.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's office**

Gekkou Hayate was waiting outside the Hokage's office after receiving a summon delivered by a chuunin. He spoke to the secretary, who told him that the Sandaime was with someone else and he would just need to wait a short while. Nodding to that, he walked over to the seating area before sitting down.

To most people, Hayate did not seem to be the textbook picture of what a shinobi should be. With bags under his eyes and a perpetual cough, you could be forgiven for thinking that his position was either a political favour, or a mistake yet to be corrected by the Darwinian world that the shinobi lived in.

But behind that seemingly frail body laid a prodigy of the blade. While Konoha did not have a tradition of swordsmanship like Kirigakure, the few who manage to excel were regarded quite highly, enough to be placed on the Bingo Book of other nations, if only as a curiosity. Hayate was regarded as one of Konoha's _kengos_, and if his health was any better then he would have been titled a _kensei_.

As he sat back, he wondered why the Hokage wished to see him. He knew that he hadn't committed any crimes, or had done anything that merited a dressing down by the village's military leader. One does not ignore a request from the Hokage for a talk, not unless you wanted to be dragged against your will by the ANBU, who didn't take to such 'duties' with much amusement.

Though as he was here, he had to ponder about what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. His sword skills were beyond reproach, and having achieved it by the age of sixteen was quite an accomplishment. Though compared to such prodigies such as Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi, he realized that he had specialized too much, and he was now stuck in a rut.

Due to his health, he couldn't really take on stealth or reconnaissance missions. His cough would give away his position, and he didn't have the stamina to lead assaults, nor the endurance to take on enemies for prolonged melees. Oddly, being a ninja does not really rely on using a sword. Information gathering, spying, intelligence and assassination was the name of the game. Using jutsus just enhanced a shinobi's repertoire of skills to get the job done.

That's not to discount his skills short. If it ever got to a close combat with another shinobi, a swordsman would usually win against his opponent. Hayate's signature style, the Dance of the Crescent Moons, was capable of taking out opponents with extreme speed and accuracy. Once the distance is closed, there is no time for hand seals or chakra moulding. Since most ninja's only seemed to carry kunai as their melee weapon, up against a katana there really is no contest.

Since his promotion to chuunin, he hadn't really been on many missions of note, and it seemed that his career may have already stalled. _Maybe I could be a jounin instructor_ he mused. Though the likelihood of that was quite low. Not for the first time he cursed his ill heath. It was some defect in his lungs that caused them to contract too quickly, making breathing difficult. Caught in his thoughts, he didn't notice another person sit right next to him.

Uzuki Yuugao was another promising young chuunin on the road to bigger and better things. She had recently applied for a position in the ANBU, and hoped that this meeting would be confirmation of that. _Finally, I can do it and show them what I am capable of._

The sad fact is that the culture of shinobi's was male dominated and orientated. Most kunoichi were not taken seriously. This was not helped by the fact that some girls only took the position as it seemed like a glamorous occupation, full of noble and heroic adventures. Or to get closer to a boy. While sometimes those missions came up, most of the time it involved dirty work that no one else wanted to do. Having their fantasies shredded up meant a high turnover rate, especially the nature of the physically demanding rate that most males could keep up with.

But remembering that a ninja specializes in stealth and evasion, it was a role that suited kunoichi quite well. Their small size, speed and agility were greater than their male counterparts', and they could do a job as effectively, if not more so than a man. It was this ingrained discrimination that many kunoichi fought against.

Throughout the academy, and during the genin years, Yuugao always felt that she had something to prove. Instead of making her bitter about it, she used it as motivation to reach greater heights. In a few short years, she managed to surpass her teammates, and there were rumours that she was being shortlisted for the ANBU program in a few years. At the moment she was on some mandatory leave and working on a few new jutsus she had manage to borrow from a few jounin instructors.

As she sat down, she noticed the person sitting next to her. _Hmm, I have seen him around somewhere, wait … ah, so it is him_. Hayate noticed that her eyes widened in recognition and he wondered how she would react. Not everyone took to prodigies well, bringing forth feelings of resentment and jealousy.

Yuugao merely gave him a cocky smirk before deliberately looking away from him. _Well, that's a new one_, thought Hayate_. I usually get fawning, requests for a spar, or snide comments. Being ignored, hmm, not sure how to feel about that…_

The kunoichi next to him didn't really feel any disdain towards the grey haired swordsman. She had long discovered that blind prejudices could get a woman killed, and tried to approach things with an open mind. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't enjoy messing around with him.

So the two of them sat next to each other, each playing a game to see if the other would initiate conversation. Minutes slowly dragged out, and neither of them was quite ready to break it until the other did. Luckily for both of them, the Hokage's door opened and out stormed a black robed figure with an icy expression on his face. He looked at both of them before dismissing them and headed towards the exit. They could not help but notice how scarred the man looked..

Before they could ponder it too deeply, they were invited into the office and they quickly entered. They both gave the village leader a salute before standing at attention. As chuunin, they didn't really have much interaction with the Hokage, beyond the allocation of missions. This was something new, and both of them wanted to make a good impression.

The Sandaime had a bitter expression on his face, and was twirling a fountain pen as he gazed off into space. _That could have gone better, and there are too many questions left open_. Seeing that his silence was making the two nervous, he gave a small sigh and smile.

"Stand easy the two of you and take a seat. I guess you are wondering why I called you here today. This village needs you to serve it," spoke Sarutobi in a grave voice.

The two in question looked at each other in surprise. The Hokage ignored it and continued.

"Some things... will be revealed to you. These are secrets that are S classed in nature. Once you hear them, a mission will be assigned to the two of you; it will be a prolonged assignment and will be one of the most important missions ever taken in Konoha. Before I can go forward, I need for you to make a commitment."

While the Sandaime could have easily ordered them to comply, he always felt that compulsion made for poor results. If they were willing and able to take on the mission, it would only mean better outcomes in the end.

Yuugao slowly raised her hand and asked a question, "What sort of commitment are you looking for Hokage-sama?"

He closed his eyes in thought before answering, "At least six years from now. A ranked status, with all the pay and benefits attached."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Most chuunin never took on missions above B. Even if they did, it was usually completed as part of a full cell. For protocol to be broken in this case, it had to be something special. While Hayate was still processing the information, Yuugao decided to press the initiative.

"I accept, Hokage-sama." While the two males looked at her with some surprise, it really was a no brainer for the kunoichi. She didn't reach her position by being timid. She knew what she wanted, and took the chances that were open to her. This was one hell of a chance to prove herself to her superiors, and would only help her chances of entering into the ANBU. She was confident that she had the skills to back up whatever needed to be done.

Hayate was feeling a bit abashed that Yuugao accepted so quickly. Looking at his options, he realized that he was at a plateau, and needed some direction in his life. _Oh, why the hell not? My friends keep telling me to expand my horizons. And I'll be damned if I'm going to back down to her._

"I accept the assignment as well," Hayate ended that with a small bow of his head.

While he was slightly surprised that they accepted without more clarification, Sarutobi was very pleased to see such fire in his subordinates.

"Very well, let me tell you a story. It all began on a summer's night …"

* * *

**Konoha  
Naruto's apartment**

As Naruto was about to enter into his home, he realized something was a bit off.

One, his door was left unlocked.

Two, there were sakura petals all over his floor.

Three, there was a blond haired man sitting on his couch.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked at his door to double check that he had the right apartment._ Okay, so this is my house, and I don't know this guy. What the hell?_

Kisuke gave the other blond a smile and said, "Relax Naruto-kun, if I wanted to hurt you, wouldn't I have done that already instead of sitting on your couch?"

While that did make some sense, it wasn't proof, and could just be a part of a plan to lure him into a false sense of security. Urahara saw that the boy was edging away from him, and was about to make a run for it. Deciding that he needed to cut that short, he made a bit of a gamble.

"Do you ever wonder why your body isn't as healthy as it used to be? Why you have trouble breathing? Why things don't look as sharp as they used to? Why your headaches are getting worse and worse?" he asked candidly.

Naruto was surprised. While others didn't really care or notice that his health was failing, he always tried to cover it up. Letting others know of his self perceived weakness was something that he loathed, and he took steps to cover it up. It looks like he didn't do a good enough job._ Then again, it's not like the doctors would do much for me in the hospital anyways… _

But the fact that someone was looking out for him and observed it gave him some pause._ Maybe I can trust this man, though I will have to get him to clean my floors. I'm pretty sure I don't have a sakura tree in my house …_

Seeing that his words were having an effect, Urahara gave an open smile.

"My name is Urahara Kisuke. If you come in, I can explain a bit more about what is happening to you."

Naruto blinked before deadpanning, "Err… that's nice of you to invite me into my own house…"

Giving the boy an embarrassed laugh while rubbing the back of his head, he replied apologetically, "Oh yeah, I'm sorry about that, but I really needed to speak to you, and I couldn't really wait outside your door. You do get quite a few visitors," he finished darkly.

With a grimace, Naruto closed the door and sat down of the floor, looking up Urahara. There was a silence as both of them looked at each other. Kisuke noticed the strain in the others eyes, and the fact that he placed a lot of effort in keeping his body upright. This impressed him. He was just a six year old kid for crying out loud. He should be playing with his friends, running around and making a nuisance for his parents to sigh over. _Damn, he shoulders this burden well._ But then again, he didn't really choose this in the first place. That was part of the reason why he chose to explain everything to Naruto about the sealing and the consequences. Who his father was, well, that was something that he would leave in the hands of the Sandaime.

After hearing all of it, Naruto didn't know what to believe. It sounded all so fantastical and ludicrous, like a piece of fiction or a manga series… but it all seemed to make horrible, terrible sense. It explained nearly everything and for the first time in his life, his eyes were opened to the truth.

Unfortunately, this just raised more questions in his head.

_Is this why kaa-san left?  
Doesn't anyone know who my father is? I mean, anyone?!  
Am I really the demon that they all say that I am?_

But the more pressing question left him feeling more afraid.

_Am I going to die?_

While he didn't exactly have a great life, he didn't want to die just yet. There was so much he wanted to do, see and experience. _This isn't fair!_ He railed in his head_, it can't end like this, it just can't. I never even had the chance …_

Seeing his face give into despair, Kisuke quickly intervened, "There is a way to fix this problem of yours."

That quickly brought Naruto out of his depression and he eagerly yelled out "Alright! What do I need to do then?"

The other blond simply took out a sheathed katana and held it out to him. "Touch this and all will be revealed," he answered rather mysteriously.

Grabbing the sheath, he looked at it with a smile on his face. It was a simple katana, unadorned with any decoration. Its guard was a simple piece of steel, with the hilt wrapped in sharkskin. Its sheath was made of black lacquered wood. It looked rather unassuming. Looking at Kisuke for confirmation, he slowly unsheathed the blade.

The blade was a rather simple affair. With a length of one meter, it was simple but precisely forged. Admiring its beauty, he couldn't help but notice the fine grain of the steel, the result of it being folded over many times until it had a slight rippled surface.

For some reason that he could not explain, the blade just felt right in his hands. It was like he was reunited with something that was missing from him that he never knew about. As he was about to give it an experimental swing, something happened.

Something unexpected.

Naruto's body seized up, and slowly folded into itself. His eyes glazed over and his face went slack. Urahara quickly flash stepped to catch Naruto before he fell and cut himself with the blade. As he held onto the comatose boy, he was wide eyed and was using his reiatsu to see if he was injured.

_What the hell?! What just happened? No one has ever had a reaction like this just by drawing out a blank zanpakuto. There are no obvious wounds, no trace of poison or any other substances. Am I too late? Is the damned fox taking over?! _

As Kisuke was running scenarios in his head, Naruto found himself in a very odd place. It looked like he was in the main streets of Konoha. It was daytime and a slight breeze was blowing against his face. But there were a few things odd about the picture.

It was midday and the streets were completely empty  
He was dressed in black robes that he did not own.  
He was also pretty sure that he was in his apartment just a few moments ago and he had a sword.

Scrunching his face in thought, trying to process what was actually happening to him, he failed to notice a figure approach him from the end of the street. In fact, the only reason he noticed the figure was because its shadow washed over his face.

The figure gave a light lilting laugh before it spoke in a haunting, melodious voice.

"Hmm, isn't this a surprise. I wonder what you did to cause all this to happen. But I must say it's much better than where I was staying before. Thanks for that."

Naruto was too confused to actually make a response.

The other seemed to be amused by his silence.

_**"What's the matter? Fox got your tongue, kit?"**_

* * *

There we go, another chapter done. Things are progressing rather slowly on the writing front, and I will be off on holidays after this. I find that I have to read less Naruto and Bleach cross overs. It is making me lose direction in my story, incorporating too many elements that I won't have time to develop fully. As always, read and review.


	3. The candle that burns in the void

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N.

My computer died on me, along with the first few pages of this chapter. My rewrite seems to be a different beast to that one and I'm not sure which one is better. All I can say is that HP can go die with its misleading recovery software … In any event enjoy the latest chapter.

Thank you, Juopunumies.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me. Sadly. So sad. Tears of rage fall from my eyes here. Does anyone disagree?

Chapter completed: 06Feb08  
Chapter edited: 23Mar08  
Chapter revisited: 22Nov08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_Scrunching his face in thought, trying to process what was actually happening to him, he failed to notice a figure approach him from the end of the street. In fact, the only reason he noticed the other person was because their shadow washed over his face._

_The figure gave a light lilting laugh before it spoke in a haunting, melodious voice._

"_Hmm, isn't this a surprise. I wonder what you did to cause all this to happen. But I must say it's much better than where I was staying before. Thanks for that."_

_Naruto was too confused to actually make a response._

_The other seemed to be amused by his silence._

"_What's the matter? Fox got your tongue kit?"

* * *

  
_

**Chapter three**

_**The candle that burns in the void**_

**Somewhere**

"_**Things are never dull around this place."**_

The comment was directed at no one, being almost rhetorical, if the place where she was were truly empty of anything. The landscape around her was slowly being torn apart and she could not help but feel slightly anxious about this new change. This was beyond her range of experience and the uncertainty gnawed at her. It was truly a new feeling that was entirely unwelcome for the millennia old demon.

Well, I can only hope that I end up in a nicer place than this sewer. Honestly, who imagines the centre of their soul or unconsciousness as a damn cesspit?!

The said sewer collapsed into itself, coalescing into a singularity that pulled her into its grasp. She struggled against it, as she was drifting towards its centre, but her efforts were doomed from the start. As this was happening, she could not help but reflect on the events that brought her to these events. When you have spent the majority of your life as a titanic fox demon, your perspective of things is forever changed. One is that you dismiss things smaller than you. Hell, that is entirely understandable. Its not like an ant can stand up to the might of an elephant, can it? But such feelings of invulnerability were shattered during one summer night in what would be known as the Fall. The rampage onto that impertinent village started off so well; people were fleeing before her wrath, death and destruction littered the air in the throes of her carnage. I mean really, what could they have possible done to her?

Seal you into the body of an infant not quite one day old? Madness.

But it happened. She was brought low. Even when she was up against the black robed enigmas, she was more curious than afraid. When she felt the power that the three of them were emitting, she got concerned. It was something that was unfamiliar, a new feeling. She was getting hurt as time got along, but she was fairly sure that she could have dealt with them as they stood against her. It all changed when the man and woman in black started screaming words that caused their power levels to explode to unimaginable levels. The foreign energy they wielded into attacks was now potentially lethal instead of an irritant. They cut into her physical medium, the layers of protection being flayed away like it was butter under a hot knife. Deciding to pull back and observe or withdraw, the unthinkable had occurred. The combined attack managed to cleave her medium into two. Her soul exposed, she tried to get out as soon as she could, but an immense spiritual pressure pushed her soul into that of a boy. A frail mortal body of a boy.

This was intolerable. She, the greatest of the bijuu, the ruler of the Makai, in her mind at least, was trapped. Those bastards are going to pay, she thought spitefully. And the interest owing is going to be a killer…

What followed was one of the most interesting six years of a life to a person who measured things in centuries. Railing at the loss of her freedom, she sat back and observed in the comfort of the sewer that was to be her home. While she absolutely detested her surroundings, and vowed to do some interesting things to the people involved, the events that followed after the sealing made for some interesting drama. And she got to experience it all in an odd sense of vicarious liability.

It wasn't like bijuu hadn't been sealed into human hosts before. They were usually strong human beings that could handle the unique chakra moulded by a demon. But her chakra levels were immense, and no one human could handle it before their cells overloaded. Premature death and the escape of an angry tailed demon was the fate that awaited such vessels.

The gaki should have died, if not at the sealing, then now. Then again, I'm not sure that he is even human anymore.

The strange energy coursed through the blond's body when he was younger, and nearly suffocated her at times. Like a current that knew no master, it raged and fought against her chakra in a vicious struggle.

The energy was nothing that I have ever seen before in a human. It is almost apposite to chakra…

At first the energy was exerting sufficient pressure to suppress her chakra into submission; constantly pushing for dominance, it was a one sided battle that she wasn't winning. She had no idea why that was the case but as the years went by; the pressure lost its efficacy and subsided. Slowly but surely she managed to push back and win.

It got to the stage where she could escape and reform a medium if she really made the effort. But she didn't. She needed more time to achieve dominance, and wanted to study the strange power used against her.

I will not let them use that against me another time.

Furthermore, she was genuinely, some would say morbidly, fascinated by Naruto and his life; particularly the red headed woman that he called mother. Thanks to the increased control of her chakra, she could access his latent chakra points and have a limited perception of the world around her host. When the boy was sleeping, she remembered the nights when the woman would come in with a kunai in hand.

Part of her was sickened and amused by this. While many people would claim that the tailed demons were evil beasts, the truth was that they were more amoral than anything else. Sure, they didn't place a high value on human life, but it wasn't like others didn't do the same.

Humans kill each other more regularly and in greater numbers than I ever did, and they call us demons? We, at least I, have just cause…

But there were a few things that she would not stand for:

Betrayal first and foremost.

Kin slaying came a close second.

As the knife got progressively closer to the boys chest, she could not help but feel conflicted. Part of her was happy that her freedom was nearly at hand. Part of her was outraged that it was to be by that act. She was going to rip herself out of the blond anyways, but it was to be by her hand, not any other. Though the gaki was pretty innocent in all of this, it wasn't like the world treats its people kindly.

But something she would not forget or forgive was the treatment that her host had suffered.

How dare they disrespect those with more power than they?

Such slights were not something that she took lightly, and she imprinted their faces into her memory.

They will pay, one way or another…

But the host's body still continued to break down. It was partially the result of her increased control and the demonic chakra coursing through the pathways. Naruto would have died early if a certain black robed blond had not reappeared into the scene.

As she heard the explanation, she felt some fear when the sword was offered to Naruto. She desperately tried to take control of her mediums body, causing it to contract but contact was made. This brought her to her current situation as the world around her was pulled apart.

Goodbye sewer, I wish I could say that I wish you well, but I can't.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Somewhere**

The world around her was dark. Not the darkness that occurs at night, but the true darkness that meant the absence of light. Yet oddly enough, she could see certain things around her, as if they emitted light that was beyond the range of the absorption of the surroundings. One of those things was a stranger that was gliding towards her.

Why is it that all the weird shit that happens to me comes in black packages?

As the figure got closer, she could see that it was androgynous and had a faint smirk on its face. It stayed silent before its expression turned into one of contemplation.

"_**Who the hell are you and where is this place?"**_ the Kyuubi demanded.

"Who am I?" the question reverberated around the darkness. The question that it asked seemed to have a haunting quality to it.

"Isn't that the question? Truly, I'm not sure, but then again, do you know who you are?"

Great, I'm stuck in this hole with a philosopher. What did I do to deserve this? Oh yeah, all that indiscriminate killing...

"Anyways, even if I told you my name, I'm not too sure that you would be able to hear it."

The fox demon scoffed at that, _**"Try me."**_

"I am the heart and the soul, part of the fate that all things meet and share, part of this grand cycle that binds existence together..."

The Kyuubi rolled her eyes. How cryptic… I wonder if it even knows what it is, if it needs to hide itself under misdirection and obfuscation_**.**_ She decided to give a flippant reply.

"_**Let me guess, taxes? Puberty? Death? I will let you know that I hate taxmen, puberty is a distant and probably non existent memory and I'm not dead yet."**_

"Err, I am the latter."

"Right, sure you are…". The disbelieving tone was obvious. This thing calls itself death? Geez, that's awfully presumptuous, last time I checked the Shinigami held that post… and not very well either...

The figure saw her disbelief but ignored it and continued, "What I am is unimportant. Who you are and what you can do is the issue at the moment."

"_**Explain!"**_

"Well, you might have noticed that your '_soul'_ is stuck in the body of a child," it commented dryly.

"_**Really?! I never really noticed…"**_ she drawled.

"Yes", ignoring the heavy sarcasm it nodded indulgently before speaking, "Normally, the kid would keep you sealed away until his death, but that seems… unlikely now."

"_**Why's that?"**_

It chuckled before taking a lecturing tone, "The gaki somehow crossed the bridge between the living and the dead. What the hell actually happened is anyone's guess, but a living shinigami is probably the best way to describe what he has actually become. The point is that he will not die anytime soon. Maybe never. His healing factor is quite formidable, now that he has access to reiatsu and your powers as well."

Reiatsu, is that the strange power that is binding me?

"_**Hah, you're wrong there. That little bastard has no access to my powers. It is mine, and I'll be damned if I will give my power away, especially to my jailor!"**_

The figure gave a small shrug and smirked, "Who said you had a choice?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

As Naruto was convulsing on his apartment floor, the Sandaime finished outlying the assignment to the two chuunin in front of him.

"So you want us to become his teachers and tutors?" asked Hayate.

The Sandaime nodded but continued, "That is just part of it. The most important part is that you become his mentors in the truest sense of the word. Naruto has the potential to become a great force in our world."

Now that was the understatement of the century. _With his power, any nation would love to wield it… If he ever defects..._ was the thought on everyone's mind.

Speaking softly, he looked solemnly at them and spoke from his heart, "But if he continues down this path of loneliness and rejection... if his anger is ever directed at us…"

That line of thought was left unspoken. If they ever tried to neutralize the boy, they would end up dying. If they treated him harshly, then they would arise at the same result. The entire generation that controlled power in Konoha would not see the truth easily in any event. Why would you alienate a potential weapon or ally? That was something that Sarutobi had to push forward to the Council. But he could already foresee the difficulties in convincing them of that.

Yuugao decided to ask a question, "How classified is this mission? I don't think that this will be something that we can tell our friends or our family."

Sarutobi sighed before responding. "I will do what I can to change the perceptions on my end. We cannot allow this information to become open. Many will target Naruto and that is something we need to avoid. Iwa is still baying for any chance of revenge, and others will want to turn him against us; or kill him to deny us his abilities. Either option leads to more death. I have told you what needs to be done, how you do so is up to you."

Hayate remembered something that soured him, "Where is Kushina now?"

That was another sore point in this sorry tale that continued to fester. She was never a Konoha nin and was not as such subject to their jurisdiction. She was an 'observer' attached to Minato, about to be granted permanent residency when the bijuu attacked.

Their leader was silent for a moment before speaking up, "The thing is that she was never one of ours. Her name was never registered as a Konoha shinobi. A shinobi can only owe allegiance to one village; divided loyalties are never something that a military village can tolerate. The potential for secrets to be exposed is too high…"

Yuugao blinked, trying to accept that before asking a question, "How about defectors? What nation did she belong to in the first place?"

"Kushina was... effectively stateless as Uzu no Kuni doesn't exist anymore. And she wasn't a defector in any event. They spend six months being interrogated before being placed on probation. Everyone uses double agents… and keep the Counter-Intelligence ANBU busy."

They were digesting that bit of little known information as Sarutobi rubbed his forehead in exasperation, "Since I have no jurisdiction to declare her a missing nin, there is not much officially that I can do besides putting a bounty on her head. That is not something that I wish to do right now.. But her association with Minato meant that she was privy to many of his secrets. In particular the _Hiraishin_… I had the Black Guard ANBU and Jiraiya-san look for her, but they found nothing so far…"

Both chuunin looked at each other.

_Did she disappear and remain hidden from us? How did she do that, Jiraiya-sama's spy network is the best in the Elemental Nations. She must have gone deep underground_ thought Hayate.

Yuugao had darker thoughts_. Maybe she defected to another village. God knows any of them would be willing to take her in. She is a goldmine of information. If she has gone to ground, then lots of digging will be necessary._

She dared to voice her thoughts, "Asylum in another village?"

"Possibly..." conceded the old man, keeping his cards close to his chest.

He shook his head before directing them back to their current problem, "In any event, reaching out to Naruto will be more difficult than usual. To put it mildly, he has abandonment issues, and will be reluctant to let people in for fear of getting hurt and left alone again. But you need to do your best, no, you need to succeed. I'm sure you see the importance of this mission now."

They both did, but for slightly different reasons.

Hayate felt pity for the boy. His ill health had always left him isolated from the others. Sitting on the sidelines, watching inwards as the others around him connected but leaving him on the outside… he could relate to Naruto, hell the boy suffered much more than he ever did.

Yuugao knew that this would lead to her break. Political connections could always grease the wheels, and there was no doubt that she had ambition in spades. Who else was more connected than the Hokage? In any event, Naruto was deserving of her help and she always wondered what it would be like having a younger brother.

_Things are looking interesting. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Somewhere**

"_**I didn't live this long to lose my powers to a mere mortal!"**_

The being shook its head in annoyance, "The mortal part is debatable, but really, don't make me force you."

She gave a manic grin in return, _**"I'd like to see you try!"**_

Unleashing five of her tails, she roared out and twisted her chakra into lances of coursing light towards the cloaked figure. It flashed out of sight, before suddenly delivering a stunning blow to her sternum. Slightly winded, she grabbed onto it with three tails and proceeded to beat it into submission.

The figure just grunted and unleashed an enormous wave of pressure that made her recoil and broke her grasp.

What the hell is this power, this reiatsu?! It hurts unlike anything that I have felt before.

_Damn, I underestimated this fox. That really hurt, more so than reiatsu based attacks. She could nearly ki -"_

Cutting its thoughts short, the Kyuubi decided to end it. Giving a smirk, it drew upon its reserves deep within her core. She poured out a wave of killing intent that would have given Kami pause, if only for a moment, and began to unleash everything that she had.

Nine tails of power erupted around her, sheathing her body in a crimson aura that danced like flames over her flawless skin. The aura darkened until the only features that could be seen were black slitted eyes, terrible in their malice. The whole scene was quite nightmarish as the two beings stood each other down.

For the first time of the battle, the black robed figure showed true fear. The level of power that the demon was emitting was unbelievable, unthinkable. It was even eroding the sealed space created by the zanpakuto! _This needs to end, right now._

The bijuu didn't give the other any time for reprieve before she struck. Damn, I haven't been able to let loose since the Chaining, not even when I attacked Konoha did I go all out…

With slight curve to her mouth that went unseen, she struck out faster than the mortal eye could register; even faster than what an immortal eye could see for that fact.

_Just as fast as shunpo?!_

The other tried to flash step out of the way, but the Kyuubi saw all of its movements. This technique, it is just enhanced speed, not any sort of teleportation or phase space… it's impressive, sure, but it still is just physical movement. I can see all of it with my eyes. Every single step.

You're mine now!

She rushed forward, her power enhancing her muscles so that she was a blur of motion, all nine tails extended and acting autonomously, like a whirlwind of activity that attacked and defended in tandem. While that was happening, she used her reserves and perfunctorily recompositioned her chakra into pure elemental fire, a searing balefire that managed to illuminate the void that they were in, casting an odd and ominous shadow that was sucked away into the background.

Take this you overconfident prick, she thought smugly.

At point blank range, the balefire crossed the distance in moments and scored a direct hit onto the other. The pain was indescribable, a wave of searing agony that lanced through its body. The heat was such that the wound was cauterised, leaving a trail of ozone and seared flesh. As the shadowed soul was dying, it was nevertheless impressed by the Kyuubi's strength. It had managed to exercise its power impressively, and had beat it in its own domain no less.

But it was hardly finished. Zanpakutos were not called soul cutters for nothing…

With a howl, reiatsu was channelled into a narrow crescent laced with an indigo hue. _Let's see how you are without that power… _it extended from its arm like a blade, seemingly cutting the area around it into distorted patterns of space before it struck out. The bijuu was caught too close to dodge the coronal wave that soared towards her, leaving afterimages in its wake.

Trapped by proximity, she could do nothing but prepare herself for impact.

Pain happened, a deep bone jarring spike that seemed to erupt from her core and spread outwards. With growing horror, she felt her chakra ebbing away, like a damn placed over a current. It left her weak and disorientated when all nine tails of power were suddenly taken away from her. She slumped over onto the ground, desperately trying to access what was hers, but to no avail.

In a desperate rage, she rushed to the fallen figure and grabbed onto it, shaking it and demanding answers, _**"What the hell did you do? I can't feel it anymore, where did it go? Answer me you bastard!"**_

The figure was in no better shape. The attack took more energy than it thought possible. Such power that she had… at most it achieved a pyrrhic victory. Its awareness slowly drifted away_. No, Naruto's soul cannot be left unguided. What to do?_

Desperation forced it to do the unthinkable. A soul meld.

With a groan, it faced the hysterical demon and spoke softly, "I have severed the part of your soul that acts as a bridge to your power… Your chakra is lost to you."

That wasn't something that she wanted to hear.

"_**You lie, I can still feel it, but I just can't touch it anymore… Give it back you me now!"**_ she demanded.

"No, I won't. Even if I could, you don't deserve it."

"_**Deserve it? I earned it, it is mine!"**_ she demanded incredulously.

The other just gave a shrug, which infuriated the demon fox. The Kyuubi growled. _**"My power is still there, running wild in the medium. If it isn't controlled or given focus, it will ruin the body…"**_

On that thought she stopped. Left unchecked, Naruto would die by the raw fury of nine tails of demonic chakra. Normally she would be freed, but with her soul butchered into tatters and her power inaccessible, she didn't know what would happen now. The uncertainty gnawed away at her. She just didn't know.

"Naruto has control of your power now. He may not be able to use it, but the two of you may come to an agreement."

"_**How the hell does he have my power?!"**_

Another shrug, "It's his body, and you're in it. It's pretty much his to do with as he likes." Privately, it wasn't so sure. Power usually recognized its rightful owner, but then again misdirection could be a wonderful thing at times.

This … thing wants me to negotiate for what is mine?!

She started to throttle the figure, shouting obscenities at it. _**"No! You did this, you can undo it dammit! Don't make me beat you until you do!"**_

Getting so close may not have been the smartest thing to do, especially when your power has been sealed away from you. The fallen figure grabbed onto her arms and channelled its remaining energy. Her soul was left butchered by its attack, and it began to merge its consciousness into her spirit. Such an act was considered heinous by the shinigami, being too close to a hollow transmogrification to be comfortable done by Soul Society. Both souls started to fight for dominance, neither yielding to the other. The bijuu was fuelled by outrage and vitriol, the other by sheer necessity.

So it was in this lightless hell that they fought for control. An eternity awaited them until one was triumphant over the other.

* * *

**Soul Society  
Thirteen Division Headquarters**

_These errands are not what I imagined what a fuku-taichou would be doing…_ Those were the thoughts running through Aizen Sousuke.

_Then again, I have been developing this mask for a reason, and this is one of the… unfortunate side effects of the act. Oh well, let's see what the paranoid bastard wants with Urahara-taichou_.

Though to be honest, he had more than a passing curiosity at what the Research and Development division did for Soul Society. Fascinated by the four aspects of shinigami power, he could nonetheless see how such power could be refined into something useful_. Something that might transcend the limits that the fools in Soul Society placed upon themselves._ Kisuke certainly did do some remarkable things in order to make the shinigami more versatile and powerful. Maybe there was a new breakthrough and he would be shown something interesting, instead of these old reports that needed to be confirmed by his taichou. _What a tragic waste of my time and talent… _

_They, in their arrogance, think that the powers they use are the be all and end all of existence. It would be pathetic if it wasn't so sad. A whole realm of power lies beyond the limitations of the shinigami, and none of them was willing to test their limits. Such potential wasted…_

With a slight grimace, he took off his spectacles and rubbed his temples._ I hate wearing these glasses as well. It makes me look less threatening, but damn, they blur the light and pinch the bridge of my nose_. He soon reached the entrance and was admitted with a salute.

Giving a warm smile at the guards, he couldn't help but muse on the façade he had been creating for years. _It makes my goals ever so much more achievable. Especially when people see Ichimaru Gin. Trust is such a fickle thing._

When he reached Urahara's office he paused.

_What the?_

He saw 12 _gigais_ standing around arguing with each other.

"You do it!"

"No you do it!"

"Like hell I will. I created you dammit!"

"You're nothing but a clone!"

"We all are dammit!"

_Well, this is interesting. I'm pretty sure they have a personality that was banned by Soul Society, at least ones that go beyond simple actions. What are you hiding Urahara? Why do you need to shield your presence like this? If you went behind their backs to create these… mod souls, what else have you been doing?_

Deciding that this bore closer investigation, he made his way to leave before making a mental note to make an ally out of someone in the division. He had a suspicion that something big was happening that warranted Kisuke to hide his presence. _He really should have created a mod soul that was more discrete though…_ he thought wryly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Somewhere**

The war for the soul brought up many memories that each figure faced in their darkness. For the Kyuubi she remembered the parts of her life that shaped her to what she was today in no particular order.

_The Fall. A vicious sense of dislocation and disruption that had no reason or logic. _

_The Chaining. When they learnt from the sins committed against them to do the same against another. _

_The Path of Hands. The reunification of the nine that lead to a path that changed them into legends. _

The other remembered part of its life, of its purpose given to it by higher powers so that it could serve and bear witness. Bear witness to all that comes, and all that will come.

The fight was on a level beyond normal comprehension. The black robed figure had the advantage of using a power that had a purely spiritual basis, which admittedly could affect reality and would normally lead to victory. But the Kyuubi was an ancient soul, and the battle was being fought within itself. No matter how much power the other had, it paled in comparison to the experience of the Kyuubi.

With that advantage, she overwhelmed the other's consciousness with a triumphant snarl. _**Take that bitch!**_ As she exulted in her success, she found herself being assaulted with images, thoughts, feelings, awareness, understanding. It was enough to make her collapse into a heap. The combined knowledge and sum of parts that a zanpakuto possessed were being integrated into her very being, changing her into something else.

In essence, an exchange of power was occurring. Her chakra was lost to her, but she was given something else to compensate for it.

* * *

**Konoha  
Naruto's apartment**

"What the hell?" Unaware of the similar thoughts that were running through the other's mind, Naruto looked around him. His surroundings were awfully familiar, like he was in Konoha in daytime. But it was awfully empty of any people.

Baring one figure that approached him. The thoughts going through Naruto's head were unusual, to say the least.

_She is so pretty, and with her red hair, she almost looks like kaa-san_.

While a six year old would consider her to be pretty, someone older would describe her as attractive, beautiful, smoking hot, a fox, etc; while being unaware of the irony. The woman was tall and had long red flowing hair tied off into nine ponytails, extending beyond her back. With porcelain fair skin and black eyes, she had a haunting beauty, like an unearthly being gracing the world with her presence. Topped off by a curvaceous yet lean figure, she was undeniably female, radiating an aura of earthly sensuality that was not quite lost on Naruto. He shivered for a bit as he found himself under her amused gaze and felt a bit embarrassed by the attention.

"_**What's the matter kit? Fox got your tongue?"**_

Those words, spoken with a melodious accent brought him back to his surroundings.

"Who are you? And where are we?" he asked with some confusion.

Odd, I just asked the same question a while back and now I know the answer. How should I answer you kit?

"_**Well, where we are is in your mind."**_

Looking around, he scrunched up his face before scratching his head.

"And are you some figment of my imagination then?" asked Naruto flippantly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realised that he had made a mistake. The woman's face darkened over and was about to say something before she calmed down.

With a light laugh, she responded with a chiding smirk, _**"Far from it, consider me to be your best friend for the rest of your life."**_

A friend would have been something that Naruto would have jumped at when he was younger. But when your 'friends' abandon you at the drop of a hat, lie to your face and leave you, he had learned to guard his heart well.

"What is your name?" the blond asked carefully.

The woman smiled and spoke softy, "Call me -"

Naruto blinked and scratched his head as he couldn't quite catch her words, "What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

The Kyuubi frowned before repeating her words, "My name is- "

For some reason, he could tell that her lips were moving and that sound was coming out, but he just couldn't understand the words. It was a weird feeling, like someone was speaking in another language, but not quite.

The Kyuubi looked disappointed**.**_**It looks like he is not quite ready to hear my name. Maybe it is for the best. He probably isn't quite ready for it anyways, and I can always use it to bargain with. Speaking of which…**_

"My name is something special, and you will hear it when you're ready, I guess," she hedged with a smile.

"How can a person's name be special?" Naruto asked with genuine curiosity.

With a wide grin the woman laughed and ruffled his hair gently, _**"How can a persons name not be special? It is the mark of their soul, their individuality and identity that separates you from the rest of the world. The barrier of the soul that lies at the heart of your spirit…"**_ seeing that the boy seemed a bit lost, she realized that it was a bit too philosophical for a six year old.

"_**Okay, how about this. Names let us know what something is and what they are. Wouldn't you say that is important?"**_

"I guess so…" said the blond, not quite convinced but not wanting to be rude at the same time.

"_**In any event, even if I can't tell you my name, I'm sure you can guess who I am".**_

_Let's see, I am in my mind. I'm speaking to my new 'best friend'. There is no one else around me. I'm the container for the Kyuubi no Yoko. There is a red haired lady with nine ponytails… Oh…_

The jinchuuriki blinked before shaking his head, "You're the Kyuubi aren't you? I expected you to be, well, a huge nine tailed fox."

"_**Aren't you a smart boy? Normally I can take that form, but it gets so stereotyped after a while. Being in this form lets me have so much more fun,"**_ with that she walked behind him before giving him a hug, her arms snaking around his thin shoulders and she laid her chin on the top of his head.

Processing the information, he realised the enormity of his situation and tried to struggle free of her grasp.

"It was you! All your fault! You're the reason why everyone hates me! Why my mother left and wont come back! Don't come near me, I hate you!" he spat out spitefully and glared at her with all the anger a six year old possessed. But then again Naruto was no ordinary six year old. His cerulean eyes burned with righteous anger as he found something to blame for all the misery he had suffered.

She sighed and worked hard to defuse the situation.

"_**Oh Naruto-kun , do you think I planned for myself to be sealed into you? That I chose to be placed into your body?"**_

At this point, he stopped and gave a hesitant shake of his head.

Seeing that he was listening to her, she continued to speak, _**"Of course not. I was just doing something important when this all happened. Is it my fault that the villagers can't see you for who you really are, and not me? I didn't force them to ignore you, hate you, and scorn you. If anything, I would gladly help you punish those that treated you so poorly."**_

"_**And your mother… Don't get me started on that treacherous bitch…"**_

Naruto felt compelled to defend his absent parent, "Don't you call her that!"

She gave a soft sigh_**. "Oh kit, can't you remember all those times when you were small. When you would wake up with cuts on your arms that you just didn't remember getting before you went to bed? Don't you remember the scars and the odd, guilty looks your 'mother' gave you when you woke up?"**_

Naruto shook his head, desperately denying the truth that had haunted him, truths that he placed into the back of his mind because he feared the answers to his questions.

"_**Here, Naruto-kun, let me show you something. What really happened when you were asleep all those years. And maybe you can understand why you are better off without your 'mother'."**_

_**Flashback**_

Naruto was in another world, like he was looking out of the body of another person. But the sensation was not quite right. If he was supposed to be sleeping, then his eyes would have been closed. But the chakra points manipulated by the Kyuubi gave a rather holistic picture of what was happening around him. Even to access his optic nerves to see parts of the spectrum normally hidden to human eyes.

With sickening clarity, it was all revealed to him and he knew that she spoke the truth. Little inconsistencies that he ignored were now exposed in their stark glory. He did remember all of those accidents that seemed to go away in a few hours, and how he found a blood stained kunai in his mother's room when he went exploring around as she wouldn't let him out of the house. He now saw how she stood above him, a glazed and half mad look in her eyes, and the knife slowly descended to his chest, before being slashed to side, making a shallow cut into his arm that healed, leaving marred skin as the only evidence to her madness.

_**End flashback**_

Naruto slumped back, wide eyed as he tried to deny the images that he had just seen. He tried to convince himself that they were all elaborate lies, that his mother could never do such things to him, but a part of him was quiet and knew that something wasn't quite right with his childhood.

The Kyuubi sighed before placing her hand on his shoulder, _**"Well kit, how do you feel about things now?"**_

He looked at her angrily, but the fire in his eyes had died down somewhat, "I… I…I still hate you. If you didn't attack, I would still have parents, people would like me. I, I … wouldn't be alone."

This isn't going to plan. There was much truth to his words, and once again a bit of misdirection would be necessary to keep the peace.

"_**We can argue at causation all day long and we would not come to an agreement. While it is true that I attacked the village, it wasn't like I intended to make your life a living hell. Far from it. And your parents, they sacrificed you easily enough didn't they?"**_

"They had no choice!"

"_**Of course they did. Everyone has a choice. Expect for you and me. We were robbed of our choices. You lost your freedom the day you were born. And your parents didn't do a thing to stop it from happening. What kind of parent is that? Was it really in your best interest to have me sealed into you?"**_

As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't help but feel the truth in her statements. His mother didn't prevent the burden from being forced upon him, and she left him anyways after it had happened. She even tried to kill him! Bile rose up in his mouth, leaving him with a vicious promise. _Never again, that woman is not my mother. Never again…_

And his father. Well he never knew the man and no one would ever give a straight answer to his questions. He was piecing things together, but he would never really get confirmation, not just yet anyways. _But he did nothing to stop them, hell he probably gave me up without a seconds thought or regret…_

Seeing those morbid thoughts running in his mind, the Kyuubi decided to press her advantage.

"_**Know this kit, you will never be alone again. I will be with you always, because at the end of the day, we only have each other. I cannot undo the past, no one can. But we can make the best of our situation and forge a better tomorrow for the both of us. What do you say?"**_

It wasn't like Naruto was going to get a better offer anytime soon. Sure there was some lingering resentment towards the _bijuu_, but there was nothing he could do about that now. What was done was, well, done. He could spend the rest of his life wallowing in anger but that would mean nothing and lead him nowhere. Having his choices taken away had left one strong imprint on his consciousness. Never again would he be helpless. Not to another man, woman, demon or death god. He would be his own master and no one else's. But he was still a but suspicious of the fox spirit but he took a risk.

It was on this day that a promise of a lifetime was made. One that would forever change the fate of two worlds.

"So, what happens now?" he asked.

The fox demon gave a smile before wrapping herself around Naruto one more time. It was too long since someone had held him in such an intimate way before, not even when he was with his moth… Kushina-san. It was slightly uncomfortable for him, making his muscles tense up. Feeling it, the Kyuubi lowered her mouth onto his ear and whispered.

"_**Don't worry Naruto-kun. I am not going to hurt you. If I do, I will only be hurting myself. I am yours, and you are mine. Just relax and let me treat you the way that you deserve to be treated…"**_

Slowly, Naruto loosened his muscles and relaxed into her embrace. It was a unique feeling of safety and contentment as they both reclined against a park tree. He could breathe in her scent that lingered around the air. _Wildflowers. She smells like wildflowers… _There was a comfortable silence before the Kyuubi moved onto the next stage of her plan.

"_**Kit, let me tell you a bit about our powers…"**_

As she began lying to her host, she could not help but feel a bit dirty about her deception. She wanted access to her chakra again, and if a bit of creative spinning was needed, then she would do it. Kitsune were not known for deception without good reason.

For Naruto, the feeling of contentment was not something he had felt before. He revelled in it and for once could truly relax and be himself. He felt oddly attached to the female, and she did bear a somewhat distant resemblance to Kushina… deciding that he would enjoy the moment while it lasted, he slowly drifted off into oblivion while the red haired fox gently ran her fingers through his hair.

* * *

**Konoha  
Naruto's apartment**

Naruto woke up feeling better than he had for ages. The perpetually sick feeling that plagued him for the last few months was gone and he realised that things seemed sharper than ever. His vision cleared up and things even smelt better. Stretching his muscles, he felt like he was a new person_. In some ways I am. I have a new friend with me, and I finally understand what happened and why they treat me like that._

Things would now change.

He looked up and saw Kisuke standing beside him, an odd look on his face.

_What did the boy do? Contact with a zanpakuto should not have done that. It seems to have worked, the reiatsu is stabilizing, but the other chakra seems to be working in concert. It is almost like a bridge has been forged between the two, and he can stand in the middle, drawing on both. If I could change this for shinigamis and hollows…_

Leaving that thought for another day, he decided to see how the other blond was doing.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with some concern.

"Great!" said Naruto boisterously, feeling better than he had for his entire life.

He was taken aback at the genuinely happy tone. His seeming depression appeared to have left, and a smile graced his face, transforming into something remarkable. _If I was female, I would probably be gushing at the sheer cuteness of it all_ he thought with some amusement.

"That's good to hear. What happened when you made contact?"

As Naruto explained what had actually happened, it all seemed to connect for Urahara. When he mentioned about the soul of his zanpukuto, he frowned for a bit.

_The explanations are not really correct. I never expected that the soul of his blade would be the Kyuubi, though it does make a lot of sense. It is a part of his soul, but I would not think it would have the purest of intentions. I would not want to see what his inner hollow would be. That better not happen…_

"Well Naruto, let me explain a few things to you. A zanpukuto looks like a sword but it's in reality the heart of a shinigami's power. It helps forge a connection to your reiatsu, allowing you to do things that normal people cannot."

"Like shinobi?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, yes, but the power that we draw upon is different, possible in fundamental ways. I am not very sure myself and I'm going to look into it as well. The point is, it should be possible for you to use chakra and reiatsu at the same time."

"Really?! That sounds awesome!"

He chuckled at his enthusiasm and nodded, "Doesn't it? However, there might be some… unseen circumstances because of it. Learn the basics of kenjutsu first before trying your powers."

"What! Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" asked Naruto cavalierly.

_You dying. The balance between the demonic chakra and reiatsu being disturbed that something even weirder changes your body. I really don't know._

"Many bad things. You can't really use reiatsu anyways as there is no one here that can teach you anyways."

Naruto blinked before looking at Kisuke hopefully, "How about you? Can you stay here and teach me?"

The blond shinigami shook his head regretfully, "As much as I would like to, I can't. I have a division to run, people to look after and underground caverns to build… err anyways I will visit from time to time. How about this, if I'm happy with your skills, I'll teach you something useful, okay?"

While Naruto wasn't too happy, he didn't want to be too pushy too soon, "Hmm… alright, that sounds fair."

Honestly, Kisuke would have loved to stay and observe the other blond. But his absence from Soul Society wasn't something that he could have maintained for a very long period of time. Even with the time dilation that seems to result from the dimensional travel, things were still uncertain and his absence would be missed and some questions would be asked that he wouldn't want to answer. Not yet anyways. He could still visit and see how things were going. In any event, he had new ideas to try out regarding a certain black orb…

"Just remember, your zanpukuto will speak to you and give you some advice. Usually it is something useful, but at times it can just be a riddle to make you grow stronger by yourself. Each soul is different. From yours though, I would be careful. Though we cannot undo the past, we need to learn from it," he added rather vaguely.

Some would say that those were prophetic words. No doubt Kisuke would remember them with bitter irony.

Thinking carefully, he decided to give some more advice, "I don't think the Kyuubi was entirely trustworthy before the sealing. I don't think it would change that much. Once again, be careful ok?"

Naruto nodded dutifully and then scrunched his face in confusion, "Why can't I hear her name?"

Kisuke didn't quite want to answer that question yet but didn't think it would cause too much damage, "A person's name is important. In fact, all names are important. They are a unique identifier that shape our perception of events and create our sense of individuality. Our zanpakutos are sealed with levels of power that are given to us when we are ready, or when we need it."

The boy scratched his head in thought, "Isn't the power mine already?"

The shinigami cocked his head slightly before nodding, "Kinda. The souls decide if we can use it responsibly, otherwise we would have shinigami with too much power on their hands with insufficient maturity to use it. Lots of problems can come from that. Do you understand?"

"I guess so…"

Urahara shrugged before pointing at Naruto's zanpakuto, "Look at your blade now, does it look different?"

Lifting the katana up to his eyes, he could see that the blade had changed its appearance. Its once rather generic looking form gained some peculiar features. Its blade was now thicker in its width, nearing two inches at the hilt before tapering off to the tip. The whole blade and hilt was curved slightly, like a bow. The blade itself was a shimmering mixture of folded steel with a near invisible rippled pattern that bordered its cutting edge. Curiously enough, it was designed as a near triple bladed weapon. Its tip and recurve was also edged, allowing it to be used for thrusts in a more effective manner than a normal single bladed katana. The hilt itself was wrapped in black and orange sharkskin, its unique texture giving it sufficient tactile grip to ensure that it would not slip from the wielders hands. The pommel had a semi-circular hole going through it.

Looking at his sheathe, it pretty much remained the same. Black lacquered wood, with retaining hooks towards the centre. Upon closer inspection there was a light pattern engraved throughout, though it was not something that he could make out easily.

_The size of that blade… damn. He sure does have a lot of spiritual energy. I shouldn't be surprised though. It's going to help him develop some serious muscle for a kid. _

"It wasn't like this before, was it?" asked Naruto in awe.

The blond grinned at his surprise before shaking his head, "Nope. It has now, well, personalised itself to you and reflects the amount of spiritual power that you have. When you manage to hear your zanpakuto's name, it will change again. Anyways, I have spoken to your Hokage about all of this, and he has promised to assign some people to help you prepare for the future. Train hard gaki and remember that things will get better now."

For the second time that evening Naruto gave a genuine smile. It was near brilliant in its intensity and his cerulean eyes danced, revealing to Kisuke the happy soul residing in the boy. He gave a lopsided grin in return, glad that he could make a few things right for the blond. _I'm expecting good things from you boy. Please don't disappoint me. _

For Naruto this was the start of something special. No longer an unwanted orphan that was left alone and consumed by loneliness, he discovered a presence in his soul that would never leave him, along with some answers in his life. He would work hard and become stronger. There was no turning back as he made that promise to himself. Uzumaki Naruto does not go back on his word.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

The blond shinigami said his farewells before making another flashy exit. _What is with those damn petals?! My home is going to be a bitch to clean afterwards…_ With the promise in hand, Naruto went to the Hokage's office to speak to him about the tutors that Kisuke mentioned before his departure. As he was going to enter into the tower, he was stopped by two chuunin guards that gave him a hard look before letting him through. They knew that the Sandaime had a soft spot for the boy and was usually happy to see him. They did not want to risk his displeasure by messing with the boy, as much as they would have liked to. Naruto, upon seeing their rather dirty looks, lost a bit of the happiness he had achieved during the night and schooled his face into blank indifference.

As he approached the secretary, who gave him a neutral look, he was ushered into the office where Sarutobi sat, along with two others. One was a male wearing a chuunin jacket with a katana sheathed on his back. He had a somewhat long face and bags under his eyes. He gave a small, rasping cough that he covered with his hand before standing back at ease. The other was a violet haired kunoichi also clad in a chuunin jacket. She seemed to be lithe and athletic, with a mild teasing look on her face with warm brown eyes.

_**I wonder who they could be? If they are to be your teachers, well I'm not impressed. They could have assigned a jounin at least… **_

_Who knows? Maybe they can be useful to us?_

_**It's a possibility **_

The two chuunin looked at the blonde jinchuuriki and made their first impressions.

_He is thin. More so than what is healthy for a boy his age. And his eyes, there are traces of sadness and a hardness that shouldn't be there as well. Looks like he has a sword already, though that blade looks ridiculous for someone his size and age. Well at least we have something in common then…_

_Hmm, surprising that so much power is in such a small package. Those whisker marks are pretty cute though, but that face is too thin. I thought all kids had some puppy fat on them before puberty. And those eyes, it's like an azure ocean staring straight at you. But there is a… brittleness in them, like a person that has had things happen to them that has scared them. You interest me, Uzumaki Naruto…_

"I was told to come here Hokage-jiji?"

Sarutobi let loose a breath that he did not remember holding. At least some things stayed the same, and there was comfort in that. The two chuunin gave an amused look at him before he gave a small shrug. He didn't really mind and it was nice to be seen as a normal person, instead of an infallible leader. That was something he surely wasn't.

"Yes Naruto. I want you to meet these two people," pointing to the chuunin.

"Gekkou Hayate." Said man raised his hand and gave a small nod to him.

"Uzuki Yuugao." Said woman gave a light wink at him.

"They will be your teachers from now on. Listen to them and learn everything that you can from them. Show everyone what you are capable of Naruto. Do you have any questions?" he asked kindly.

_**Teachers, eh? I wonder what they could teach you. The man with the sword may be able to help with your kenjutsu, but the other? It seems like they are there to spy on you kit.**_

_Don't be so suspicious … err what do I call you anyways?_

_**Hahahha, good question. Call me Kyuu-chan for now.**_

He shook his head quickly, "No, not really. When do we start?"

The two chuunin's gave a smirk before replying.

"Tomorrow morning at 0400 hrs."

"What!? Why so early?"

Yuugao smirked before answering, "Think of it as a test Naruto. We want to measure your capacity…"

_**Still happy about having those teachers kit?

* * *

  
**_

**Konoha  
Classified Location**

In a location that was known to a select few, a scarred man was sitting down on a rather comfortable chair, musing about Konoha's current geo-political situation. It was a place that he would not be disturbed in, his own little private sanctuary built deep underground in secret so that he could do what he did best. While it was a nightmare to redirect the funds from other legitimate public works, it was a place that was near impervious to assault and laced with privacy seals. _It's amazing how many 20000 dollar hammers you can place an order for and no one seems the wiser… _

All of this was built for good reason. The plans devised here could have easily been construed as treason, depending on your definition of the word. The scarred man considered himself to be a true patriot, a man that did what was necessary for his village, regardless of the costs that needed to be paid. The reason was that the alternative was just unacceptable. Then again, hardly anyone considered themselves to be monsters in their own minds…

_Ah Sarutobi, how our vision has departed from each other. It's like we are travelling on parallel paths, reaching the same destination but using different methods._

The fate of a weak village was destruction. If you could not protect yourself, then you really did not have the right to exist. _In this treacherous world of ours, others would gladly take what you have built for themselves._ Danzo had seen the horrors of war as it was visited onto by other nations. The sacking and wanton destruction of infrastructure, its people being torn apart and living the lives of desperate refugees, fleeing into god knows where for a measure of safety. The risk of capture by the enemy, being sold into slavery and separated from loved ones. Seeing them being placed into internment camps, where your living came at a cost that you could not contemplate. Children being turned against their parents and nations, women facing rapine and used as mere playthings for the victors. This was not a fate that Konoha would ever suffer as long as he drew breath.

_Those fools think that the creation of the 'laws of war' will protect them. They mean nothing to a shinobi or a soldier when their blood is up. Seeing dead comrades changes people. They would take their anger out on anything that is nearby. Better avoid the situation altogether… _

Too many people called him a war hawk, a person that was really just a junky for battle and conflict. There was an element of truth to that. He considered that warfare was the ultimate, and possibly only, method of conflict resolution. _If you did not have the power to enforce something, then how could you ensure that things that nations agreed to would be adhered to? And isn't life one conflict after another really? Obstacles that stand in your way, that eventually needed to be killed if they did not back down from you?_

Though that wasn't to say that he did not agree with the Sandaime. His vision of peace was something beautiful and in a perfect world, he would have embraced it wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, reality was full of unscrupulous and malign individuals, willing to take advantage of others for any sort of advantage_. Hell, its all part of a vicious circle that we dug for ourselves anyways. We can only thank our forefathers for this_…

What did he mean? Simply put the mere existence of shinobi meant that peace could never truly exist. It was a case of mutually assured destruction. One nation having shinobi meant that everyone else had to as well, to defend against any potential invasion. It all lead to a series of escalations, into new and frightening jutsu's, to secret weapons being developed and deployed, to 'legends' that were the heart of each nation.

_The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Konoha's Sannin, Iwa's Guardians of the Rock… _

_It seems that we have unintentionally reached the latest pinnacle of deterrence. A jinchuuriki… with such frightening power. And Uzumaki Naruto being the latest and possible the best of them all._

While the conventional military forces, along with the eleven ANBU divisions were more than sufficient to fight a conventional war, the existence of the jinchuuriki changed it all. Other nations would now try to find ways to replicate the sealing process. Though Naruto's condition was a 'secret', it was too well known and notorious for it not to slip out eventually.

_The boy can have the potential to be a great weapon or ally. Letting him lay fallow like this, what the hell is he thinking?! Treat any being with hatred and don't be surprised when it reciprocates…_

With that in mind, he gave an order to a 'Ne' operative.

'Ne' the secret 'twelfth' division of the elite corps of Konoha shinobi. Unlike the mainstream conventional ANBU units, it was something of a mystery. They acted entirely independently of the Hokage, and the Council of Fire, and were really Danzo's personal army. A paramilitary force that acted illegally and without official authorization. As such, they took on missions that were too sensitive for a village to be publicly involved in. Now that was saying a lot considering that they were a shinobi village and took on all sorts of shady missions for clients if the money was right.

The nature of their work was usually dirty and unethical. 'Ne' was likened to thugs and highwaymen. Instead of preying upon citizens, they terrorized other nations and villages. _But as long as the end justifies the means, isn't that what is important?_

"Keep Naruto-kun under surveillance. Do it discretely and report to me of anything that happens to him. Understood?"

The black garbed operative gave a nod before walking off.

_If Sarutobi is unwilling to give the boy the training and help that he needs, then I will do so. With Ne training, he will truly be a force for Konoha's good. _

Contrary to popular belief, 'Ne' were not mindless tools indoctrinated to serve Danzo. He despised mindless automatons that were not flexible enough to actually take on the complex missions they were expected to carry out. All of them were volunteers who were vetted from the existing military forces and carefully screened before they received a rigorous twelve month training selection regimen. Those that could not cut it were returned back to unit (creating the term RTU'd) with their memories wiped through a series of complex _genjutsus_. It created a truly diversified force that operated either as single or two man cells.

_Hiding them is a damn bitch, especially from Sarutobi. I really need to find a new pool of talent somehow to avoid him noticing that his forces are being pinched from him. Money is getting harder to find anyways._

People would question the need for such a force in this current day and age. Surely the conventional _chuunin_ and _jounin_ forces, along with ANBU would be enough? But things were looking dire. Even six years after the Kyuubi's rampage, their forces have not been able to be replaced fully. It would take at least eighteen years to replace one generation. At least three had been lost. Iwa was looking murderous again, and he was getting disturbing reports that Orochimaru was planning on setting up his own hidden village.

_That treacherous bastard is up to something. Why didn't Sarutobi kill him when he had the chance?! That folly is going to cost us more than we can afford. He is still carrying a chip the size of a boulder on his shoulder and he would gladly destroy us and use the citizens in his inhuman experiments…_

With reports coming in daily, the outlook was rather grim. It seemed that they needed one hell of a deterrent to keep the hounds from their throats, until at least another twelve years. He admitted that the Sandaime's current approach was working well, and birth rates and graduation rates increasing steadily. But they needed something more.

_It is our legacy of victory_, he mused sadly, _The rewards of winning being the undying hatred of the vanquished. It all leads back to a vicious circle of avowed hatred and anger that will keep on coming until we can forgive and forget. And since we cannot really do that, we are trapped in the cycle_.

The result was total war.

_A war that was like a goddamned machine that fed upon the blood of our sons, daughters, fathers, sisters, brothers, lovers… Only to be replaced by new blood in each generation. Will we always be paying for the sins of our fathers?_

A terrible thought struck him. Is he contributing to this cycle that Konoha's future sons and daughters will end up paying the butchers bill?

All of this got to him at times. The bone aching weariness in doing the most distasteful things for a village that would more than likely crucify him if they ever found out about his actions. _Better I suffer than the whole village go down. I wonder, are our lives ever worth the pursuit of grand principle?_ Little did he know that it was a question that would haunt another man in the coming nights.

Regardless of his philosophical musings, one thing was abundantly clear to him.

They needed Uzumaki Naruto

And with a determined look on his face, Danzo knew just the thing to bring him into the fold.

Fin

* * *

A/N

Another chapter done. I actually did most of this on pen and paper before retyping it. Let me know if it's better, worse or the same as the last two chapters. The only reason I ask is that I might skimp on the detail when I do it by hand. Since I'm not sure, let me know. I will respond to reviews when I get them, so if you have any questions regarding the story feel free to ask.

I pretty much likened Ne to the Riskbreakers of Vagrant Story. In fact all ANBU will be loosely based of the Riskbreakers. Ne will be more hardcore and unaccountable than the official ones. RTU comes from the selection process of the British SAS. Having a 'good' Danzo is something that is quite rare in Naruto fanfic. Not that Danzo will necessarily be 'good' in this fic. If anything I imagine him to be a Bauer family type character. All I can say is that he will be conflicted as he gets older and Naruto will change him. Because he is just that kinda character.

I must admit that something feels a bit off to me in this chapter. Let me know if you feel the same way.

As always read and review. I will see you in the next instalment.


	4. In the shadowed days of training

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N. Hello there. Going to take some liberties with the Naruto timeline, mainly in regards to two events. So if they don't seem to be quite right, well it's intentional. Canon is all well and good, but if I was to stick to it all the time, then I shouldn't have written a crossover. And you might as well read/watch the manga/anime.

Judging by the reviews that I get, it seems that people are generally happy with my stuff. That's great. Reviews that consist of more than one sentence are however, greatly appreciated. Though I can understand if you are reserving judgment for a few more chapters in. Hopefully more interest is generated by this chapter, where the action starts to heat up in the Elemental Nations.

Does anyone know of a good translation site for jutsus, titles etc?

Thank you Juopunumies

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me. Sadly.

Chapter started: 07Feb08  
Chapter completed: 11Feb08  
Chapter revisited: 10Dec08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_With reports coming in daily, the outlook was rather grim. It seemed that they needed one hell of a deterrent to keep the hounds from their throats, until at least another twelve years. He admitted that the Sandaime's current approach was working well, and birth rates and graduation rates increasing steadily. But they needed something more._

_It is our legacy of victory__, he mused sadly, __The rewards of winning being the undying hatred of the vanquished. It all leads back to a vicious circle of avowed hatred and anger that will keep on coming until we can forgive and forget. And since we cannot really do that, we are trapped in the cycle__._

_The result was total war._

_A war that was like a goddamned machine that fed upon the blood of our sons, daughters, fathers, sisters, brothers, lovers… Only to be replaced by new blood in each generation. Will we always be paying for the sins of our fathers?_

_A terrible thought struck him. Is he contributing to this cycle that Konoha's future sons and daughters will end up paying the butchers bill?_

_All of this got to him at times. The bone aching weariness in doing the most distasteful things for a village that would more than likely crucify him if they ever found out about his actions. __Better I suffer than the whole village go down. I wonder, are our lives ever worth the pursuit of grand principle?__ Little did he know that it was a question that would haunt another man in the coming nights._

_Regardless of his philosophical musings, one thing was abundantly clear to him._

_They needed Uzumaki Naruto_

_And with a determined look on his face, Danzo knew just the thing to bring him into the fold._

* * *

**Chapter four  
**_**In the shadowed days of training**_

**Konoha  
Naruto's Apartment  
2200 hrs**

After one revelation after another, Naruto decided to go back to his apartment to get some much needed sleep. Locking his door securely, he grimaced at the mess on the floor, deciding to clean it up later in the morning. Though he had to admit the sakura petals did smell nice, they were going to rot if he didn't throw them out soon. He just shook his head and trudged his way into his bedroom.

_Four a.m. start? Geez, this better be worth it._

Placing his new found zanpakuto carefully on a shelf in his living room, he stripped out of his day clothing and into some loose pyjamas.

_Whoa, they're still pressed and starched from the store. I never did bother wearing these when Sarutobi-jiji bought them for me…_

Thought a bit stiff, he managed to get comfortable on his futon before closing his eyes. Slowly his consciousness started to drift off into oblivion. He woke up to a familiar cityscape before seeing a feminine figure reclining on a park bench. He gave a small smile before walking up to her. His new found friend who lived inside his stomach wore a black yukata, with her hair let loose. It pooled around her back and flowed freely when she stood up to greet him. She towered above him standing so she kneeled to his level and gave a foxy grin.

"_**Let me show you something awesome."**_

Naruto grinned happily before jumping up and down, "_What is it?"_

"_**You will find out soon enough. Let's just say that you won't be able to see things quite the same way ever again kit."

* * *

  
**_

**Konoha  
Training ground twenty three  
0400 hrs **

The sun had not yet risen when the two chuunin were found waiting in the training ground for an errant blond boy to turn up. Konoha was covered by a murky darkness, lit up by some street lamps and other light from houses. It clothed the surrounds in shadows and darkness. The perfect environment for a ninja. Both of them were continuously looking at their watches before a half hour had passed and they were unimpressed with Naruto.

_Is this kid serious about his training or what? He is late and I did not wake up this early for nothing as well. _Hayate did not have great health and exposing himself to the cold this early in the morning wasn't something he did lightly.

_That little bastard! We told him four a.m. and he still isn't here. Who the hell does he think he is? Looks like we have to find him, and when we do…_ Yuugao was clearly not happy and had some nefarious plans for the boy.

They looked at each other before silently nodding and set off to find Naruto. They guessed that he was still asleep and went off to his apartment. After scaling the rooftops they dropped into his complex, seeking his unit. They eventually found it and blinked at the sight. It certainly looked run down and they wondered why the hell a six year old was left to live by themself. They moved forward and inspected the door; which surprised them to see how secure it actually was.

_That's one hell of a lock on that door. It looks like all the hinges are secured on the inside as well. Is that steel plating on it as well? This should deter most thieves and burglars. What life did the kid lead to warrant such protection? I mean this is Konoha for crying out loud..._ Yuugao gave a low whistle as she tested the defences, knocking lightly on the armoured plating.

Hayate had a grim look on his face. _What kind of life have you been living kid?_ He turned to his violet haired companion and said, "This is pretty impressive stuff for a civilian. I will check the windows, pick the locks and we can give him a… waking call. You see if you can defeat that lock and come in from the front."

Yuugao had a pleased smirk on her face before getting to work on the lock. It took more than a few moments before she defeated the tumblers and gained access. _Still, you would require shinobi training to crack that open though_. When she went in, she waited a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the ambient light in the room, before scanning for any traps. It was unlikely that any actually existed, but after seeing that door, maybe the kid had some nastier deterrents put in place. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary she relaxed slightly, before shaking her head at the fallen flower petals before entering into the living room.

After walking in, she found an open window and Hayate admiring the katana placed in the centre of the bookshelf. Curious, she approached him and whispered curiously, "What is so special about the sword anyways?"

Hayate looked scandalised at those words_. Doesn't she know anything about swords? Or appreciate fine art? _The craftsmanship was unbelievably fine, but its design was something very unusual. It was unlike the usual katana from the Elemental Nations. Those and ninjatos were usually simple single bladed affairs with a slight recurve to the blade. The way that Naruto's blade was shaped meant that his sword style would be a combination of savage thrusts and graceful slashes. The sheer width of the blade meant that it had a bit of weight in its head, enough to break through an opponent's guard. Or cause some really nasty slash wounds.

"Have you ever seen a blade like this before? The shape and curvature of the blade? The sheer width of it as well? No normal kid could be able to wield it without some serious muscle in his arms. And looking at the boy plus his profile, he has some way to go before he can use it," answered Hayate with some doubt.

The kunoichi nodded slowly before asking, "Will your sword style be compatible with his blade?"

Hayate considered her question before staring at the blade some more, "Maybe…"

The Dance of the Crescent Moon was both well known and secretive at the same time. People knew its name and that it was one of the premier kenjutsu styles in the world. What it actually involved was kept a secret to the Gekkou clan, a hereditary style passed on from family member to family member. Of course that was back in the good ol' days. At the moment, the clan was in its twilight years, most of them shunning the shinobi lifestyle for other pursuits.

_Hmm. If Naruto shows enough talent, maybe I can pass my style on to him. It's not like my father really cares, it was my grandfather that taught me anyways. If I can keep this alive, then it shall be remembered always. _

Shaking those future thoughts out of his head, he gave a wry grin before pointing towards the bedroom. "Somebody needs to be woken up."

Walking slowly in his room, they found Naruto sleeping in a very odd position. His blankets were strewn all over the place, where he was lying on his back with his stomach exposed. A light line of drool was running down his cheeks.

Yuugao had a predatory smile on her face as she gazed on the sleeping blond, _I can't get over those whisker marks. They are pretty adorable on him. He looks so peaceful; it almost makes me want to reconsider doing this. Almost…_

Hayate scratched his head at the sight. _So peaceful and he actually looks like a kid__. This is going to be interesting._ He gave the other a look, "Why don't you have the honours?"

"Why thank you kind sir," a slightly mocking edge in her words as she slowly crept up on the boy and positioned herself to avoid any collateral damage.

Her hands blurred through seals while she quietly muttered to herself.

_Suiton: Taihoudan no jutsu_

Chakra pooled and was shaped into her mouth before transforming into water. She took careful aim and ever so elegantly spat it at the sleeping blond.

_There are days when I wonder why most suiton jutsus pool water into our mouths. It looks like we are spitting at our opponents… it's kinda disgusting really…_

A light deluge of water came rushing down onto Naruto. It drenched him from head to toe, the freezing water waking him up instantly as he opened his eyes in sudden shock. He gave a loud shriek that pierced through the early morning and gave most of Konoha a wakeup call at 0447 hrs. Dazed, comically shaking his head left and right until he could focus on the two chuunins trying their best to hold their laughter in. He started wiping his eyes so that he could see, and after pushing his hair back he gave them an incredulous stare before screaming out in outrage,

"What the hell was that for, you crazy bitch!?"

Hayate gave a deadpanned response, "You're late."

Yuugao merely had a twitch happening with her forehead. Whitened knuckles topped off the very pissed off look. The glare she was giving Naruto made his insides go slightly cold and he chuckled nervously.

"Errr…" Looking at his clock he saw that he was late. Nearly an hour late. _Oh crap… the two of them don't really look happy_. _Yuugao looks like she wants to kick me in the crotch, repeatedly_. Giving an embarrassed laugh, he started scratching his head before giving an apology, of sorts.

"Sorry about that. I was in this dream where I was helping an old lady cross the street, then carry her groceries all the way to her apartment before…"

The two of them sweatdropped, both thinking the same thing.

_Is this kid channelling Hatake Kakashi? Kami... _

_**Kit, are you calling me old?**_ Kyu's tone had a decidedly dangerous undercurrent.

_Of course not, I'm just making up an excuse that will get us out of trouble._

…

Realizing that he was digging a grave for himself on two fronts, he hoped to distract them onto something else.

"Well, I'm awake now! I don't need to have a shower since you kind of, wet me already… So let me get changed before we can start training!"

Yuugao gave a sigh before leaving the room, Hayate following her shortly afterwards. This left Naruto trying to scrounge up some clean clothing for the coming day. _I'm not sure they really like me right now. I hope that I can impress them later._

_**Sure thing kit. Lesser miracles have been known to happen.**_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What the hell are you wearing?"

They managed to make it to the training ground at 0530 hrs, the two teachers leading the way as a slightly sleepy Naruto tried to wake himself up by jumping on the spot and doing some light stretches.

"It's my tracksuit. Isn't it awesome?" he asked proudly.

"I wouldn't say that…" the look on Yuugao's face was indescribable. Possibly pained.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Naruto with a plaintive whine.

"It's bright orange." That would have been enough for most people. Uzumaki Naruto was not most people.

"I know, isn't it great? Orange is my _favourite_ colour," declared Naruto happily.

Giving Hayate a helpless look, she mouthed to him, "Help me out here."

_This entertainment is nearly worth waking up early for. Nearly…_

"Naruto, while a bright orange tracksuit would be great for... events such as a... no I got nothing. The point is that we are going to train as shinobis. We do not really want to be seen by others. Your tracksuit is like a sign screaming out 'look at me' and painting a target the size of the Hokage Monument on you. You don't really want that." Sound advice from Hayate indeed.

He hanged his head a bit and agreed, "I guess so... but it's not like they would sell me anything better." grumbling darkly towards the end.

But that was only part of the reason why Naruto actually bought it in the first place. Truthfully he did like orange. But he wouldn't have actually worn an entire outfit with it as the sole colour. But it was the only thing that he could buy as most shopkeepers refused to accept his money or increased the prices to astronomical results. The side effect of drawing attention was a welcome thing for the lonely kid who desperately wanted acknowledgement.

_But I guess I don't need that anymore. I have Kyu-chan now._

Thing are just working out nicely. Just a bit more pushing and it will all come together. God I hate orange.

Hayate's expression softened as he realised what he had taken for granted. He, like most others, could freely enter into a shop and buy anything he wanted, provided he had the right money. It wasn't like a six year old kid could afford much, with the added stigma attached to him, perhaps he should have been slightly more understanding of the boy's plight.

As he was about to say something, Yuugao interrupted him, "Well, now that you know, we will definitely need to get you a new outfit. How about some basic training first, then we can go the shops later, ne?"

Naruto gave a slight grin at her before jumping up in the air in happiness. Things were definitely looking up.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_This kid is interesting..._

"So, what do you think?" asked Yuugao with interest.

The chuunin hummed thoughtfully before answering, "He has some talent, but he could do with a hell of a lot of polishing."

The kunoichi couldn't help but nod her head to that, "Agreed."

To gauge his skills, they set a simple routine of skills and exercises while they observed him in the background. They tested the following areas:

Sprinting/speed;  
Athletic and flexibility;  
Balance and body control; and  
Stamina.

The kid had decent speed for his age and physical condition. They all grimaced slightly when they saw the outline of his ribs when he took off his top when he started sweating too much. The odd thing was that he had a hell of a lot of stamina for anyone really, being able to run laps and bash a wooden post with a training blade with a near abandon. Though it was all balanced out by his near appalling balance and body control.

Honestly, he was one of the clumsiest kids they had ever met. While he did not trip over his feet or anything like that, when he fought he overextended too often, left wide openings in his stance, and distributed his weight on his feet in odd ways that lead to a very weak guard. Flexibility wise he was around average for a boy his age.

"So, how do we do this?" asked Yuugao as she made some notes on future training regimes.

They didn't really have enough time to actually formally discuss Naruto's training program. It was a given that Hayate would concentrate on his kenjutsu, and that left Yuugao to do anything she really wanted.

"Physical conditioning is a must before I can teach him anything about using a sword. Otherwise he will just be a liability with a blade, more likely to injure himself and his allies when using it," commented Hayate rather dryly.

"He reminds me of a brawler actually..." said Yuugao with a slight roll of her eye as she saw Naruto flail his arms to regain his centre of gravity when he tried to traverse a balance beam.

Hayate couldn't help but nod, "Yes, he does. But look closer. He is just a six year old kid. There is an underlying grace in his movements that just needs to be coaxed out. More importantly, look at his eyes."

Right then Naruto was throwing kunai against a target twenty meters away. He was missing them most of the time, with most of them barely even reaching the distance. But those azure eyes burned with a determination that spoke of a fierce drive to succeed.

She nodded with some acknowledgment, "I see what you mean. Is this what the 'will of fire' is really about then?"

Hayate did not think of it in that way. On closer reflection, it was actually really accurate. _I never really believed in that, always sounded a bit suspicious to me. It's not like other nations did not have determination and was unique to Konoha... But seeing this, it makes me wonder. Uzumaki Naruto, the 'will of fire' made flesh. I'm sure our council would be choking at that notion..._

"Hmm, well his speed and stamina are fine. But he needs more practice controlling his body. His movements are really too sloppy and his balance looks terrible."

The female chuunin had to agree and offered her suggestion, "Balance beams? He seems to do poorly on them so far..."

"Sure, let's make obstacles and throw crap at him at the same time. Should bring him up to speed quick enough. If not, then... well it's not like he has a choice or anything. "

Yuugao screwed her face in contemplation, "Weights on his limbs as well?"

Hayate shook his head, "I was never a big fan of weights. The problem is that they increase your muscle mass to the extent that you gain too much weight, in effect slowing you down. The strain on the muscles is pretty intense as well. The other disadvantage is that you rarely actually fight with them off, and when you do your body can't quite catch up to the speed."

"What do you mean?" asked the kunoichi with genuine interest.

"It's like your reaction time is slowed. Your 'normal' weighted attacks take a certain time to complete. Take them off, it's much faster. But the rest of your body can't quite recover in time, unless your entire body is under that previous weight. Just think that your body is out of synch, and only some parts are faster than others. But the thing is that you fight with your entire body. Not just your arm or legs. Everything works together."

Yuugao blinked at the explanation before agreeing, "Hmm, I never really thought about that. Does Maito Gai know about this?"

"I am sure he does. But the thing is that he rarely fights anyone that requires him to let loose his weights anyways. And when he does he can usually overwhelm them quickly enough."

"So, is there a solution?"

"All weight based training has problems. The best would be gravity seals that encompass the whole body, but that is easier said than done. He would also have to fight regularly in his unsealed state so that he can fully understand his speed. I'm not saying that light weights are bad. It should be enough to get some muscle on his frame. With some healthy eating, he might actually be able to swing that sword of his."

* * *

**Konoha  
Several months later**

Thus began a rather intense training regimen for Naruto. He would wake up at 0600 hrs to complete two laps around Konoha with his weights on before a warm down. The rest of the day would be conditioning his body to be able to fight properly and effectively.

The results could have been seen two months into the program. His once scrawny frame filled out so that he had a decent set of muscles for a six year old. It wasn't a rippling mass, more the lean physique of a runner. After a while, they declared him fit enough to move onto the next stage.

Since the two of them had other duties to perform, they would alternate in shifts to determine who actually spent time with Naruto. Today was kenjutsu with Hayate.

"Put down your blade Naruto," ordered the chuunin.

Doing as he asked, he unslung his katana and carefully placed it on the ground.

"What are we doing today Hayate-sempai?" asked Naruto anxiously.

Grinning slightly at the honorific, he tossed him a bokken before drawing his own.

"Attack me Naruto-kun."

"Err... are you sure sempai?" there was some caution in Naruto's eyes. Until now, Hayate had a more hands off approach in his training. Plus the fact that his chronic illness made itself obvious to Naruto made him a bit leery of hurting his teacher. Over the past few months he had developed a friendly relationship with his two mentors.

At first he thought that they were just there to spy and observe him on the Hokage's orders. Or at least that was what Kyuu was trying to convince him of anyway. Kisuke-sama's revelations opened his eyes. He was an important person and thoroughly unique. He would have been surprised if he wasn't being observed. Or they were doing such a damned good job that he couldn't notice them at all. Though they probably did report back to the old man, they were nice enough people. Hayate being someone with an understanding ear and always quietly encouraged Naruto to complete his tasks, while Yuugao was the more brash and forward teacher, getting physical and aggressive with him. Despite all of that, he could see that she had a certain amount of fondness for him, which only made him work harder to please her.

But throughout it all, he kept most of his heart hidden away from them. There were no moments where he bared his soul to them, moments where he revealed his true emotions. Being abandoned once made him twice shy to trust people implicitly again. He always wondered that if they were not ordered to train him, would they have the same relationship as they did now? Probably not, and that bothered Naruto. It was like their relationship was almost false in a way...

Hayate's face tightened before he gave a terse response, "Not everything is as it seems Naruto-kun."

With that he blurred forward with his right foot leading. He kept his bokken on his left side as he pretended it was sheathed before 'unsheathing' it in one fluid motion. Caught by surprise, Naruto tried to jump back, but realised that he would not make it. He hastily swung his bokken to parry the attack.

That proved to be a bad mistake. Hayate's strike cleaved into his and tore the bokken from his grasp before it continued on, giving him a glancing blow to his shoulder. The impact spun Naruto around before he landed on the ground with the dark haired man standing above him.

_So fast, it was like he just came out of nowhere! And that strike, so strong!_

_**Geez kit, you're easily impressed. **_

A new found respect came over his eyes as he gazed on the towering figure above him. Hayate gave a grin before giving his hand to the blond. Naruto took it and he was lifted up to his feet. He beckoned him over to a seat and took one at the same time.

"So Naruto, what did you do wrong?" asked Hayate in all seriousness.

"I underestimated you?" hazarded Naruto as he replayed the scene in his head.

The chuunin chuckled at that answer and ruffled the boy's hair, "Well yes, and I guess that is an important lesson in itself. Most people, when they see me, write me off as someone that is not worth their time, or an easy kill. Such overconfidence usually ends up killing them. Do you understand?"

"I think so. So I should take everyone seriously?"

"In a fight, absolutely. Nearly everyone has a secret trump card, an attack of desperation etc that they keep up their sleeve until it's absolutely necessary. If you don't take them seriously, they will take advantage of that and you might not be able to walk away to learn from it. It's a harsh lesson to learn," lectured the swordsman.

The words sunk in for Naruto. He nodded thoughtfully as Hayate continued.

"Now let's concentrate on what just happened. Why was I able to beat you?"

"Because you're an awesome swordsman?" answered Naruto with his foxy grin.

Rolling his eyes the chuunin cuffed the boy gently, "Partial credit... Besides that."

"Umm, you're faster and stronger than me?" responded the blond with some gravity.

Hayate then realised that he was expecting a bit much from a six year old. While he demonstrated smarts, he certainly was not a genius who understood things the first time around. But when he did manage to understand it, it was a thorough, fundamental comprehension based on first principles.

"Let me explain then. My speed yes, that let me close the distance between us faster than you expected. However, you still could have moved out of the way. Instead you jumped backwards, in the direction that I was swinging at. Bad move, as it leaves you open to another. Next time jump to the side of my attack."

Naruto had his mouth open in a slight O as his brain took in the information.

"The next thing was that you decided to parry my attack. But I cut through your guard and still managed to hit you on your shoulder. A few things. Your wrist is not strong enough to engage another weapon user. Yet."

"My wrist?" he asked in a perplexed tone.

The swordsman nodded, "Yes, your wrist. It's a part of the body that most people forget about. It is the basis of your grip and how much force you can effectively put onto a weapon. If you ever have to lock your weapon with your opponents, a stronger wrist will beat biceps any day. The stronger you get, the better feel you can get as well when your blades meet. It should let you know where the next attack is going to come from by the angle and direction that they disengage from."

Understanding dawned on Naruto. These fundamentals principles were all making sense to him.

"Last thing was your stance. It was bad. You panicked and jumped back and tried to parry. You did not have the floor to actually ground your defence. If you are airborne, your mobility and flexibility are increased, allowing you do some pretty impressive looking stuff. But blocking attacks while you're in the air, it comes down to you and your body strength."

"Does that make sense?"

Naruto gave a thoughtful nod before remaining quiet.

_Is this all true Kyu-chan?_

_**For the most part yes. You're still small kit, so your strength and speed will not match that of an adult just yet. However, there have been prodigies of the sword your age who were stronger than their adult counterparts.**_

_Really?! What made them so special?_

_**Usually some form of bloodline limit. Or the use of their shinigami powers. **_

_Shinigami powers? I thought you said that I couldn't tap into that until i was older_

Hmmm, what explanation would he buy?

_**I've been working on it. It seems that I can access that power for you, but what will you do for me?**_

_What do you mean?_

_**It's not like I will give you something for nothing. Make it worth my while kit. **_

_Well, what do you want?_

_**How about my freedom?**_

_I don't want to die right now, not when things are looking up. What else might you like?_

_**Hmmm. How about access to some of my power?**_

_What?_

_**Well, the thing is that all nine tails of my power are running wild in your body. This would kinda mean that you can't use your chakra at all.**_

_Why not?!_

_**Simply put, your control is out of whack. It's like trying to kill a mosquito with a sledgehammer. Any jutsu that you try will be overwhelmed by the output. **_

_Ah hah. Whatcha going to do with the power then?_

_**Oh you know, stuff. **_

_... what kind of stuff?_

_**You know, stuff. All sorts of stuff. Don't you trust me kit? That hurts you know.**_

_... I'm not an idiot you know._

Sadly enough, you're not. Not anymore... Living alone and trying to be independent has forced you to grow up and think for yourself. At least you're an interesting host and we can have some fun together.

_**Well, I can do some pretty useful things you know ... It's not like you could use my power anyways... **_

Hayate choose to unknowingly interrupt his inner conversation at this point.

"In any event, that's just part of what makes a good swordsman. The others are good footwork, reaction speed and speed, agility and reach. Can you see why we made you do all of those exercises in the beginning?"

Naruto gave a grimace. Those two months weren't really a hell of a lot of fun. He even had a few nightmares of Yuugao making him run through balance beams not one inch thick while throwing blunted kunai at him. She once threw a hot iron as well to 'test his reaction time'. It was a good thing that she knew some basic medical jutsu, otherwise he would have to explain a rather curious delta-shaped scar on his cheeks to people. And Yuugao knew that the Hokage would not be so amused. But the fruits were at least visible now. He moved with a swiftness that he never experienced before, and his balance was improving by the day. He would have made for one hell of a gymnast. If he could get over that tight spandex that they habitually wore.

"By the way, you need some new clothes," pointed out Hayate with a smirk.

True to her word, Yuugao got him some basic work out gear. Just some simple things such as white cotton t-shirts and three quarter length pants, which was simple and effective enough for their purposes. And in constant supply as they all managed to get ripped in one way or another. One thing Naruto learnt was to watch his mouth around the ladies.

_I never knew age was such a sensitive issues among girls. It's not like I meant it seriously._

_**Be very careful to where you tread now kit. I can read your thoughts.**_

_You can?!_

_**Well, sure, why not? Stands to reason right? I'm part of your soul aren't I? **_

_Doesn't that mean that I should be able to do the same to you?_

_**... err touché.**_

Another thing was that found out was that his zanpakuto was quite playful, and, well, deceitful at times. It was always trying to misdirect him. When he called her out on it, she said she was just testing him to refine his truth sensing abilities. It's all part of the shinobi world, she argued. He was not that convinced. But it made for some entertaining conversations, though people did give him queer looks when he seemingly laughed at nothing. Nevertheless, she was one hell of a companion.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

Removing his bandana to let the cool breeze waft over his forehead, he coughed before looking at him. "Come with me."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga complex**

Konoha had a rather interesting beginning. Its formation was a rather bloody tale of subjugation and betrayal. But as the victors wrote the history books, a rather sanitised version was taught to potential graduates of the Academy. At the heart of it were the clans that bound together under the banner of the Senju brothers and Uchiha Madara who proceeded to carve a nation out of the Land of Fire.

One of those clans that were part of the Founding was the Hyuuga. They were old and had an ancient history that linked them to the Heavenly Triad. That is the three doujutsu that graced the clans as part of a bloodgift, a treasure that gave extraordinary powers to its wielders.

_Sharingan  
Rinnegan  
Byakugan_

But it seems that such power and privilege came at a cost. Something that was never as apparent as it was now to one Hyuuga Hiashi.

_Is this what it all comes down to? A twisted sense of timing and fate had condemned one of us to slavery, and the other to greatness?_

These thoughts were nothing new as he had them every time he looked at his brother.

Said brother Hyuuga Hizashi bowed in a submissive fashion as they were alone in Hiashi's private room. As he gazed onto his twin's face, he could see the barely restrained fury in his eyes, barely couched in Hyuuga indifference. But Hiashi could tell. They were not masters of perception and observation for nothing. The faint lines of stress and wary that grazed his brow, the tightness of his fists. The sheer rage and impotent anger in his lavender eyes.

The Byakugan had some truly unique skills that were unsurpassed in the Elemental Nations. The ability to see near three hundred and sixty degrees made them excellent sentries and scouting/vanguard parties. It was supremely difficult to ever ambush a Hyuuga with their bloodline activated. Able to see the flow of chakra in a person's pathways gave rise to the famed Jyuuken, the gentle fist of the Hyuuga house. And most of them had excellent chakra control and jutsu manipulation.

_But for all our skills, they pale in comparison to the cruelty that we practice upon our own brothers and sisters. Our own family...How can we do this to each other?_

He was referring to one thing. A practice whose meaning was lot in antiquity. Or so many thought. It was a practice that most would condemn as ritualised slavery. A savage imposition of will over another into a glorified practice. Maybe glorified wasn't the word to use. Yet another sordid secret of the past.

_Juin Jutsu_

The caged bird seal. Poetic really, for something that robbed the body of its mind and its will. Its origin as to ostensibly protect the secrets of the Hyuuga family. Which was a load of lies. If that was to be so, then all of them should bear it, with no one being able to control the other. It was really there to control a much darker secret. A secret tied in with the Uchiha clan, a sorry part of history both clans would rather forget. Or kill each other over.

Generation upon generation of second children were given to this curse. A fate that most railed at before accepting the inevitable brand upon their forehead.

Hidden under Hizashi's forehead protector lay that seal. And he lay kneeling; facing the tatami mat while clenching his fists until his knuckles were white.

Tentatively, Hiashi broached the question that lay like an elephant in the room, "How is he?"

"As well as can be expected." The answer was grudgingly given, in a tone that bordered on open insolence.

Hiashi gave a sigh before standing up and moving to the window in his room. He looked out and saw the interior garden.

_Such peace and beauty we have created in these walls, yet we do not preach those virtues among our own. The gods weep... _

Filial care compelled him to make further enquiries.

"Where is he now?"

His brother took some time before responding stonily, "Recovering, he just woke up an hour ago. He will not be… fit for duties for the next week." The bitterness was all too evident in the man's voice.

He was there. Hell he held down his son while they did it. The screaming, the pleading, it was the hardest thing that he had to endure in his life. Even when the seal was placed up on paled in comparison to what it was like to see his flesh and blood being made into a slave. And there was nothing he could do about. He railed against it to any that would listen. But with the literal power of life and death being held over him and his son, he had to moderate his stance. He did not want to leave Neji an orphan.

_I can't get the sight out of my head. The way he looked at me, desperately begging me to find a way to get them to stop. And all I could do was hold his hand and whisper sweet lies into his ear. God help me… I don't think I can have any more children after this. I can't condemn them to such a life._

The thoughts raging in his head were mirrored by his twin brother. There was no small measure of guilt as he saw the pain that his sibling was going through. And the ugly reality was that he would have to do so to one of his daughters in the near future…

Trying to shake those morbid thoughts out of his head, he tried to give some hope. "Once he does recover, I'm sure that he will be the same kid as he always was. He was a genius and we do look after our own." Even as he said it those words felt like ashes in his mouth. It was like convincing an amputee that they were lucky to only lose one limb.

Oh yes, Hyuuga Neji was a genius. There was no doubt about that. His instinctive grasp of basic Hyuuga techniques at such a young age was astounding. He absorbed knowledge at such a rate that he was being pushed to enter the Academy at a younger age. With such innate grace and comprehension, he was surely destined for great things. If only… But even such talent was not enough to spare him.

_Oh brother. I wish I could do more, and maybe I can when I am the head of the Main branch. But for now, we must take comfort in what we have, until we can truly change ourselves. _

Looking outwards, he realised that even that thought was an illusory comfort he could not give his grieving twin. No real words or real promises that he could deliver upon. But he vowed that he would do his best. He owed it to his brother and best friend. More poignantly, he owed it to his daughters.

Hizashi remained kneeling, seething in his anger. _This enforced division must end. It serves no logical purpose…I will not let my son suffer such indignity. I wonder now if this is the reason why people fear Konoha so much. If we can do this to our highest and most prestigious clan, what wouldn't we do to our enemies?_

Those thoughts were not something new to Branch members of the Hyuuga clan. And it would be all that was necessary for someone to act upon such feelings.

* * *

**Konoha  
Commercial district **

"Ohayo Yuugao-sempai!"

Yuugao had to wonder how the kid could possibly turn around so quickly from when they first met. While he was a bit distant and withdrawn, the new Naruto _seemed_ much more happier. _It must be that he is no longer alone_. How right her thoughts were. Naruto would never really be alone again. _I really wish he wouldn't channel his happiness through those pranks. At least he knows now to stop targeting me and Hayate. _

The violet haired kunoichi smiled at the boy, "Hello Naruto-kun. Did training finish early? It is only 1300 hrs..."

Hayate gave a small shrug before he responded, "I thought it was time that he actually had something decent to wear for a change. Something more befitting a swordsman."

The female chuunin smirked before shaking her finger at the two of them, "Oh, of course. Can't have you swords'_men_' looking scruffy and undignified, can we?"

"Hey!" Funnily enough both of them spluttered that out in unison, looking offended.

She adopted a thinking pose and couldn't resist the urge to tease Naruto some more, "But in your case Naruto-kun, it should be swordboy!"

The blond huffed at that, muttering darkly as even Hayate had to suppress a laugh at her joke. Though his eyes did reproach her for taking a jab at his profession.

_Ah, so serious about their swords. So easy to tease. I wonder if they are not overcompensating for something else? Boys and their toys…_What could else be said? Yuugao liked to have her fun.

_I don't like the look on her face. It makes me feel real uncomfortable._ While he had learnt to expect such teasing, the seemingly sleep deprived man didn't appreciate such jabs to his art.

Naruto just had a vacant look in his eyes as he walked along the road, whistling as he went.

_Looks like Hayate-sempai and Yuugao-sempai are fighting again._

_**Not quite fighting kit. Not quite.**_

_They seem to yell and argue a lot._

_**Well, sure it seems like that.**_

_What do you mean?_

_**Err, ask me when you're older Naruto-kun. **_

Hayate gave a small cough before he continued.

"I have something made for him that we are going to pick up. Care to join us?" he asked graciously.

She nodded happily before walking along, "Don't mind if I do."

With that the trio went off into the commercial district of Konoha.

Konoha's layout was the product of necessity and good planning. Initially it was the byproduct of a massive jutsu by the Shodaime, his manipulation of mokuton managing to create a forest out of nowhere. Konoha was directly in the centre of it. It formed useful protection against other invading clans at the time. During the founding, the village itself was small, merely consisting of a residential district and a small commercial area for simple trading. However, as time went along its reputation started to grow. A policy was developed to expand beyond its then current state, so the gates opened up. More and more people came to settle the area. It got to the stage where overcrowding was an issue. Shinobi in particular value their space, being almost synonymous with privacy. Being so close together made them all uneasy, and frankly a whole bunch of paranoid ninjas was a recipe for disaster. Relations were never that great in the first place, and some arguments that the Uchiha didn't want to deal with were really getting out of hand.

With that in mind, they decided to draw upon some civilian architects to design a new village, one that could support up to a hundred thousand people, with defences to match. It took seven years to draft everything before it was all put into place. The brothers Senju used their unique mastery of the elements to create the four main walls that were near impenetrable. Nearly fifty meters at the base, they rose up eighty stories into the sky. Even from a distance they looked massive and were awe inspiring. No real conflict had ever touched those walls but for the incursion by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The 'new' Konoha itself was then divided into several districts.

In the centre was the Hokage building and the governmental buildings. The north quadrant was reserved for the founding clans. The south quadrant was the main residential district where most of the civilians lived. The west held the district for trade and commerce. The east was where most of the shinobi training facilities were located.

The commercial district had near anything anyone could ever want. From food, clothes and furniture to shinobi gear. All was available, for the right amount of coin. They finally approached a small but well lit store. Outside the front was a simple sign with a black diamond displayed.

Curious, Naruto asked them what it meant.

Hayate gave a shrug. "Don't really know myself. The owners are family friends. They do some fine work. Come inside."

He was a bit hesitant to do so. His expression darkened slightly before placing his foot over the threshold. That did not go unnoticed by the two chuunin. They knew firsthand the prejudice and ill feeling that seemed to follow Naruto everywhere. Biting comments, stares and denial of service were things that often accompanied his shopping trips, to the point where they started to buy his groceries for him most of the time. They could tell that he could never quite get over it.

_I did nothing to deserve this, but it just doesn't seem to matter to them. __Why can't they see the truth dammit?! _

_**It's because they are all idiots who are afraid of things stronger than them. You're going to be powerful kit, much more so than any of them. And that frightens the shit out of them. **_

_Why do they provoke me like that then? Do they want me to get even later on?_

_**Like I said, they're idiots. Don't worry for now, what comes around goes around. Everybody pays… No one is free of their sins. Nobody. **_

Inside was quite the display of ninja apparel. From battle dresses to custom cargo pants and vests, even some really odd fish net styled clothing that Naruto asked Yuugao about. Oddly enough she gave him a mysterious smile and said that she would show him when he was older.

"Ah, Hayate-san, it's good to see you," greeted the proprietor of the store with a friendly bow.

Hayate returned the motion "Likewise Minari-san. How is business?"

The man chuckled before shrugging slightly, "Good as always, good as always. How kind of you to ask. Are you after something in particular?"

"Yes, that little job I commissioned you nearly a month ago?"

Nodding decisively, he moved to the back of his store, "Yes, I remember it now. Excuse me while I go and get it."

The middle aged shopkeeper then bustled off into the back. Sounds of things being shifted and rummaged around were evident until he came back with a neatly folded stack of clothing.

"Here it is, I hope it is to your satisfaction," he said modestly as he set it down on a table in front of Naruto.

The chuunin smiled at the perceptive and unbiased gesture before responding, "Your work always is."

Giving a wide grin at the complement, he looked at Naruto and ushered him into a change room.

"Come on now, we won't know if it's perfect until you try it on," he urged, pushing the blond into the room.

Naruto gratefully accepted the stack and proceeded to change. When he came out it seemed that he was an entirely new person.

The first impression was, well, black. Consisting of a black shirt/jacket and some black denim pants, it was quite a dramatic change from what he wore normally. It was lightly accented with orange stripes, but for the most part it was quite stealthy.

"So, what do you think?" asked Minari

"The shirt is a bit odd," commented Yuugao critically.

Hayate smirked at her before explaining, "It was designed purely for swordsmen. You're not going to see many people wear that kinda thing. Except maybe Kiri nin."

It was indeed. It was an odd asymmetric design leaving the entire right arm sleeve empty. On the left shoulder was this armoured pad with an unusual hook on it. It was all held together by zips and had two side slash pockets. It seemed to be made from cotton, but was really stiff. Nevertheless it still draped pretty well.

The jeans he wore were black denim, being tougher than the usual cotton weave favoured by shinobi. Thought it was stiff, it was very well fitted and had an extra long inseam, causing it to stack towards the bottom.

Naruto liked it though. He now wore a light pair of black leather boots that topped off his new ensemble.

Then again, Yuugao had some concerns, "Err, won't that restrict his movements by being too tight?"

Minari waved those concerns away, "Not at all. Movement only occurs at the arms and legs. All of it is properly articulated by proper tailoring. You want it to fit slim to decrease the silhouette and to prevent snagging. I also sewed in some light weight steel rods into it. It should protect against light slashes, but try not to get stabbed or anything like that."

There was a wide smile on his face as he checked himself out in the mirror.

_**You look nice kit. Now stop checking yourself out. It's embarrassing when you do it and you're not a girl. And really hot. Do you want a gender change any time soon?**_

_Hey! Can't you let me just enjoy the moment?_

_**I was just having some fun. No really, it is much better than your current gear. **_

Minari then pulled out some holsters and placed them into Naruto's hands.

"The only problem is that you can't really store much stuff in them, as there aren't that many pockets. Here are some holsters large enough for kunai and shuriken. I'm not quite sure if you will actually need them or not."

He strapped one to his left arm, and two to both of his legs, one each. He then slung his katana over his back and secured it to the hook on his shoulder pad. It all came together quite nicely.

With a wide smile on his face, he did something really uncharacteristic. He gave Hayate a small hug.

Hayate was quite shocked at this. In all the time that they spent with each other, Naruto had always shied away from physical contact. It seemed to make him feel very uncomfortable and he was happy to give him his space. This was something else entirely. _Is this what you wanted to happen Sandaime-sama? For him to make connections to the people here? This feels, quite nice actually._

As nice as the gesture was, he quickly pulled back again.

Yuugao was both happy and sad when she was observing the moment. Having Naruto open up and initiate contact was not something she had expected. She had just wished that she was the one to think of this and be receiving that hug. Naruto could be an argumentative and seemingly dense brat. When they first started off, they would almost constantly but heads with each other, especially with her.

_**Flashback**_

"Why are we doing this again?" complained Naruto loudly, crossing his arms as he glared at the female chuunin.

"To make you less clumsy, you stupid brat!"

"Hey I'm not clumsy!" protested the boy, getting offended at her words.

The kunoichi huffed at that before smiling dangerously, "Oh really, dodge this then!"

Yuugao produced three blunted kunai from a thigh holster before throwing them at him. They flew with a flat trajectory and were spread in a tight group. Naruto gave a yelp before trying to dodge, contorting his body as he was in the middle of a small island surrounded by electrified water. This was one of the harder obstacles that the two chuunin managed to come up with. While not lethal, if he fell it would still hurt like hell.

He managed to dodge two but the last one hit him on the left side of his pelvic bone. His balance shattered, he desperately whirled his arms to get some balance. Yuugao merely gave an evil grin before looking on.

Hayate merely had an exasperated look before a contemplative frown appeared on his face.

"2000 dollars that he stays on," he bet half seriously.

She considered it before shakings his hand, "Deal."

Sadly for Naruto, he couldn't quite right his balance and fell in. The amount of yelling and shouting before he managed to get back onto the patch of land they called an island was surprising. When he saw the money change hands he had a tick develop on his forehead before giving an outraged yell.

"You bet money on me falling?! You, you monsters!" cried out a scandalised Naruto.

Yuugao whistled innocently before fanning herself with her winnings, "Well, Hayate thought you would stay on. I wasn't so sure. Looks like I was right. And I am now slightly richer because of your clumsiness gaki."

Hayate just gave a forlorn look at his wallet before shaking his head at Naruto.

"Remind me never to bet on you again kid," he concluded glumly.

"Hey!" He didn't know what hurt more. Falling in and letting Yuugao win the bet, or disappointing Hayate.

"Why are we doing this anyway? No one else goes through this kind of training. Are you trying to kill me?" he demanded with a pout.

"Well, not everyone tries to break into my house and spy on me either. Consider yourself lucky, gaki," Responded Yuugao sweetly.

_Why did we do that again?_

_**Something about keeping your friends close and enemies closer. Your paranoia, remember? Though finding you going through her underwear drawer was probably a bit out of line.**_

_I didn't know what the drawer had in it. It's why I looked in the first place. Last time I listen to you again about that. _

_**Errr… how about we never speak of that again?**_

_**End flashback**_

Yeah, that little, _incident_ was forever buried away between the two of them. Though the training sessions immediately afterwards were particularly brutal… But under all of that lay the heart of something that was too good for this world. She was getting fonder and fonder of the brat as the days drew along. _I wonder what I can do for him so that he can open up to me? _she mused to herself.

As the three of them walked away, Yuugao remembered something that she had to ask the other chuunin.

"Hey Hayate, could I ask for a favour?" she started of disingenuously.

"Sure, you can _ask_," drawled Hayate cautiously.

"Can you teach me some kenjutsu as well? I hear ANBU have to be at least proficient with a ninjato? What do you say? I can make it worth your while, Mr. Genius…"

There was a light blush on his cheeks while he pretended to mull his decision over. Working together was interesting experience to say the least. There was a growing level of attraction between them. Though more correctly, it could be labelled as tension.

He gave a rare and coy smile, "I'll think about it". It was rare that he was able to get the last word in their verbal spars, and he was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

Meanwhile Naruto was having a conversation with his zanpakuto.

_So, what training shall we do now then?_

_**Well Naruto-kun, I think it's time you learnt how to Dance.**_

_Dance?! Why would I want to do something, so, girly? _

She gave a lilting laugh before responding._** I'll show you all about it tonight. **_

Hmm, I have all the time in the world, my little one. Feeding you bit by bit until you're ready for the big stuff and then you will give me back what is mine. But there is no real hurry. I can wait and have some more fun. That delicious anger that you keep bottled deep inside will need to blow, one way or another. I wonder who we can prank next?

* * *

**Kumogakure no Sato  
Raikage's Office  
Twelve months later**

Yamada Shun gazed onto his village hidden in the clouds and gave a small sigh. The middle aged lightning shadow started stroking his short beard while he gazed upon his village. Things look so peaceful at home, unlike the battle fields to the south west.

For the last twelve months Konoha and Kumo had been engaged in a secret war. Though that was a bit of a misnomer. Kumo would not really admit that they actually did start it, citing some breach of a security pact, but the result was a long and prolonged battle that stretched each other's force to their limits.

Konoha was still recovering from the Kyuubi attack, even seven years after the fact. Though the graduates were still coming through, mere genin could not be used to fight the battles that it had come down to. Kumo was still fresh and saw opportunity to take advantage of their weakness.

He gave a grimace. _Weakness? Poor choice of words_. _They still fight with an intensity and determination that could meet, no, exceed our forces. Damn you Sarutobi, why are you still alive? Couldn't you leave the Hokage position to someone less experienced and competent?_

The ninja regarded as the 'Professor' was responsible for one of the most effective shinobi training programs in the Elemental Nations. While still deeply flawed, the policy of only graduating a small number of graduates into their genin program ensured quality. Too many other nations merely passed them with a bare minimum of teaching before throwing them into the crucible. If you survived, then you were worthy of being a ninja.

_Such a terrible waste of life and talent. All of those casualties could be avoided if they just took the time to train them. Who knows what skills that could have arisen if it was coaxed out of them?_

_Another new Densetsu no Sannin?_ It wasn't like Jiraiya nor Tsunade were that impressive on paper when they first started. Now look at them. A Sage blessed by the Toad Prophet himself, a med-nin without peer, and a psychotic and traitorous snake with delusions of immortality. Ok, so maybe Orochimaru was a bad example. But those three in their prime did more damage than any of the ANBU squads _combined_. Their peerless teamwork and skills lead to acknowledgment by Hanzo himself.

_Which reminds me, Amegakure has been awfully quiet lately... At least we don't use the human wave tactics favoured by Iwa. Lord knows how they managed to survive with their quantity mentality to develop their Guardians of the Rock. _

What had started out as a seemingly easy war turned into a nightmare battle of attrition. Kumo forces penetrated into the heart of the Fire Country, and were now slowly being gutted by the ANBU and jounin forces. Even worse were the contingents led by the Hyuuga and the Uchiha clans.

_Those Hyuuga… with those eyes we can never ambush them, never keep our formations a secret, never actually engage them with our numbers, flank them, surround them… Fuck them to hell!_

With that he slammed his fists onto his windowsill. _Those damnable doujutsu, why are all of them located in Konoha? It's like that nation has blessed itself with all the talent in the world, leaving us to scrounge what's left against them. There has to be a way, something we can do to end this war._

All the other nations had stood back and were watching closely. They all knew on paper that Konoha was weak, where some clans were effectively wiped out. Kumo were the first to do something about it, and if they showed any sign of success, they would all come in and join the fun.

_Opportunistic vultures… leave us to bleed first…_

With that in mind, he called for his secretary.

"Summon Sinobi Gashir, we have some things to discuss."

The said man arrived a few moments later. He was a relatively tall man, levelling out at one hundred and seventy seven centimetres and had a small goatee on his chin. He came in with his jounin vest and bags under his eyes. He looked a bit haggard and for good reason. He was the man in charge of the Kumo forces as they made their torturous foray into Konoha controlled territory. He was currently trying to rally support back home while his subordinates took care of the operations to the south west. The losses that they were suffering were taking their toll on the man.

"You called for me Raikage-sama?" he asked politely and with due deference.

"Yes, take a seat," ordered the Raikage as he stared at the jounin intently.

Complying with his wishes, he looked at the lightning shadow expectantly. He had made requests for more men and women to the frontlines, as well as more supplies and materials. The Inuzuka clan did a hell of a number on their supply lines such that his soldiers were undersupplied and unwilling to forage for food. Too many of them were either dead or permanently incapacitated as a result of poisoned fauna. All the animals seemed to have fled the battlefield anyways.

Looking at his commander, he knew that his words were not going to be taken well.

"I am calling for a cessation of hostilities with Konoha."

There was silence. Which was promptly shattered.

"WHAT!? You cannot be serious! Not after everything that we have suffered, all that progress made to kow tow to those fuckers now!"

The Raikage blinked before retorting, "What progress!? Tell me Gashir, what the hell have our forces been able to do for the last twelve months? We have penetrated into what, _eighty_ kilometres into their borders? That is no where near enough to the capital to be of any threat to them. Our casualty rates are absolutely appalling. We have lost enough forces such that even if we do win, we won't be able to take on enough missions to recover our losses."

Gashir got increasingly desperate as he tried to regain his leader's confidence. "Sir, we can do it. We just need more time, more men. Just have some faith in us Raikage-sama."

The older man sighed heavily before shakings his head, "I wish I could. The Council of Lightning are mobilising _against_ the war effort. They will not see our commitment to escalate any further than it has already."

"You're leaving our men and women to die out there!" ground out Sinobi in anger.

"You think I don't know that! That is why we need to withdraw now!" the shout was laced with killing intent and unbridled frustration.

Gashir took a step back, shocked by the sheer impotent fury in his Raikage's voice. Looking closely, he could see a man broken by the events around him. No one ever wanted to give the order to withdraw, to retreat. It was tantamount to weakness. Hell, it was weakness as far as most ninjas were concerned. He could see that Shun did not want to make this decision at all.

With a bitter look gracing his mouth, Shun rubbed his temples before continuing.

"This war can continue, and we will keep on dying. The more we die, the less likely the Council will approve of reinforcements. Surely you can see the cycle that we are trapped in. This is the only way to keep them alive. There are always opportunities in the future. Would you rather be patient or dead?"

Neither of the options were particularly appealing. But he had spent too much time in the field watching his troops being mowed down like chaff. Every time they went to pursue, they found ghosts, or more elaborate traps. The screams of the wounded were a constant reality in the Kumo bivouac areas, where med-nins desperately tried their best to save the casualties. Their efforts were usually never enough though.

"Sir, if we are planning for the future, why don't we do this instead?" he offered with an intense look.

He began outlying a plan. One that had little to no honour in it, but right now he didn't care. He made promises to each and every one of the dying that they would be remembered. That their killers would pay for their actions. And pay in spades they would. Even if it would take an entire generation to complete.

Shun closed his eyes as he digested the plan before opening them, "I am not comfortable with this action. You do know that it would shatter one of the most revered laws in the Elemental Nations?"

"Law? It's more a custom than anything else; no one can really enforce it."

"That is the whole damn point! It's one of the only tacit understandings we have with each other. If we shatter it, the others will not respect us anymore. Worse yet, they will not trust us an inch after that. No one will."

Gashir shrugged carelessly as he responded, "What is trust in this world we live in anyways? Are you saying that the risk is not worth the reward Shun-sama?"

He could not deny that it wasn't. Closing his eyes, he leant back and ran through the possibilities in his head. Gashir was more than likely to succeed if the operation was to be kept small. Surprise would be on their side, and the benefits… And if they only limited themselves to one, then Konoha would be mortally offended. But not enough to wage total war against them. Not with Sarutobi as their Hokage. Not if there was no trace or indication that it was them, hiding behind that custom since the First Empire.

_Ahh, you peace loving fool. If our forces can't succeed, then you can help us win the war, even if we have lost the beginning battles._

"Do what you must. Leave no trace; they cannot just act on suspicions alone. Not enough to go to war over"

What more could be said?

_Alea iacta est._

Fin.

* * *

A/N

Just to remind people not to take everything said here too seriously. Characters do not always tell the unvarnished truth, its all about perception. Hizashi seemed a bit off, even to me. But Naruto pretty much exists to change those perceptions into something better. Or at least the canon Naruto did. Mine is a bit more apathetic, and he will/can only help a select few. Trying to take on the whole worlds problems is just an invitation to heartbreak.

Naruto's new look will be posted on my profile. I took some inspiration from the early work of a Japanese designer. Sort of. Not really. Can anyone guess? Famous for their asymmetric designs. Jeans by Dior homme.

Alea iacta est: the die has been cast. Reputedly quoted by Julius Caesar as he crossed the Rubicon in defiance of the Roman Senate and Pompey. I know the oddity of quoting Latin in a Japanese manga fanfic. But it just felt oddly appropriate.

This chapter was surprisingly easy to write. I did it in a few days. It was originally going to be one massive 20,000 word one before I decided to split it. It's fun playing around with new ideas.

As always, feedback is most welcome. Read and review. Any questions will be responded to.


	5. When realpolitik comes to play

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N. Hello there. This is the second part that I split from the first chapter. When you see this length, you know why I had to do it. Does anyone know of a good language dictionary or translator? I am trying to actually get jutsus and titles right in Japanese, and haven't been able to find a good one, or one that looks quite right. More importantly, I need a good name for Naruto's zanpakuto.

The last chapter was a bit of a teaser. This one is where action starts, and might not ever end.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me. Sadly.

Chapter started: 08Feb08  
Chapter completed: 16Feb08  
Chapter revisited: 24Dec08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_Shun closed his eyes as he digested the plan before opening them, "I am not comfortable with this action. You do know that it would shatter one of the most revered laws in the Elemental Nations?"_

_"Law? It's more a custom than anything else; no one can really enforce it."_

_"That is the whole damn point! Its one of the only tacit understandings we have with each other. If we shatter it, they will not respect us anymore. Worse yet, they will not trust us an inch after that. No one will."_

_Gashir shrugged carelessly as he responded, "What is trust in this world we live in anyways? Are you saying that the risk is not worth the reward Shun-sama?"_

_He could not deny that it wasn't. Closing his eyes, he leant back and ran through the possibilities in his head. Gashir was more than likely to succeed if the operation was to be kept small. Surprise would be on their side, and the benefits… And if they only limited themselves to one, then Konoha would be mortally offended. But not enough to wage total war against them. Not with Sarutobi as their Hokage. Not if there was no trace or indication that it was them, hiding behind that custom since the First Empire._

_Ahh, you peace loving fool. If our forces can't succeed, then you can help us win the war, even if we have lost the beginning battles._

_"Do what you must. Leave no trace; they cannot just act on suspicions alone. Not enough to go to war over"_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**_When realpolitik comes to play_**

**Konoha  
Hokage's office**

When Sarutobi heard the news, he wasn't quite sure that he read the letter quite right.

_We, the sovereign village of Kumogakure offer to the leaders of Konohague No Sato an unconditional cease fire and cessation of hostilities amongst our North Eastern borders. Our ambassador will be arriving shortly to discuss the terms. He acts with the full authority of the Raikage and Council of Lightning in all matters pertinent to the agreement. Please treat him with all due care and courtesy that his position warrants._

_Yours,_

_Yamada Shun  
Yondaime Raikage_

Sarutobi had to snort that that, _Sovereign to who? Their daimyo? What a pretentious load of rubbish. Though this 'war' has continued on for far enough._ _They aren't going to take us down anytime soon. But it's not like we can decisively end it as well. It is affecting our capacity to take on missions and rebuild the village. Better it ends now… though getting that across to our Council might be more difficult than before. They are desperate to show force …_

But really, he wanted to finish it. He figured that the sooner the conflict was resolved, the better it would look for Konoha. _Look at us, a nation still rebuilding after the being hit by the worst disaster in living memory, and we still managed to fend off an invasion whose forces were numerically superior, and dare I say it, better trained than us_.

The ANBU were pretty much ran haggard by their hit and run skirmishes. But they were holding. That thought gave the aged fire shadow much pride. Regardless of the adversity that they faced, they stood against it with a sense of resolution that could brave nearly any kind of obstacle.

And it was in these skirmishes new legends were being born_. And it's about time. The last great legends were nearly two generations removed already. And look at them, the Sannin were pretty much disbanded from the cohesive unit that gave them their name during the Third Secret Shinobi war. And Hatake Sakumo… possibly the greatest waste of talent in my lifetime. Luckily most now understand why he did what he did, and it should never happen again. At least his son has taken on his mantle, of sorts._

He looked at a file on his desk. One particular star was beginning his ascent in the ANBU ranks. Codenamed 'Tengu', he wore a raven facemask that depicted the fearful visage of that avian legend. Decked out in the traditional ANBU composite armour, he had a tight compact body, with a ninjato slung over his shoulders. Then again, his growing reputation should not have been surprising to the Hokage. He was always expected to do great things from his clan.

He graduated at an age where most kids were still playing with toys in the sandbox. Promoted to chuunin when others were running around with their friends playing tag. And reached the ANBU corps where most kids started to _graduate_ from the Academy.

_Uchiha Itachi. Your talent is astounding. Thanks to you our casualties were kept to levels that I did not believe to be possible. Even the ANBU commander was delighted at your performance. But I really can't help but feel uneasy about this. You're still too young, too young in fact. Your acts will come back to you, and I'm not sure if you can handle the strain._

The use of child soldiers has always been something that he had always advocated against. Exposed to violence and bloodshed at an early age, they robbed children of their innocence. Their childhood. And more disturbingly, they created sociopathic creatures that were at times more of a danger to you than your enemies. Psychologists had theories about the formative years of a child's development. While the exact extent and significance of it on a child was debated, it was near universally agreed that exposure to such negative emotions could be crippling on a child. History was full of these bright eyed prodigies and geniuses who had an unfortunate habit of dying young. This was generally the result of three things.

Being overconfident and dismissing others as being totally incapable of hurting them.  
Doing something too bold and paying the price for such risk taking.  
Or had to be taken out when they became a risk to everyone around them.

Sarutobi knew that Danzo advocated the training of children when they were young to 'increase their potential'. The Sandaime considered such ideas to have dubious merit. A childs body was not really meant to handle chakra. More importantly, they couldn't develop the muscle mass or experience to take on a fully grown adult. They only really had the element of surprise. So why not let them enjoy their childhood, it's not something that they can get back.

Though you could not really argue with results. Itachi seemed stable enough, and his success rate was something that they desperately needed with their lack of numbers.

Fifty one confirmed kills. Another possible seventy eight unconfirmed. Thousands and thousands of dollars worth of damage to their supply lines. He even managed to take out an entire enemy ANBU squad by himself. His peers now spoke of his name in awe, the stone faced child manslayer whose mask struck fear into Kumo's forces.

_Beware the night, for that is when the Tengu hunts. When he strikes, he does so with no mercy in his red eyes. All you see is a flicker of black before everything becomes dark. 'Ware the gaze of the Tengu…_

In fact, he was probably the worst kept secret of the entire ANBU divisions. His clan made no attempt to hide his talent and flaunted it for all to see. It did buy them quite a bit of political leverage, but it made the Sandaime uneasy. Operational security was developed for a damned good reason. The ANBU need their identities protected. Then again, having a deterrent like Itachi may just be worth it…

With a sigh, this brought his mind back to another boy. A child whose care was pretty much entrusted onto him when his mother abandoned him. He had hoped he had done right by the boy, but there were too many times that he felt that he had failed Uzumaki Naruto. And he had the sickening feeling that that would continue into the future.

While his training was going on fine, he didn't really forge the connection with Hayate and Yuugao as he hoped they would. He saw them as friends and teachers. But nothing beyond that. He knew that Kisuke probably revealed a few inconvenient truths to him, and he could see the boy caught in moments of self reflection that he never used to indulge himself in.

If he knew the truth of the matter, he would probably have gone through an apoplectic fit.

If Itachi was blessed with talent, then Naruto had the potential to reach plateaus not reached by any other ever before. With two, if not three sources of power coursing through his pathways, the possibility for new jutsu's being created were endless. But with such potential, there comes people all too willing to abuse it, or see it used for their own selfish purposes. Or letting it rage unchanelled against themselves.

Members of the Council, even members in the ANBU ranks, wanted to see Naruto trained into a killing machine. There was no doubt that with sufficient training and indoctrination, he could be a terror in the Elemental Nations. He was unique even among the ranks of the jinchuuriki. But he knew that his father would not want that for his son. He would have wanted him to enjoy a loving childhood full of friends and happiness.

Then again, Minato would have wanted all nations to coexist peacefully. He would have wanted the villagers to respect and appreciate his son for what he really was. For what he really did for them every single time he drew a breath. For who he truly was. A bona fide hero whose very existence was a sacrifice so they could live on another day. Then again if all wishes could have been granted, no problems would exist at all.

Then there was what Naruto wanted himself. His desire and determination to learn more jutsu, to train harder, to become stronger and faster… it was all too disturbing for a child of seven. It reminded him all too much of a former student, the one that turned into one of the village's greatest traitors. He kept asking Hayate and Yuugao to do more, to teach him more lethal techniques. He told them not to, to get them to focus on the fundamentals only. Needless to say this did not make the blond particularly happy. He shuddered at all the pranks he pulled in what he thought was an outlet for all his anger. That was something else he had noticed, Naruto became somewhat withdrawn, but when he was angry, it was like he had no control over his rage. But he was adamant on the limited training regime for good reason. He wanted the boy to have some balance in his life. For him to actually have a life. Itachi was pretty much born for one single purpose, leaving him with nothing beyond his duty to his clan. If Naruto ever turned out like Itachi…

He gave a shudder at that thought. He didn't ever really want to see a Yondaime lookalike turn into an emotionless killer. He loathed to see those wide expressive cerulean eyes turn into hardened glaciers with no concept of mercy, pity or love in them at all. He was then struck by an even more disturbing though.

_Am I selfish for trying to force you to live a childhood that you no longer want? That possibly never even existed at all? _

That was a sobering thought. Trying to get back on track, he looked at the letter once more and sat down, all the years seemingly placed onto his shoulders at once_. If we can end this now, then we shall. Having all our ANBU and jounin recalled to defend Konoha is stripping us of our funds and capacity. We could only really hold off for maybe two more months before things really go to hell…_

* * *

**Konoha  
Central streets **

_It's odd, how they are celebrating my arrival. Then again, they think that they have won. That we have given up and are 'surrendering' in all but name. Those poor fools…_

As he entered into Konoha, there was a fete of sorts to welcome his appearance. A procession was arranged and the streets cleared so that he could enter into the Central Council to discuss the terms of the 'ceasefire'. As the confetti and festive atmosphere washed over him, he couldn't help but smirk inside.

_We will take what is precious to you. And there will not be a thing that you can do about it. And we will come back later and then we shall see who is happy to see whom._

But for now, he had to act the part of the gracious diplomat. That involved waving and smiling. He would need to meet some sleeper agents. Infiltrating the Hyuuga household would not be easy, especially with those damnable eyes of theirs. But he would find a way. He wasn't one of their top infiltrations ANBU specialists for nothing. Every person had their price. Everything as a matter of negotiation.

* * *

**Konoha  
Training ground thirty seven**

A certain blue eyed blond was staring down at his brown haired teacher. His feet placed a foot away from the other, all of the weight was balanced on his two feet, allowing to make a whole range of movements quickly and without awkwardness. Turning his body so that it presented less of a target to Hayate, he lifted his katana upwards with his right arm, he gave a small grin before yelling out.

"Come on sempai, we don't have all day. Are you going to make me wait for so long? Yuugao might get grey hairs before we fini-"

Said woman threw some shurikens at him, throwing off his concentration as he successfully dodged them.

"Arrgh, what was that for! I didn't mean it, I swear!" complained Naruto with a pout.

_I'm not really that defensive over my age. It just seems like a good excuse to mess around with him. I'm just fifteen for crying out loud. Hmm, he better pay attention otherwise. Look's like Hayate is going to - _

SMACK!

Hayate didn't waste anytime and swung his blade in a seemingly lazy arc to Naruto's head. Brought out of his rant, he quickly parried the strike before countering with a thrust to the chest. It was a good tactic, coming into Hayate's guard and attacking before he could defend with his sword. But people tend to forget that a swordsman could also use taijutsu in a kenjutsu fight.

With a chakra enhanced side kick to the blond's ribs, he cleared ten meters of space before letting his blade rest on the floor.

"Why do you always forget that I can kick you if you are too reckless Naruto-kun?" chided Hayate with a sigh.

With a groan, the fallen boy picked himself up before getting into the same position as he was before.

_When will you show me how those dances of yours can be used to beat sempai?_

**_When you pay my price. Why would you want to show that off anyways?_**

_To show them that I'm ready for something new and exciting. We haven't really done any training beyond the basics, and I'm never to going to beat Hayate-sempai in a fair right. His reach is too long, defence is too good and he still refuses to use any of his advanced forms on me!_

**_Do you really want to answer all those questions that he will ask when you show off what I have taught you? _**

_What the hell have you taught me anyways?! You 'dance for me and then tell me to move like a leaf caught in the errant breeze of the northern wind! I thought you hated philosophical crap like that!_

**_Err… well, normally I do. _**

_But?_

**_Against you, I make an exception. _**

Naruto gave a low growl at his throat at that response. Those dances that she showed him were, well, beautiful in their grace and execution. But he couldn't for the life of him see how you could use that in battle. It was fine as a kata, or some sort of exercise routine to loosen up the limbs, but your enemies were not going to stand still and let you weave around them before you sliced them to bits.

The Kyuubi wasn't so inclined to explain why it could be useful anyways. Not until he gave something in return. Something he was really stubborn about. It was like a child that didn't want to give up a toy he couldn't play with anyways.

Though I am not too sure. It just might be possible for him to use it, but I hope he never figures that out.

Seeing that the boy was looking a bit down, Hayate let up on the session, "Hmm, ok Naruto. Let's take a break."

Giving a grin at that, he relaxed and sheathed his sword, before slinging it over his back in one movement. It was a pretty cool trick that he developed after watching Hayate do something similar. His sempai was somewhat flattered at the complement.

"When can we learn something new sempai? All we seem to do is spar, where you always beat me anyways." That was delivered in a particularly sulky voice.

His teacher merely raised his eyebrows. To tell the truth, there wasn't really anything more he could teach his student about kenjutsu without going into the more advanced techniques. But that was something that the Sandaime did not want for Naruto. In a sense, he did understand the Hokage's reasoning. But hell, at Naruto's age he had learnt techniques that were far above that of a genin, even approaching chuunin levels. They gave him the edge to succeed, and an element of surprise that had impressed the examiners in his Chuunin Exam. Denying the same opportunity to Naruto seemed wrong. Over the last twelve months Naruto had flourished in his training, and Hayate came to a conclusion.

Naruto was an unconventional inexplicable genius. At first he seemed to be oblivious to even the simplest of things. But over time it _seemed_ to have dropped of as he often made the sufficient connections before the explanation was even completed. Even better, once the basics of it were firmly understood, he could see how it could be taken further. Each simple jutsu he had learnt were combined in manners not really thought of by many shinobi, surprising even Yuugao herself. _Hell, we now use some of his things as well… Better not tell him though. His ego doesn't need padding at his age. _

Naruto's mask of stupidity was an odd thing. Initially, he honestly couldn't quite connect the dots and had to get them to repeat themselves. Often. And sometimes really slowly as well. Even when he a voice in his head explaining as well. But as time got along, everything just seemed to make sense. But he still acted the same way. He had a few reasons for doing this.

One, it helped him determine if people were actually genuine in their attempts to help him.

Two, people would underestimate him and write him off as a threat.

Three, it annoyed the crap out of his teachers. Which was as good as any reason he thought.

The irony was that Naruto knew that his teachers knew that he wasn't as dumb as he looked. The teachers also knew that the blonde knew that they knew. Whenever they tried to call him out on it, he would just give a dumb smile and say "What do you mean sempai? I really don't understand. What's a façade again?" It really did drive them up the wall.

Yuugao merely responded in rougher physical training that wore the blond senseless, a mocking grin on her face daring him to speak out and break his mask. Hayate merely acted that he would withhold training until Naruto had the 'sufficient intelligence' to understand it.

It was really coming down to a stalemate.

_When Sarutobi-sama said that he would have talent for a blade, he wasn't kidding. The kid was born to wield a sword. His understanding of the fundamentals was better than mine at his age. His movements are no longer wasteful and unbalanced. And I get this feeling that he is always holding back on us... His form is good, now he just needs some technique. Technique which the Sandaime doesn't really want Naruto to learn. But what the hell am I going to do with him now? Just keep on beating him to the ground? He is not going to grow at this rate and the more he is held back…_

Then again, they could always work on Naruto's chakra control, which was pretty pitiful. It was a surprise that he could do some of the more basic jutsus anyways. He just seemed to push chakra until it worked. While that was ok for now, some of the higher level jutsus took so much chakra to get it right with near perfect control anyways, that pushing it would literally kill a person, if not exhaust their system permanently.

But chakra was something that the blond seemed to have in spades. Along with seemingly endless stamina, he made for a near perfect student. One that was getting increasingly bored and frustrated. It wasn't a good combination.

"Come on sempai, when will you teach me something new?" he pleaded with his earnest blue eyes.

Yuugao decided to step in and relieve some of the pressure off his shoulders. She had managed to coax some kenjutsu lessons off Hayate, and as a result owed him several favours. Running interference for him was one of the things that she had agreed to do. The other ones, well, Hayate had not come to collect on them yet.

"Hey Naru-chan, how about you leave poor Hayate alone while I go teach you something that you might, just might, be able to use?"All her words were laced with a teasing undertone.

Naruto gave a slight grimace. He absolutely hated it when she called him that. It implied a level of familiarity that he wasn't quite comfortable giving to anyone. And Yuugao knew this, one of the more favoured tactics used to distract him when he was pestering them with his demands.

"Hah, I can do anything that I want sempai! You go ahead, I will show you all what Uzumaki Naruto is capable of!" All of that was said while he was striking a superhero pose.

_Henge  
Kaiwamiri_

Those were the two techniques that the blond had truly mastered. _Bunshin_ still remained to be bit of a joke, which always resulted in forming half dead clones which she used to embarrass Naruto to no end. _His reserves are way too big, and control too poor, for him to use that technique. He would be suited towards the Kage Bunshin no jutsu, though the Hokage would definitely not want him to learn that right now._

"Anyways, let's work on your taijutsu, which is just awful," Yuugao said with a sigh.

Naruto protested at the slight on his skills, "It's not my fault, really. I'm a swordsman. I use a sword. If I ever meet a taijutsu specialist, well, I will just cut them up. Into little bits," he emphasised with a flourish of his sword.

_One of these days we will have to introduce him to Maito Gai_. On closer reflection, she developed some second thoughts. _They kind of have the same attitude towards training towards each other, and Gai was ranting about how he needed to impart his youthfulness onto an apprentice._ The thought of Naruto wearing a hideous green jumpsuit complete with a bowl style haircut and ranting about the fires of his youth brought a shudder down her spinal column. _Okay, that was a bad idea, a really bad idea. Must keep them away from each other._

"Well, anyways. In taijutsu, your attacks normally depend on how strong you actually are, and how fast. So most specialists use weight training to increase both. We have explained before that there are disadvantages to it and I won't go into that again. But here is a technique that they use at times, and will be a good chakra control exercise as well. Look closely."

With a bit of concentration, chakra was gathered into her first before she approached a tree and let loose a punch, giving a shout as she did so. It left a two inch indentation into the hardwood. Naruto was kind of impressed.

He could see how it could be potentially useful. But his whole mindset was geared towards using a blade. Using his fists or his feet had no real appeal to him. If he had to get that damn close, then he would rather swing a blade. But he had to concede that at times he wouldn't have his sword with him. What was he going to do then, beg an enemy to death?

**_Could you do that? I'd pay you money to see that. _**

Seeing the look on Naruto's face, Yuugao felt compelled to defend her technique from his unimpressed stare.

"Okay, it doesn't look as impressive as the other techniques that you see around the place. But think of it as a backup weapon. Just train your left hand so that if you need to surprise another weapons user, you can with a quick jab that will do some damage, instead of a distraction."

"I guess so..." conceded Naruto with an uncertain look.

The violet haired kunoichi just rubbed her temples before scolding the boy.

"Just try it out for crying out loud! It's not like its going to hurt you."

"Fine fine, geez, don't get so defensive. What do I need to do?"

Yuugao held our her fists and started lecturing, "Well, first thing you need to do is to gather your chakra into your hands. This should be relatively easy to do, unlike other areas in your body. Once you do, get to a tree and keep the amount of chakra in your hand to a stable, constant amount. If you can, try to circulate it by having it flow in one direction. Then just punch the tree. If you can't do this then you really are an idiot."

_Sounds easy enough._ Tapping into his reserves, he managed to drag forth a small amount of his own chakra. While Kisuke had told him to not use his chakra until he told him otherwise, he pretty much well ignored that warning during his training. And it didn't seem to really affect him at all, so he figured that the other blond was just being too cautious.

The hard part was actually keeping the chakra to a stationary part of his body. Most times when a ninjutsu is used, the chakra is pulled forth and used immediately. That was a relatively simple and didn't need a lot of control. It was only the higher techniques that required you to store charka into certain areas before certain seals and your intent created the required matrix for the jutsu to work.

Naruto was now finding that his chakra didn't really want to stay in his hand, so he just rushed over to a tree and punched it with only half of his hand encased in chakra. It left an indentation half an inch thick. Expecting something a bit more, he looked disappointed.

"As you can see, its not that easy to keep it in your hand is it? It's a good exercise to get better control, and you can pretty much do it anywhere without it being too obvious. This is just a beginner's version of what you can do. Tsunade-sama has gotten the technique down where she can literally punch craters into the ground and turn trees into splinters."

Now _that_ was fairly impressive. Naruto's eyebrows widened for a moment. _I wonder if I can do the same thing, but use it on my shoulders, wrists and biceps to make my sword strikes even more powerful?_

"Just remember that the damage done by your hands is both physical and chakra based. The chakra emits a pressure and power that amplifies your blows. To enhance a part of your body to do other things using your chakra is a slightly different, and usually more difficult."

That shut down his previous idea. He shuffled it away into something for the future.

"Thanks sempai. This can be quite useful at times."

It was then that he actually noticed something hanging off her belt. With a smile, he recognised what it was before jumping her with a playful grin, his unexpected attack bringing her to the floor. It surprised both the chuunin, especially Yuugao as Naruto was never quite that physically demonstrative towards her.

"What the hell was that for gaki!" she spluttered in anger.

"Congratulations sempai. I'm glad that they promoted you. Why didn't you tell us before?" asked Naruto with curiosity.

"It just happened in the morning. And thanks for your words. Do you think you could get off me, your hands are in places that shouldn't be there unless you mean it," she responded dryly.

With a start and a blush, he got off her in a flash before giving a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head. The standard female response to what just happened usually was a kick to the groin. And after seeing her use a chakra enhanced punch, he didn't really want to experience a chakra enhanced kick or knee to the crotch.

Yuugao merely flipped herself onto her feet before giving the other a wide smile. _Still got it_. But she was curious to how he knew about the significance of the mask.

"How did you know about my promotion Naru-chan?"

The boy made a face at her nickname before answering, "Please don't call me that. Well, when I was younger I always noticed some people watching me in the background, and they always wore those animal masks. When I asked Sarutobi-jiji about it, he just smiled and said that they were my protectors. I didn't really understand until a few months ago."

Normally the ANBU would be discrete enough so they wouldn't be noticed by a boy without any formal shinobi training. But Yuugao figured that Sarutobi was sending a message out to everyone.

_Uzumaki Naruto is under the personal protection of the Hokage. Stay away unless you want to feel the wrath of the military leader of a shinobi village. _

Hayate mentally cursed himself as the blond kid was more observant than he was. He gave an awkward congratulations, knowing that she would definitely use this against him in the future.

_How the hell did I miss that mask by her side?_

Naruto smiled widely before making a declaration, "Well anyways, let's celebrate and go to Ichiraku's for ramen!"

Yuugao nodded warily, painfully aware of the boy's prodigious appetite for noodles "Only if you're buying Naruto-kun."

"WHAT! You just got promoted; doesn't that mean a pay rise?" wheedled the boy as he tried to score a free meal.

"Well yes, but isn't it customary to give a person a gift in these circumstances." It was delivered with wide doe like eyes that looked out of place on her face. But they were having an effect anyways.

**_Kit, don't your dare give into that amateurish display. For the love of Kami-sama, don't you dare. If you do, I will sing the most annoying and repetitive song until you break and start a killing spree._**

_I have never seen her like that before... It's like my entire body wants to give in to her demands and wishes ..._

"Umm, I guess I can afford it this time..."said a dazed Naruto.

Smiling widely Yuugao grabbed his hand before he could change his mind, "Great! Let's go!"

Her smile turned into a smirk as she took Naruto's hand with her own before bouncing off to the ramen stand. Naruto couldn't stay sad for long, hell, anything ramen related would make him happy. Hayate just looked at the two of them with an amused grin, and a bit of jealousy at the way Yuugao was holding the boys hand.

_Where the hell did that thought come from?!_

* * *

**Konoha  
Kumo safehouse**

The Kumo delegation was ostensibly resting themselves before formal negotiations were to begin in four days time. It was customary for all ambassadors to have the freedom of the city while they were there, and this was no exception. Gashir put his time to good use, knowing that his window of opportunity was going to be very tight.

Every good shinobi village had intelligence assets in other villages, including ones that they were allies with. More of an unspoken rule of trust, but verify. Especially when hostilities commenced, the intelligence division of the ANBU worked desperately to intercept battle plans, formations, supply routes, reinforcement allocations and other sundry information in the enemy village. And just as hard working where the boys and girls of the Counter-Intelligence ANBU (fondly called the CINT) who sought to find them, or mislead them.

The Kumo agents were doing the best that they could to penetrate the operational security of Konoha's defensive efforts. But they just didn't have the time to put all their assets in place before the war began. The ones they did have were not placed highly enough to get the restricted information without getting discovered. They had already lost a few moles to the CINT boys, and were now subject to the tender mercies of the Torture and Interrogation division. And most Konoha nins were oddly adverse to turning traitor to their village.

But there are always exceptions. Every person had their price. Most people motivated by money were inherently unreliable. They just didn't have the will unless they were professional mercenaries who were absolutely ruthless in completing a job. They much rather preferred people who had an ideological reason for defecting or betrayal.

More often than not revenge proved to be a good motivator and reason for such actions. As unthinkable as it may have sounded, Kumo had managed to find a sufficiently disgruntled Branch Member of the Hyuuga clan to actually take a step forward and turn his thoughts into action. Then again, many would argue that the Main House had it coming for a very long time.

The problem with infiltrating the Hyuuga household was their damn eyes. In a display of arrogance, they didn't even really have outer walls to their compound. Their near all seeing eyes made them impenetrable to conventional infiltration.

But like all 'absolute defences', there are always one or two little flaws that are forgotten. Things that are seemingly insignificant which turn out to the be their undoing. For the Hyuuga's, this would be their confidence in their _Juin Jutsu_ and the loyalty of their subordinate family members who patrolled the estate. After all, a good human alarm system does need some incentive to do the work.

As they awaited the arrival of the rogue branch member, the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Kumo Intelligence ANBU liaised with the protective detail attached to Gashir. One of their own had _henged_ into the ambassador as a distraction against the Konoha CINT, who always suspected foul play, particular given the state of affairs. And they would be right in their suspicions. It was a pity that they were observing the wrong man at the moment.

Finishing his conversation, the OIC approached the goateed jounin before engaging in some talk that would prove to be a pivotal change in the world.

"There are rumours going around here that might be of interest to our superiors back in Kumo. They are all centred on the Kyuubi attack seven years ago, and how the demon was actually defeated. And they all seem to revolve around a single boy..."

* * *

**Konoha  
Training ground twenty three  
2200 hrs.**

Yuugao had finished her meal, putting away a surprising three bowls of the most expensive ramen that Ichiraku's had to offer, before she called it a day. She gave a mischievous smirk before giving him a light peck on his forehead before saying goodbye, a clear spring in her step as she went back home to celebrate with her family.

Usually ANBU operatives did not carry their mask on them except on duty, and even then it was on their faces. But she was just so happy at her appointment that she ignored that bit of protocol. And she was secretly hoping that people would notice and make a big deal out of it.

It was surprising that Naruto was one of the few that picked up on it. Then again, he always did seem to have a sense of hyperawareness around him. _The way he picks up on our emotions, but you never really notice because of that mask that he wears. Who are you really Naruto?_

Said boy was busy at the training ground practicing his charka punches on a poor tree. He had to endure a long winded rant from his zanpakuto, who alternated between singing and yelling that drove the blond nuts.

**_Are you going to give into every girl that gives you that look? It was embarrassing to see the way that you folded to her._**

_What? It's not like anything bad happened from it. And you can't complain. You use it often enough when we train together._

**_That is different kit._**

_How is that different?! You cannot have it both ways!_

**_Sure I can. Im a part of you, so I can't really use that against you if I am a part of your soul. _**

**_You know that I'm right kit._**

_No. Just no._

**_This is the song that never ends,_**

**_It just goes on and on my friends_**

**_Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was,_**

**_And they'll continue singing it forever just because—_**

_ARGHH for the love of Kami-sama stop! Please, no more!_

**_You knew that this would happen. Now stop whining about it._**

Desperately trying to push the voice into the deepest, darkest pit of his mind that he could, Naruto focused trying to keep his chakra into his hand. He was slowly making more progress, but it still was proving to be a frustrating process. Doubly so with that damnable song playing in his head.

_Where the hell did she learn that from anyways?! It's not like I have ever heard it before in Konoha..._

If Naruto learnt that it was a part of the original zanpakuto's gifts he would have threatened violence towards Kisuke and thrown the sword away when he first saw it.

In any event, after three hours of training he managed to keep over half of his hand encased in chakra before he let loose his punch. He was no where near the part where he could actually keep it flowing in one direction, as merely keeping it static was hard enough. Little did he know that such an exercise was used for medic-nins to refine their scalpel techniques. But then again, their use was fairly universal. Tsunade never did quite appreciate how her forays into medical science would affect the rest of the shinobi world beyond their immediate applications. Her insights into the nature of chakra control and manipulation were required reading for jutsu and seal crafters. All the royalties earned by them were held on trust, and its existence was only to be revealed to her when she was considered to be a fit and proper person by the trustee of the Senju clan. Needless to say, she would be waiting for a hell of a long time.

After a while Naruto's hand started to hurt, so he decided to stop for the night and take a walk home. Instead of the direct way, he took a bit of a detour, not wanting to face his zanpakuto when he fell asleep for any longer than he needed to. As such, this took him along the compounds of the greater clans of Konoha. He didn't really feel afraid as it was one of the safest areas in the village, patrolled by both the Uchiha Military Police force and clan guardsmen. Both of them whom were fairly indifferent to him, unlike the civilian citizens of Konoha.

Though as he walked on, he had this really had feeling down his neck that something was going down. And he would be right in the middle of it._ This is bad, the last time I got this feeling was when I tried to break into ANBU headquarters and got tied up to a maypole stripped to my underwear. That was one hell of a cold night..._

Then again, what could possible happen now, right? Kumo had declared a ceasefire, trade and commerce was looking up, things were heading back to normal. Or as normal as a shinobi village could get in peacetime anyways.

Nothing as outlandish as a masked stranger in black fatigues carrying an oddly human shaped package to his chest, while rooftop sprinting to the main gates of Konoha.

Right?

_What. The. Fuck? Please tell me that I'm hallucinating. Kyu-chan, are you messing with my mind. If you are, please do something more original next time._

**_This is the- Oh, no that's not me. Hey, that's something you don't really see every day. So, what are you going to do about it?_**

_Hmm, I always wanted to test myself against another ninja. Probably the best way to do so now without getting into too much trouble._

**_I'm not so sure. Be careful kit. He does look dangerous._**

_Oh please, I'm ready to take him on._

Oh, the arrogance of youth. Naruto would definitely learn some very important lessons today.

"Hey you! Stop there and drop the package!" demanded Naruto cockily.

_Shit, I knew I should have kept one of the ANBU with me! But all of them are off creating distractions while the others are creating an exfiltration point at the gates. Wait, its just a little kid. Who the hell does he think he is? Does he seriously think he can take on a jounin like me?_

Well, obviously he did. Naruto gave a grin before unsheathing his sword and jumping out in front of him, blade extended.

Gashir blinked before dismissing the threat, "Kid, you're wasting your time if you think you can stop me. Now get out of the way before you force me to kill you. I'm a bit late you see, and you're not helping me get there any quicker."

The blond chuckled before shaking his head, "How about no? Put down the package and surrender. I'm sure the Uchiha will be here soon to take you away."

The package gave a small eep before Gashir held it closer to his chest.

"Would you believe me if I said that I was rescuing this young lady from her evil step parents to take her away to claim her rightful inheritance?" he tried with some curiosity.

The jinchuuriki shook his head, "... not really. Looks like the stock standard kidnap to me."

_Oh fuck it. I wasted enough time as it is._

Gashir jumped off the rooftop and landed on the streets below. He placed his package on a nearby wall. _Good thing I had her paralysed before all of this. Don't want to chase her down now._

"I like your spunk kid. But I am a jounin. I don't think your going to be able to give me a hard time, much less stop me."

_That's what they all think. Even Hayate and Yuugao sempai. Always holding me back, but I'll show them all..._

With a yell, he rushed towards the black clothed man, his sword trailing on his right hand side before closing the distance. He swung his blade into a tight crescent, getting under the unarmed shinobi's guard. Or he would have if he was still there.

With a blur that his eyes could barely register, Gashir disappeared from where he was and appeared to Naruto's left flank. In his hand was a kunai and he dashed in with a controlled lunge, intended to end it with a stab to his vital organs.

Learning his lessons well, the blond jumped to the right and brought his sword down as well, hoping to take off a limb before Gashir parried his blow away. Naruto cursed and started to swing his sword, his blade wearing and dancing as he tried to find an opening.

The thing was that he couldn't. Gashir was not a jounin for nothing, one with a hell of a lot of experience during the last year fighting phantoms in the forest. All of his anger was now given an outlet. He ducked and parried his way through Naruto's blows, knowing that he had to end it quickly before more time was lost.

_This kid isn't half bad. If he was a bit older and had some more experience, he could probably hold me off to a standstill. It's a real pity that it has come down to this. _

Taking a gamble, Gashir lashed out with a chakra enhanced side kick that did not quite make the distance to Naruto. Taking the opportunity, Naruto hacked at the limb, hoping to take it off. His blade met flesh, but it did not quite penetrate as he expected it to.

_He made his chakra harden his skin?! So it wasn't meant to amplify the blow at all? Why would he…_

His thoughts were cut short when he saw Gashir less than a meter away from him. He suddenly realised his foolishness. He jounin made the kick as a bit of bait towards the young boy. It offered an insignificant target that Naruto took. It did no damage and allowed him to close the distance as he stepped forward with that leading foot, drawing two kunai as he made two blows.

One was a stab wound to his kidneys, giving the blades a savage twist for good measure before tearing them out to increase the blood loss and shock.

The other was a slice to his vocal cords. He held off from using his raiton jutsus because he didn't want to draw any attention. Having a screaming, dying blond would just be a dead give away that he couldn't afford right now.

As Naruto crumpled onto the floor, his face held a disbelieving expression as he tried to mouth something. Blood filled his airways before he collapsed, darkness clouding his vision before he lost consciousness.

Gashir gave a small salute to the brave boy before rushing over to his package. He had a job to complete.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_Kit, I told you that it was a bad idea._**

_Where am I? Am I dead?_

**_Not yet, but you will be soon if you don't get some healing._**

_But, I don't want to die just yet. There was so much I needed to do..._

**_Well Naru-chan, there is a way for you to live on..._** That was all delivered with a seeming purr. One that Naruto did not quite like.

_Really? Then what are you waiting for, tell me!_

**_You just have to give me back some of my power._**

_This is no time for jokes, haven't we been through enough of this?_

**_Listen, I can control my chakra so it does certain things. Healing is one of them. Know that I could regenerate wounds that would have been lethal to anyone else in a matter of moments. Right now, your body is going into shock and you don't have any time to spare. Just give me the power to help you dammit! I promise that is all I would use it for. And you know that I ALWAYS honour my agreements. _**

_But, how do I do it?_

**_Damned if I knew. It's your body kit, think of a way. But you better think quick, we don't have much time._**

This was really on odd moment for the Kyuubi. If Naruto died now, she would be free. Or so she thought. But she would be effectively powerless without access to her chakra. It was all too... uncertain for her liking. But then again it was a win-win situation for them both.

_Think Naruto think! Whenever I mould chakra, I feel two sources. One that I can touch, and one that just seems out of reach. So if I try to touch that and push it towards my zanpakuto... maybe that's it._

Drawing deep into himself, he felt himself reaching areas that were quite foreign to him. His chakra normally felt quite tranquil, like a body of still water that was at peace. The Kyuubi's chakra felt like a torrential current, white water rapids that crushed and threatened to overwhelm and drown him. He was shocked by the sheer amount of it in his body.

_Kami-sama! No wonder she wants it all back. There is so much. But it does seem that she is hiding something from me. Now to give her some of this back. Come on work damn you!_

He pulled at the chakra, which fought him every step of the way. Managing to pull as much of it as he possible could before the strain became nearly unbearable; he tried to forge a connection to his zanpakuto.

_Here, take it now!_

**_Don't mind if I do kit. Don't mind if I do_**. The red haired vixen gave a wide smile as she welcomed back her missing power.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_I have wasted too much time already. Hopefully not too much attention was raised. The other ANBU should have drawn the heat away from me. What the fuck? How is she able to move?! Can anything else go wrong this night?_

For a paralysed girl, Hyuuga Hinata was making an awfully good effort at moving her limbs and trying to make her escape. She was desperately afraid, remembering a terrible moment where she was sleeping before someone forced a chloroform laced cloth onto her face. She couldn't remember seeing who it was before she lost consciousness. Her hands were tied before a light raiton jutsu was applied to her body.

But the traitorous Branch member didn't realise that his mastery of that jutsu wasn't quite up to scratch. The Hyuuga clan regarded all jutsus outside the family to be ones that were below them. Sure they had to learn the basics taught at the Academy, but no true Hyuuga would lower themselves to other techniques.

Ironic that the arrogance that he was fighting against would ultimately work against him.

With a snarl at his plan that went awry so easily, his hands flurried into action, forming handseals for the same light raiton jutsu that should have been applied properly in the first place. As he moved to strike the helpless girl, he noticed a few things.

One, that there was someone standing to the right of him.  
Two, that person was the boy that he was sure the he killed a few moments ago.  
Three, he has missing his right arm.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Giving access to her chakra once more, the Kyuubi wasted no time in bestowing her gifts onto her host. With the demonic charka raging through his veins, the wounds on this body started the healing process.

Blood clotted up, preventing shock from spreading any further. Skin started to knit itself back together again, not even leaving a trace of a scar. The kidney itself began regenerating the lost tissue as a result of the stab wound, while his vocal cords reformed themselves.

Sitting upwards, Naruto grabbed his sword again before he saw Gashir approach a cowering Hinata with lightning running through his hands. There was a distance of twenty metres and he knew that he would not reach her in time.

But he would be dammed if he wasn't going to try.

As he got to his feet he rushed, pushing his muscles to their absolute maximum. All the while praying that he would make it in time to save the girl.

_Come on, faster, I have to get faster!_

And in an odd way, the gods answered his prayer. His steps became longer, things started to slow down as he rushed forward. This was all unnoticed as he was experiencing tunnel vision; all he knew that he had to make it and stop the other shinobi.

Damn kit, this was the same technique that the zanpakuto used against me, along with the other shinigami during the sealing. I don't think that even you know what the hell you are doing. I wonder if he is going to remember it after all this is done…

With one final step he was within two meters of Gashir. Raising his katana with a snarl, the after effects of the Kyuubi's chakra still in his system, he brought it down in a smooth parabolic arc.

The blade descended before it cleaved into his right arm, just above the elbow. It cut through the skin, before continuing onto the muscle. The joint and bones proved to be of little resistance as it crushed thought it, driving splinters into his internal muscles, before continuing cleanly through it.

The limb fell to the ground as Gashir look at Naruto in disbelief, before gazing on his missing limb in shock.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata was afraid when she was taken, and felt helpless as she saw a boy about the same age as her fighting a jounin far beyond his level. And it was all for her.

_Please don't die, just run away! Please be alright! _

There were tears on her eyes as she saw the brutal way that Gashir ended his life. She felt miserable and wanted nothing more that for it all to end as a bad dream, a nightmare she could shrug off the next day with her sister.

But the cold reality of it struck her. The man had just killed a boy in cold blood in front of her. And he saw her moving away and was now coming towards her. With his hands blurring through seals, she thought that he was going to kill her as well.

Then she saw the unthinkable. A red aura had burst from the blond boy's body before he stood up in front of her. There was a large pool of blood from where he fell, and there shouldn't be any way that he could still be alive. Yet he stood up like a resurrected god demanding vengeance for his death.

And then he looked at her. She would never forget the look on his eyes as he saw the shinobi come towards her. Cerulean eyes that were as clear as the summer sky filled with determination and desperation. And then he moved, a blur of black and yellow as he seemed to cross the distance between then in mere blink of her eyes.

It was at this point that something clicked within the consciousness of the little girl. And throughout their lives, she and Naruto would find themselves in a complicated relationship. But it was in this moment where her life changed. The moment that she had unknowingly pledged her loyalty to the blond haired death god.

She saw the strike in all its glory, and now the blood that was rushing out of missing limb, spraying her face before Gashir gave a muffled yell before focusing all of his attention to Naruto.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_How can this be? I killed him! No one could have survived it, unless it was some sort of... bloodline limit? God damn, does everyone in this fucking village have one?! What is that strange chakra that he used anyways?_

While the loss of a limb would normally cow most people, Gashir spent way too much time in the fields to let it distract him from his duty.

_First I will kill the little prick. And then I will make sure that he has no damn body to regenerate after that._

He lashed out with a chakra enhanced kick that caught Naruto in his floating ribs, breaking them cleanly before he stabbed a kunai in his right shoulder blade, stopping his ability to use his sword. Naruto tried to chakra punch him, and just managed a glancing blow which broke Gashir's nose. His eyes half blinded by the blood, he pulled out an explosive note from his vest that he tagged on Naruto's chest before kicking him up in the air.

_Oh shit!_

Gashir spat before cursing him. His remaining hand formed a seal.

_Katsu!_

The seal on the tag collapsed into itself before the stored chakra ignited with a flash. The searing heat affected Hinata and Gashir both, almost caressing their faces with its temperature before Naruto's broken body fell back to the ground. The aftermath of the detonation was not pretty. Nearly every inch of his skin was burnt, his black outfit melted to his flesh in some areas. Third degree burns were the least of Naruto's worries now as the Kyuubi desperately tried to keep his internal organs intact and pumping, the sheer concussive trauma nearly beyond her ability to deal with.

Then they came. A contingent of extremely pissed off Hyuuga along with a certain raven haired Uchiha. A pissed off Hyuuga was something to see, considering their rather emotionless faces they seem to carry from birth.

Seeing their heiress covered in blood brought out all the seemingly repressed anger in them. And Gashir now knew that it was really all over, thanks to that damnable interfering blond brat.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hospital Complex  
Waiting room  
Four hours after the incident **

Naruto lay in a room trying to stay alive as medics and doctors worked to save him. The Kyuubi had pretty much exhausted all of her available chakra bringing him back the life the first time that she was left unable to do anything else than to stabilise his internal organs while the humans worked on him.

Gashir was having problems of his own. He shortly went into shock after he was discovered. After unveiling his unconscious form, his identity was exposed to the world and the Sandaime was notified. Unfortunately, this led to a very difficult discussion about what to do actually do with him.

Many of them were outraged that an ambassador bearing terms of peace was party to such a deceitful act. Many wanted him executed and have his corpse sent back to Kumo, with hostilities resumed. But the problem lay in the fact that diplomatic immunity protected Gashir, at least that was what his escort were claiming anyways.

And it wasn't a fact that the Hokage could really dispute. Such immunity lay at the heart of all negotiations in the Elemental Nations. While most did not know it, it started off from the days of the First Empire where all negotiators were treated like their sovereign leaders. They were only bound to the laws of their nation, and killing one had led to wars declared in the past. It was a matter of politeness that the host village would respect the sovereignty of the visiting head of state. It was always reciprocated from all the five great villages.

Though it was clear cut that Kumo had tried to use such immunity to steal one of their bloodlines, some protocols had to be respected. If they executed Gashir now, the potential after effects would have been disastrous. No village would treat with Konoha in confidence again. That said, Kumo would have even worse problems to deal with.

It gnawed away at him, and he knew that the coming days were going to be a nightmare.

In the end they placed him in hotel while medic-nins were trying to keep his body alive.

_It's more than you deserve as well. _

Sarutobi gave a sigh as he observed the treatment that Naruto was receiving._ Your father would be damn proud of you at this moment Naruto-kun. Please make it through._

Initially the meds were a bit reluctant to treat him, though they knew that leaving him to die would release the Kyuubi. The Sandaime gave them a glare at them before they fell into line.

_If only the civilians would be as compliant_, he thought sourly.

After three hours of surgery, Naruto was finally out of the red. He gave a sigh of relief before smiling at the hospital staff. Giving some words of heartfelt thanks, he left the emergency room.

Outside were Yuugao and Hayate, who managed to find out that their student was involved in the incident. Both of them looked pretty terrible, and rose to their feet quickly as soon as they saw him.

"Is he ok Hokage-sama? Please tell me that the traitorous Kumo nin didn't kill Naru-chan?" demanded Yuugao with distraught concern.

Sarutobi shook his head before mollifying the kunoichi, "Relax Yuugao, he will be fine. Our medical facilities are the best in the world, and he had just stabilised just then. Back before you know it he will be on his feet again, ready to annoy us all again." The last was said with a fond smile on his face.

Both of them let loose a breathe that they did not know that they were holding in. The thought of Naruto dying brought some strong feelings from both of them. They were all fond of the blond brat, and the thought of losing him...

Besides the practical problems, they all had an emotional connection with the boy. And they all had some guilt in their hearts.

_If only I taught him a few more techniques, he wouldn't be here like this._

"When can we see him?" asked Hayate.

"In a few hours probably. I have to deal with the fallout, so I have to leave. When you see Naruto tell him that I will visit as soon as I can."

"Hai Sandaime-sama," Both of them responded with a short salute.

With that the aged fire shadow prepared for a new war. One fought with words and diplomacy. One where dirty deeds were often forgiven or battered away for leverage. One which he hated fighting with all his being.

Yuugao and Hayate merely looked at each other in relief before collapsing onto the nearby benches. They were in for a long wait.

* * *

**Kumo  
Raikage's office  
Eighteen hours after the incident **

"Raikage-sama, Gashir failed in his mission."

That was not what he wanted to hear. The coming storm was not something that would be pleasant.

"What do we do now?" asked his chief of staff.

That was a good question. What could Kumo do now?

* * *

**Konoha  
Hospital Complex  
Room one hundred and nine.  
One day later.**

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself in his mindscape once again. He was lying down in a field of grass, the sky above him clear and a light breeze wafting through his hair. His head was resting on something soft and comfortable.

**_So you're awake now Naruto-kun?_**

The Kyuubi leaned over him, concern touching her regal face as she gazed over him like a concerned mother.

**_You really gave me a scare there; luckily I was able to heal most of your wounds before they could do the rest._**

_What happened?_

**_Well, you tried to play the hero before nearly dying. I saved you and you cut off the others arm, before he put an explosive tag on you._**

As Naruto remembered the scene, he gave a wince. _Woah, how am I still alive then?_

**_Well, it was all thanks to me. I guess those medics had a little something to do with it as well…_**

With those words, Naruto made his appreciation known by reaching out and giving her a hug. She wrapped her arms around his torso and had a smirk on her face.

Hmm, this actually feels quite nice. I wonder how far I can push this...

Reluctantly letting go, Naruto suddenly had a look of self loathing on his face.

**_What's wrong kit? You're alive and there is no permanent damage, why the long face?_**

_I'm still weak. Still helpless... if the others didn't show up I would have been done for. And that little girl..._

**_Well, you couldn't really expect to win against that jounin anyways. He was older, faster, stronger and more experienced. You did good though Naruto-kun. But you're right, we do need to step up on our training._**

_But Hayate and Yuugao refuse to teach me anything useful. Ok fine, I wouldn't have done half as well if I didn't have the kenjutsu skill, but that wasn't anything that he hadn't seen before. Nothing that was a surprise dammit! I was lucky that he thought that he killed me that I was able to take off his arm, and even then he nearly managed nearly to kill me again! I need something more..._

**_True enough, but we can worry about that later. Just relax for now._**

Feeling the stress get to him, Naruto just sighed before lying back. Kyu-chan played with his hair as both of them stared at the bright blue sky.

The Kyuubi was happy that she had some of her power back. Though Naruto's reiatsu still forced it to fight and maintain a balance, she could use it, if only in limited ways. If she tried to go beyond healing, the reiatsu would exert its pressure to make it too hard to complete anyways.

Then again, it wasn't a complete loss. Healing him also left some of her residual chakra in his body, twisting his mindset and helped unleash levels of violence that amused her. She still could affect him, if only in an indirect way. She knew that deep within him lay the resentment he felt, particularly towards his mother and father, was still festering in the underneath. And because she saved his life, she could feel the gratefulness he had for her.

Oh Minato and Kushina, he is mine now. Not yours and probably never will be. Things are just going along nicely. Hmm, though it does feel quite nice holding him in my arms...

* * *

**Konoha  
Council of Fire  
Three days after the incident**

Power in Konoha was separated into an odd and curious manner. In the beginning, the Hokages were the absolute leaders and held all the power in the village. His word was law, and if you didn't like it you could leave. Or disappear in very mysterious circumstances. But as the village expanded and welcomed civilians in, more correctly the money and trade that they brought in, they realised that they really shouldn't alienate the civilians that brought so much to their village.

This led to the establishment of the Council of Fire. At first it consisted of the greater clans and some trade representatives and they only had an advisory role. But as the village expanded, the civilians started to gain more power. It began with specialisation of non-shinobi roles. Merchants and tradesman began farming, creating tools, providing goods and services, allowing shinobi to focus on what was important to them.

So while they trained and took on missions, the civilians worked and provided the infrastructure so they could focus on, concentrate on, developing their skills. However, this slowly righted the power imbalance that stood between the two classes. At a glance, it seemed that the Council was a formal body with power that the Hokage could disregard.

But it was plainly suicide to conduct a war without the approval of the reigning Council. Any army, or expeditionary force, required supplies to function. While rations and other such things were stockpiled for such purposes, a majority of food and materiel was purchased from the trade unions. If they refused to sell, then you were screwed before you could even start marching. Sure, they could just take it by force, but in doing so they would sharply decrease the trust from the other nations.

And that in itself was not a trivial thing. Other nations would not trade with Konoha, fearing that they would just steal their goods without paying for it. The decrease in confidence would slowly, but surely, cripple a nation where people would not commission missions from their shinobi.

It was the few instances of honour that the ninja's had in the Elemental Nations. In any event, it did lead to a very interesting power structure.

At the head was the Hokage. Wielding the entire military power of the village, he was the commander in chief of the shinobi forces and in times of war had absolute power and discretion under his primary and incidental defence powers. He personally commanded the ANBU divisions that were loyal to him.

The Council had power over non-military matters. It was a bicameral house, with the greater clans forming the upper, and the civilian and lower clans forming the lower. The upper house was a hereditary body, while the lower was elected. A weird sort of democracy had formed that was wholly unintentional. The Hokage's may have given the civilians some power, but he reserved the right to veto to the upper house. Who usually sided with the Hokage in any event. They weren't exactly too happy about that arrangement, but it was the most that they could hope for. The protection granted by being in a shinobi village was worth the concessions they had to pay.

There was no real court structure in place. The Uchiha provided the Military Police force that also had civilian jurisdiction. Dealing with criminal shinobi required ninja with a little special something. The Sharingan was that special something. It usually fell to the Hokage to act as the judge on matters that needed a final determination. Something that the Council had tried to usurp until very recently.

Some villages did away with the council entirely. But for a village to be recognised as one of the greats, it was usually a precondition as it nearly always brought an immense amount of economic wealth that could be taxed. Then again, you were stuck sharing your power in an uneasy compromise between two factions.

Which was something that was becoming a rather filthy word to Sarutobi.

While he could formally accept a surrender, a ceasefire arrangement was more complicated. It allowed for a negotiation of terms where it was sometimes best to have the Council involved. This could potentially make the matter beyond his control. And it didn't help that Kumo had sent a delegation of some rather talented litigators to help Sinobi Gashir plead his case.

He scoffed_. What little he actually has, but laws and politics seem to be inimical at times to each other_.

A diplomat enjoyed the protection of immunity against the laws of a host nation. It was a sign of goodwill and was a near universal grant to every ambassador. While there were odd occasions of it being abused, it reflected poorly on a village that let their representatives act in an appalling manner.

There always were circumstances of excessive drinking, revelry and instances of unwanted sexual advances towards the civilian populace, but they generally were limited to misdemeanours that were quite harmless. Usually. More importantly such acts didn't really breach internal security, as distasteful as they may be. In any event they were usually recalled and replaced as a discrete threat was passed along to their superiors. Ambassadors rubbed shoulders with the trade unions and their representatives all the time. It was bad for business if their clients saw them act so... irresponsibly.

The fact that Gashir had tried to kidnap the heiress to one of Konoha's premier founding clans was tantamount to a declaration of war. In fact wars were started over lesser offences. The problem was that they were _still_ at war with each other, and even if they were not, Kumo contended that they were absolutely immune.

Custom stated that only the foreign nation could revoke the protection. Something that Kumo had not, and would not do. Should Konoha prosecute, this would break whatever hope of negotiating a ceasefire between the two villages. The Council laughed at this, knowing their attempts at 'negotiation' as being nothing more than a smokescreen for the attempted abduction.

What they didn't know was that both nations couldn't really afford to keep fighting. But the two of them didn't know that and were confident that the other would fold first. The Raikage was betting on the Sandaime trying to appease them with a peace offering, while the rest of Konoha were demanding blood for the insult that was delivered upon them.

It all seemed to be a bunch of nonsensical and illogical rules that superficially had no worth beyond honouring tradition. But Sarutobi knew otherwise.

If Konoha were to react in the way the majority wanted, then the fragile trust that facilitated diplomacy among nations would suffer a blow. One that he did not really want to be remembered for. He took some grim satisfaction that Kumo would never really be fully trusted by any nation again, but things were nevertheless spiralling out of his control.

But then again things had changed over the last few years. His assertion of authority over the Council worked remarkably well and made him curse the years where he let them run unfettered. He managed to resolve the crisis centering itself on Naruto because of his new found conviction, courtesy of the visiting death god.

In fact, the last time there was a grand sitting like this was nearly a year ago when the truth was actually revealed about Naruto's 'condition'. Ironically, they sat in on another mess that involved the sun kissed blond again. As he gazed at each member that formed both houses he could see the shadowed face of Danzo. His mouth twisted into distaste.

_This could be bad. He could inflame the situation into something that we cannot really afford. That damn bastard has too much influence for my liking, and we hot heads could make things even worse than they are now._

Danzo just sat there with an impassive look on his face. A full member of the lower house, he commanded considerable respect and attention. Those bandages that covered his body were more an affectation than anything else. His wounds had closed up years ago, but they reminded everybody of the sacrifices he made in Konoha's name, the marks that he bore proudly as a proof of his service. The fact that his right arm and eye was missing only gave a greater sense of gravity to the man. It was a tactic that especially impressed the civilian representatives, though most shinobi were secretly amused at the odd display of vanity.

_Well Sarutobi, how will you handle this? It hinges all on you really. Will you show some backbone and be a true kage, or will you capitulate once again?_

On the debating floor stood Hyuuga Hiashi, his impassive face full of restrained fury as he marshalled his words to condemn Gashir.

"That man is no diplomat, no ambassador. He is a cowardly thief who deserves to be punished like all thieves. Has Kumo fallen so low that they seek to protect criminals under their name?"

The Kumo litigator refused to be baited, "His acts are not in question. He is and remains the representative of Kumo, and as such we will protect him with all of our might. Need we remind you that he is the envoy of both the Raikage and the Council of Lightning? In any event, he was maimed by one of your citizens. That in itself requires compensation and satsfaction!"

Hiashi blinked at that, "Surely you jest. One of our citizens saw a kidnap and acted to prevent it. He was hardly displaying his colours while he skulked like a bandit in the night. And your precious diplomat sought to commit murder in our very streets!"

With a contemptuous sneer, he shook his head coldly, "The body of our representative is worth more than anyone of your citizens. Give us the boy now as repatriation, or this war will continue. And we promise you that we will not be alone in this!"

Now that was a troubling thought to the Hokage. And he had no way to confirm that, with all his ANBU tied up in the defence of Konoha. Another reason why a ceasefire needed to be reach to gauge the other nation's reactions. They had no intelligence to speak off for nearly six months as assets lay fallow while his ANBU were concentrated on Kumo. They were now potentially open to enemy CINT operations. And Jiraiya was silent for the last six years.

"If you persist, then we will give you war. And we will not hold ourselves back this time!"

_This is bad. Too much attention is focused on Naruto and that is something that we cannot afford_. But simply put, the Council were in no mood to pander to Kumo's wishes. And they would rather sacrifice all of their firstborns to the Shinigami before giving over a jinchuuriki to Kumo. They might not particularly like Naruto, but they saw the tremendous value that he represented to their village. The situation was escalating.

_The Treasury cannot hold out for much longer. The missions that we can accept have been cut to mere B ranks. And too many other nations are eying us at the moment. I am not sure if an alliance has formed against us, but we need to end this now before anyone else gets any ideas. _

Sarutobi decided to intervene at this point. "Enough, we have been debating this for three hours and nothing has resulted from it."

"Kumo's honour has been offended, and we will not rest until it has been assuaged," shot back the delegate.

Hiashi scoffed at that. "How can you speak of honour?! Your nothing but glorified thugs out to kidnap innocent children!" There were loud murmurs of agreement with his words.

While the debate raged, Gashir was in the background, a man lost within his own thoughts.

_I killed that brat. I'm damned sure I did. How the hell did he come back to life? Those wounds of his healed up when he took of my arm..._

With that thought, his remaining hand tightened in rage.

_And no one survives an explosive note being placed on their body. Not a kid anyways. Could he be the one that the rumours speak of?_

Taking a breath Sarutobi sat up and took the floor. "This discussion is pointless. I propose the following. Kumo will take its forces back into its country and will not violate our sovereignty again. In return we will give over twenty percent of the future mission allocations from our Daimyo to Kumo."

That brought up an uproar from his councils. Even the Kumo representatives were shocked at such an offer, though they quickly talked amongst themselves to capitalise on the concession.

"What, you can't be serious Hokage-sama!?" demanded Hiashi with shocked disbelief.

"You think that pittance will satisfy us? We want Uzumaki Naruto!"

With righteous indignation he fought to deny them,"You will not have him. He is an honorary son of the Hyuuga family and enjoys the entire protection of our clan!"

That was more unexpected news to the full quorum. Many of the clan heads looked at each other in faint surprise, though many of them were cursing the fact that they should have done the same, but did not act in time. While Hiashi did not exactly clear this with the elders, he was sure that they wouldn't find such a thing to be adverse to clan interests. The Hyuuga remembered their friends. More importantly, they remembered their enemies. And they would be damned if they allowed Gashir and Kumo any more satisfaction than absolutely necessary. _Let them stew in their anger..._

As arguments raged backwards and forwards, an agreement was finally met.

Twenty five percent of all missions for five years would be delegated to Kumo in return for a full cessation of hostilities.

It was an unpopular decision. But one of necessity. They really couldn't afford to fight for much longer. Not until more time had passed. Better they end it now than face the combined might of the other villages. Sarutobi knew that the missions offered over would not be accepted if they were to be fielded with Kumo nins. Trust and honour was a vital commodity that they had shattered, and in the future they would reap the seeds of their rash actions. Shinobi were entrusted with valuable cargo, information and supplies. Their needed to be a level of confidence that they would respect such privacy and do their jobs. Hiring Kumo nins was going to be a risk now. One that few would take when they could easily go to other villages. And Konoha could hardly be blamed for that. If only the others could realise this instead of letting themselves be blinded by the immediate aftermath.

The concession was really a poisoned gift that benefited no one.

Though when Sarutobi saw the look on Danzo's face, he knew that the cowled man was going to cause problems. His eyes were absolutely seething in anger as others were gathering towards his circle and began muttering viciously amongst themselves.

_Definitely going to cause some problems. _

But at the end of the day, no one really had the power to stop him. It was a matter that went to the defence of Konoha, something that the Council had no direct power over. He just really had them here to provide a united front thinking that others would see underneath the underneath. He obviously expected too much.

Things would have been better if the Hokage could have explained his actions and reasoning. But doing so would have given up the game, so to speak. A thoroughly dissatisfied Council ended their sitting, feeling cheated of their rights and dignity.

* * *

**Konoha**  
'**Ne' headquarters  
Three hours after the ceasefire**

A look of controlled rage was plastered over Danzo's face as he stormed into his private quarters. He took a bottle of distilled spirits and poured himself a glass, before deciding to drink straight from the bottle. As the hard liquor burned its way through his throat into his stomach, he stopped for air before hurling the glass towards a wall with a roar.

It shattered on impact, sending slivers of crystal and alcohol across the wall and to the floor below.

"How dare he! How could he give into those bastards! We did nothing wrong and he falls over backwards to accommodate them?!"

He started pacing in absolute anger, his breathing coming in heaving gasps before he tried to control himself.

"Weakness, he just made ourselves an even bigger target in the future. They tried to steal our greatest treasures from us, violating custom and goodwill, and he fucking rewards them for it!"

_Your age has caught up with you old man. You are no longer fit to lead us. Konoha may be many things, but it is not weak. We do not bend our knees to anyone. We didn't do it for the Kyuubi and we will not do it for Kumo. You do not fuck us with unless you are prepared to pay the butchers bill. And by Kami-sama, you will drown in your own blood for this insult. _

As he slowly calmed down, the more rational side of him tried to salvage any advantage to the situation.

_Hell, the only good thing that came out of it was Uzumaki's attack. To think that a seven year old kid could take on a jounin and hold him off, now that is impressive. Especially with the limited training that Sarutobi deigned to give him. That boy is a damn prodigy and has so much potential..._

Many times he had propositioned the Hokage to give the blond more training. Specialised training. And every time he was shut down. He accused Danzo of nothing less than trying to trying to turn Naruto into a weapon.

_Yes, I admit that I am. But all shinobi's are weapons at the end of the day. We are the steel behind the glove when words fail. And dammit, words **did** fail today. There is hardly a difference in what I am doing and his precious Academy. I never rob my subordinates of their will and all of them are volunteers. And you make us necessary Sarutobi. Your… softness creates situations where we do what must be done, things that you shy away from because you find it to be distasteful. I can't believe that you have lived this long and still refuse to accept the reality of our world._

_We are the roots that will support Konoha even when it is being assailed in every single direction. We live and die so that our descendants can live in a world where they do not need to fear for their lives. Where they can do more than merely survive. We fight for a better tomorrow. And we are the ones that will pay the cost of freedom, even if the only ones to bear witness to our sacrifice are ourselves. Because that is enough. More than enough._

Once he reached a more stable piece of mind, he called for his 'Ne' commander.

A ninja in a full black body suit arrived shortly thereafter, wearing a blank white mask with a dot between the eyes. He stood at attention while he faced his superior, waiting for his orders.

"You called Danzo-sama?"

"Yes. Are you aware of the events in the Council?"

"We are..." while his tone appeared to be neutral, closer inspection revealed a layer of anger and resentment. "What are your orders?"

"Simple. We will make Kumo bleed out of their eyes for what they tried to do. The CINT ANBU are not doing their jobs if they let this happen under their watch. I want you to find the cell that they have in Konoha and neutralise them at once."

"Understood. Is there anything else?"

'Yes, two things."

"One, begin punitive strikes against Kumo. You have free reign to target anything you want, as long as they cannot pin it down to Konoha. Infrastructure, public buildings, roads, bridges, I don't give a fuck. Destroy them all and don't leave a trace of your presence. We will not hold back on our power, hell, we need to show every single village that our strength still remains. We have some of the best talent in the world under our village, why are we hiding it?"

"No one enjoys the fruits of their sins. No one."

His commander nodded in agreement. "This is why we exist Danzo-sama."

"Quite. The second, I want Gashir dead. I doubt that he will be on active service with the loss of his arm, but give him six months of freedom, six months to think that he got away with his crimes before you take him out. It will draw less attention to us anyways."

"Understood."

"Oh, another thing. Send Uzumaki Naruto a message for me. Schedule a meeting when you can pry him away from Sarutobi's eyes. I have an offer that he cannot refuse."

"Of course, it shall be done."

The sad fact was that if both men actually worked together, Konoha would be in a very secure position. If the existence of 'Ne' was disclosed to the Hokage, he would be fully confident in fending off attacks. But their mutual dislike of each other made cooperation a hopeless dream. They held their secrets close to their chest as each tried to do what they thought was necessary.

And the side that Naruto chose would be the deciding factor that would settle the dispute.

* * *

**Soul Society  
Twelfth division headquarters  
Urahara Kisuke's hidden laboratory **

_Why is it when strange things happen, they always seem to blame me?_ That was the plaintive thought that raced through Urahara's mind as he sat down in his laboratory.

_Granted that maybe, just maybe, I was responsible. But the way they jump to conclusions, honestly, it's depressing. _

After seeing Naruto off, he returned to find his mod souled _gigai_ up to its old tricks again. With a sigh he destroyed all of them, vowing to find a better way. He was thankful that no one had discovered it. It was part of the many secrets that the blond shinigami had. Secrets that he protected quite jealously.

Which reminded him. The black orb rested on his desk, looking quite innocent despite its vast potential locked inside of it. Quite possibly the pinnacle of all his creations so far. The mechanics of it were still unknown to him, but it seemed to work as a bridge due to chakra and reiatsu mixing together in a way. He just needed to refine it so it would work for shinigami spirits. He had tried infusing it with more reiatsu so it would be compatible, though the results were frankly disturbing.

He didn't want to test it on shinigami souls, so he did the next best thing. He hunted hollows and dragged them back to his lab and tested the results. At first it killed them. After some more experimentation, they started to change their fundamental structure into a curious hybrid. Which he promptly performed the soul burial technique to cleanse them. Though he wasn't quite sure where the hell they actually went. But there was not doubt that they were quite dangerous.

'Quite dangerous'. Those words were an understatement. The true nature of a hollow's power was still something that remained a mystery to Soul Society. They seemed to use reiatsu, but a different form of it that their bodies seemed to change. Or maybe they converted it... The hogyoku started a weird process that seemed to turn them into humans. Kind off.

Or maybe more correctly, into shinigami spirits...

Now that was a troubling thought. There were always rumours of two beings that could transcend the boundaries between a hollow and a shinigami.

The vaizards.  
The arrancar.

They were still myths and rumours, aberrations that no one knew if they existed in truth, or were just fantasies created by a hyperactive imagination. Kisuke didn't really believe that they were real at all, not until he met one. But the further he pushed with his experiments, the more he began to doubt his once firmly held beliefs. _It might just be possible._

_And if Soul Society found out that I am creating pseudo-arrancars in my laboratory, in the heart of Soul Society..._

The thought did not need to be finished for him to realise the persecution that would result. _They would execute me on the spot and destroy all of my labs, before the second division would interrogate every single person in the twelfth_. And they would not necessarily stop there. His friends would be under scrutiny, and their absence on the day of the sealing would be noticed. And they would probably meet the same fate. Soul society would not believe that they had nothing to do with it. Though it was more likely that they would not take the chance. The fact that Yoruichi was the taichou of the second would be of no help to him either. She would be painted with the same brush. _Hell she would try to help me escape and come along with me. When did this all become so complicated?_

But, a part of him was reluctant to destroy it. It had the potential to bring devastation to his entire world. But then again, it was just a tool, right?

It is the use that matters, nothing is ever intrinsically evil.

_All I ever wanted to do was to make shinigami stronger so we could face the hollow threat. How is this any different from a gigai or the use of the zanpakuto?_

His thoughts were broken when his assistant told him that he had a visitor. Placing the orb in a secure vault, he walked into his official office before being surprised by his visitor.

Ichiraku Gin was not the most pleasant of men. In fact he was down right intimidating, especially since he was recently promoted to be Aizen-taichou's vice captain. That particular closed eye smirk held a level of maliciousness that affected even him. It was like he was actively plotting your death while smiling in your face. He subconsciously tightened his grip on Benihime before returning a slight smirk.

"Well, this is a surprise. What can I do for you my dear vice-captain?" he asked amiably.

"Oh, nothing much. Aizen-taichou wishes to speak to you if you are available."

"Really? What about?"

"I really have no idea, you would have to ask him. Are you free at all Urahara-taichou? He wouldn't want to interrupt you from your _endeavours_" the last bit was spoken with a slightly mocking tone, like he knew of what Kisuke was doing behind closed doors.

_But how could he know? No one knows of what I am doing. Hell, even I'm not entirely sure of what I am doing. But that look on his face, I don't like it. Hell I don't think anyone likes it. Why would Aizen choose someone like him to be his fuku-taichou in the first place? Many people would kill for the chance to serve under him. In fact..._

That last thought was delivered with some jealousy. His vice-captain seemed to be more monster than man, experimenting on _himself_ in ways that even he refused to go to. And he had some really bad feelings when he saw him muttering about a daughter. The problem was that he didn't have one, not a natural one anyways. And if he had one he would be even more afraid for her. Despite of all of that there was no denying that he was a talented bastard. An evil sadistic bastard, but no one else had the skills required for his division. Or sufficient moral flexibility and fascination that the job required. He made a mental note to conduct some random checks on him to keep him in line.

"How about tomorrow evening, there are some things that I need to wrap up?"

"I will pass your message along Kisuke-taichou. Best of luck to your _experiments_ that needs wrapping up."

_Does he know? If so, what does he know? I don't think so. I better be more careful._

But Kisuke had Aizen's gaze over him now. And with the rather unique abilities of his zanpukuto, he couldn't really hide anything from the brown haired man. Few people knew why he favoured Gin, but the truth was quite simple if you could look beyond Sosuke's carefully constructed facade.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hospital Complex  
Room one hundred and nine  
Three days after the ceasefire**

Naruto had spent the last few days sleeping and resting in his hospital bed, the doctors insisting that he rest for full observation before he could be cleared. Naruto felt fine and protested loudly, but you didn't want to anger a medic-nin too much. With an intimate knowledge of the human body, they could just as easily do damage as they could heal. So he was pretty much stuck in his white washed room complaining to his visitors about how he could be training instead of lying down counting the tiles on the ceiling.

Hayate bore all of this with good humour. He was just glad that his charge was actually alright. No one would normally survive the wounds that Naruto had taken, let alone be ready to walk and train a mere three days after the event. The blond was now a pent up bottle of energy that was constantly pestering him to teach him something new when he was discharged.

And to be honest, he couldn't really deny him. Naruto was not a normal child, and the way he saw it, he would never enjoy a normal childhood. While the Sandaime's intentions were noble enough, the reality was that Naruto would be a target for the rest of his life. If he wasn't prepared for the coming challenges ... There were fates worse than death. Something that he prayed that Naruto would not experience at all.

He knew that he had to start off small. Going against the wishes of your supreme commander was not something that was done lightly. _Though he did leave the training program up to me and Yuugao... I guess we could arrange something under his nose..._

Yuugao was able to get some time off her ANBU duties to look over the boy while he was placed into recovery. She was genuinely happy that he was alright, and couldn't really imagine her life without her surrogate brat of a brother. The hug that she gave him when she first saw him nearly choked the life out him, before she realised that she might have opened up one of his wounds. Naruto seemed to take it in stride, even managing to tease her for it.

To be truthful, he didn't really know how to deal with these displays of affection that he was receiving. It was something too different that he didn't know to be happy or sad about. He remembered seeing kids being embraced by their parents or siblings, where he was always left wondering how it would feel to be held like that.

His birth mother was never really big on displays of affection, something that he vaguely remembered. But now that he was getting what he secretly craved, he didn't know how to return the feeling. But he had to admit that it felt nice.

Right now he sat on his bed, stroking the hilt of his sword as he gazed at the ceiling. _One hundred and one. One hundred and two. One hundred and three... _It was a simple act that gave him an odd sense of comfort. His relative peace was shattered when a few visitors arrived.

Clad in ceremonial robes, three Hyuuga knocked at his door before letting themselves in. Naruto was about to give a shout in happiness before he realised who it was.

Hyuuga Hiashi  
Hyuuga Hinata  
Hyuuga Hanabi

He didn't know any of them personally, but nearly all of Konoha were aware of the Main branch family of the Hyuuga clan. They took the premium spots in the village celebrations and it was hard to mistake their peculiar eyes and stoic expressions for anything else.

During the failed kidnapping attempt, he didn't really get a good look at the girl that he was trying to save. He was focusing on, well, staying alive. All he saw were a pair of impossibly big lavender eyes in his peripheral vision as he was concentrating on stopping Gashir.

Looking at the two sisters, he realised that he must have saved the eldest.

_What do they want with me now?_

**_Maybe they want to thank you for saving their daughter? Just be quiet and let them speak first. Oh, and try to be polite._**

_What are you talking about. I'm always polite! Just not to you. _

**_Of course. And I'm a jolly red fat man that gives coal to naughty boys and girls. Okay, how about this. Don't shout and scream or otherwise make a fool out of yourself. That more clear to you?_**

_... why do I put up with this?_

**_Pay attention kit, he is speaking to you now._**

As Hiashi was looking down at Naruto, he couldn't help but wonder how a kid like him could hold his own against Kumo's top shinobi. He was there when he saw Gashir detonate the tag, and by all rights the boy should have been killed outright. But here he was, with not a damn scratch on him.

When he announced that Naruto was to be an honorary son of his clan, it was more of an impulsive action done to spite Kumo. But he realised that having him under their banner could only increase their already formidable influence into the future. And more importantly, he owed a debt of honour to the young boy. Though he did not openly show it, he loved his family and was thankful that he saved her daughter from being Kumo's broodmare. Such a nightmarish future of experimentation and rape was something that turned his guts as a father... He owed Naruto more than he realised at that moment.

Hinata was looking at Naruto with surprise and awe, which was warring with her inherent timidness. There was a light blush on her face as she saw her saviour in front of her.

This blond haired stranger had risked his life to save her. From what she could remember, he gave up his very life to save her. And that was something she was not sure she could ever repay.

_He is so strong, so confident. I wish I could be more like that..._

Hanabi was merely looking around the room with a disinterested look on her face. While she was happy that her sister was okay, she didn't see the big deal. _Her sister was fine, the boy is fine was well. What was the big deal? He doesn't look like anything special... wait, are those whiskers on his face?!_

That facial feature got her attention and she had an overwhelming urge to go and touch it. She controlled it though as she did not want to act improperly in front of her father. She just looked at them and the way they moved when the blond spoke.

_Why is she looking at me like that?_

The Kyuubi was laughing at all the hearts he would break when he was older. Though she did feel an odd sense of possessiveness at the thought of Naruto with other women...

As Hiashi explained to him what had happened at the Council, he was outraged at what occurred. _He nearly kills me and kidnaps Hinata and Konoha still gives into their demands? What the hell? Are they paying off Kumo for their attempts to kill me?_

The Kyuubi stayed silent on that thought. The possibilities were racing in her mind to what really happened three days ago. Memory was always a tricky thing, especially coming from another person.

Hiashi then prodded his nervous daughter to do something, "Hinata, don't you have something to say to Naruto-san?"

"Ano... I... would like to thank... thank you for what you did for me that morning ... Naruto-sama." With that said, she went on her knees and gave him a low bow, her head nearly touching the floor.

Hiashi's eyebrows widened at that honorific and the kow tow that his daughter gave. While not wholly unexpected, Hyuuga did not consider many people to be their superiors. Certainly not to a boy of unknown parentage and background.

A deeper blush had developed on the heiresses face as she drew the attention of everyone around her. Luckily no one could see her face as she kept it firmly facing the ground. Naruto did not really get the significance of it, brushing it off as being a very sincere thank you. The truth was that he would have done it again for anyone. He didn't do it to score any points or favour. Though in the coming future he was glad that he did for the help he would receive from the white eyed clansmen. Hanabi's interest in the boy merely increased. She decided that he was interesting. And because of that she would have to observe him closer. Little did she know that her wish would be granted.

"Get up. get up. Geez, it wasn't that big a deal."

Hiashi decided to go on to the next part of his visit. "So Naruto, how would you like to move into the Hyuuga household?"

_Is he really serious?_ While he liked his apartment, it was too well known and he was sick of it being targeted by vandals and always needing to hide anything of value away. While it was okay for the moment, when he got older he didn't want to deal with all that bullshit.

_Let me see. I get to live in a house patrolled by the finest guards in Konoha... and live with virtual royalty. No more need to cook and clean. Awesome! Wait, that reminds me, how the hell did they get Hinata out in the first place?_

When he asked that question, Hiashi's face hardened even further into a stony mask. Naruto was now afraid that he had insulted him in some way. It was a question that bothered both him and the elders. Theoretically they had a completely secure complex, but the fact remained that their heiress left their compound and was only noticed moments after they had finished scaling the walls. They shouldn't have even made it to the walls in the first place. Not without an alarm being raised, ANBU or not. There was a mention of betrayal, but the thought of one of their branch members rebelling was ludicrous.

_Ludicrous, but not impossible. Our clan has always teetered on an uneasy line. It may well have been crossed._

"We are still investigating that at the moment. Do not worry, we will find out how it happened and it will not happen again. So how about it Naruto-san?"

There wasn't really any other answer he could give, was there?

* * *

**Konoha  
Kumo safe house  
One week after the ceasefire**

The OIC ordered his ANBU to destroy all the confidential folios that were located in the safe house, while leaving some selected pieces of information that 'miraculously' survived the self destruction tags imbedded into each document. They knew that Konoha knew of their existence, and it was merely a matter of time before they came and claimed their eye. Or made them persona non grata, but the whole diplomatic protection card was wearing somewhat thin. And he knew that they would gladly take their time with him, the Torture and Interrogation unit would spend _months_ working away at his body until he told them everything he knew.

As his operatives were complying with his orders all the doors and windows suddenly burst open, before dull metallic grey spheres were hurled onto the middle of the floor.

"What the fu..."

Before the thought could be completed, a loud flash and bang erupted into the narrow space. The light was sufficiently bright to cause temporary blindness as the pupils desperately contracted to cut off the light entering their eyes, while their ear drums were shattered by the reverberating boom. The sound travelled down their central nervous system and managed to incapacitate some of them who were caught closest to the blast. All of them were at the very least disorientated when the three 'Ne' cells stormed into building to subdue them. They discarded their goggles and heavy muffs as they set about their tasks, communicating in quick hand gestures.

Outside the safe house were two cells that were maintaining a complex layered genjutsu that hid their actions from the public and the official ANBU. They would do things their way and get the information that they had. They were taking steps to regain their honour that their Hokage has seemingly bartered away.

As some of the Kumo nins vainly tried to fight back, escape the building or commit suicide, the 'Ne' operatives dispassionately knocked them into unconsciousness before securing their bodies. All weapons were removed, as well as any tracer seals that might have been grafted to their skin. Any that were found were unceremoniously removed with a knife before their wounds were staunched by gauze. Chakra healing would come later, if it came at all. They received little mercy from their captors.

As they moved off into the night, another cell came into to gather any information that survived the retrieval before putting things in their right place. Three hours later the house looked like it was abandoned many months ago. Like ghosts, they disappeared leaving the CINT ANBU to ask frustrated questions, and for the Hokage to worry about an enemy cell that had escaped, or were still operating in the village.

The first steps had been taken into a truly silent war against Kumo.

* * *

**Konoha  
Outskirts of the main city  
Two weeks after the ceasefire**

A _senkai_ gate opened up near the marker that Kisuke had placed on the outskirts of Konoha. Deciding to venture forth in a _gigai_, he was curious to see how far Naruto had progressed since he had last seen him. The time dilation that occurred whenever he crossed over still confused him. Sometimes time slowed when he came back, sometimes it increased. It was giving him headaches as he tried to figure out the temporal physics behind it.

Looking around, he extended his reiatsu, trying to find the peculiar aura of the other blond death god.

Using his cane he drew a circle on the ground, cutting it into four paths before inscribing four characters into each quadrant.

_Heart of the south, eye of the north. Fingertips to the west, heel of the east. Gather with the wind and scatter again with the rain!_

**Bakudo fifty eight. Kakushi Tsuijyaku!**

The characters began forming coordinates and he was given a general idea of where Naruto was. _That's odd, he is in a area full of people that can use chakra. And it's not where his apartment is normally_. Concentrating on the reiatsu signature, he used it to create a small gate to take him directly to the boy.

Naruto was sitting in his room while doing some light stretches. He had spent all day going through some basic forms and was about to go to bed. That was before he air in the centre of the room seem to part, and a gate open up.

Out come a familiar black robed face.

_Well, at least there are no sakura petals this time. I wouldn't even know how to begin explaining that one to the Branch members..._

**_Tell them that you are taking up gardening._**

… _No._

As she said that the Kyuubi narrowed her brow. What does he want? Her plans were coming along nicely and she didn't want them derailed because of Kisuke.

"Well Naruto-kun, it's been a while hasn't it? Looks like you're moving up in the world. What has been going on since I left?" he asked jovially.

That was the beginning of a fantastical story that he wasn't inclined to believe. But he saw that his reiatsu was stronger, and that he moved with a newfound grace and fluidity while he narrated his tale. When he heard about his brushes with death, he was really concerned.

_He can't die now. Beside the whole Kyuubi thing, such potential cannot go to waste like this. He might be needed in the future, if my suspicions are correct. Looks like I need to have another word with this Hokage of yours..._

"Didn't I tell you not to learn chakra?" he asked somewhat darkly,delivered in an ominous tone that seemed out of place for the habitually cheerful man. Naruto just gave a nervous laugh before giving an apologetic smile.

_My god. If he has stores of demonic and personal chakra, along with reiatsu... That means..._

_It's time I guess_. _He needs to develop some of his reiatsu into something useful instead of lying dormant_. With that in mind he decided to teach him a technique that hopefully would keep the boy alive.

More specifically, healing kido.

It was odd that whenever anyone tried to teach Naruto something new, he wasn't so convinced that he needed to learn it. The fact that he constantly asked for new techniques in the first place drove most of his instructors up the wall.

"Can't the Kyuubi just heal me anyways?" he asked with confusion.

Kisuke agreed but had to put in his piece, "Well yes, I guess she could. But when she does so, it's pretty noticeable and other shinobi will be able to sense such an odd chakra signature. When you use your reiatsu, it will be silent to other ninjas."

Comprehension dawned onto the other blond.

"And you can use it to heal others. Not just yourself, I think. While your zanpukuto is a part of your soul, you can develop your own personal powers as well to become even stronger. You shouldn't always rely on one source."

He said that with some ulterior motives. Naruto's zanpukuto was something that gave him worries. No other one had acted in the same way, demanding power in exchange for power. The zanpakuto's in soul society were all part of the shinigami's soul that only refused to give power if the host was not ready to use it. That is, it should always want to improve the boy out of its very nature. The soul of the zanpukuto usually reflected the personality on the death god, so when he first heard of Naruto's encounter after giving him his blade he thought that nothing was wrong. _Did something else happen while his reiatsu was reconnected? This bargaining game that it plays could have some very bad consequences. _

_Dammit, why is nothing simple when it comes to you Naruto? _

The Kyuubi was just mentally cursing his presence. An independent Naruto was not something that was part of her plan.

But the thing was that even when the Kyuubi had full access to her power she couldn't break free anyways. Now that Naruto's reiatsu was actually increasing in potency, it should be even less of a worry even if she were to regain all nine tails again.

_Then again, better not tell him that. He should wait until his reiatsu is unassailable before giving control back to her. Then again, I don't know how much stronger it could get. His reiatsu is so blue that it looks black..._

Kisuke unsheathed _Benihime_ and gave himself a light cut on his arm.

"Ok, the first step. Imagine a circle in your mind. Fill it with a deep dark colour. Then imagine moving towards the centre of it."

"You want me to fantasise about falling into a black pit?!" Naruto asked incredulously.

"… never thought about it that way before. That 'black pit' is the heartcore of your reiatsu. By 'falling' in it, you immerse yourself and form a connection with it. You kind of did it when you experienced tunnel vision during your fight. Anyways, this method is a shortcut. The 'traditional' way involves meditating and a tea ceremony, for some stupid reason Beforehand. Strange but true."

_I can't believe the kid managed to shunpo by accident as well. Yoruichi would be so jealous that a kid managed it by himself without any training. I wonder how well those two would get along in the future…_

"Once you have done that, focus your reiatsu into a surface on your hand. Then place it over the area that you want to heal. Let it flow over the flesh and imagine it flowing over the wound and hold it there. Imagine the damage done to start the process of healing, the flesh being brought together and made whole again."

Naruto's first efforts were not bad. Though a slight scar remained.

"Very good for a first attempt. You would want to study a bit more about the human anatomy to get better results though. It would also help with any other fighting techniques."

As they practised deep into the night, Urahara was struck by an errant thought. _Would reiatsu based healing work on chakra using creatures? In theory it should still work, though I guess it would feel very different to chakra based methods..._

But for now that was enough. He didn't even want to get into the incantation based kido until a few more years. Honestly, he wasn't that great with that, though he did think that Yoruichi could teach the kid a thing or two. Especially as she was developing _that_ technique. Interesting times lay ahead for all of them.

For now he just lay back and smiled with some satisfaction while Naruto trained. All was right with the world so far. And he was going to enjoy the peace.

He had a feeling that it was not going to last for that much longer.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga estate  
Naruto's room  
Four weeks after the ceasefire**

Naruto woke up and found a letter stabbed onto the wall above his futon. With a start he got up in a defensive stance, drawing his blade in a single motion before looking around him.

_What the hell?! Is this some sort of prank by the Hyuuga? _

He couldn't sense any hostile presences so he relaxed his stance slightly. He approached the letter with some caution. He wondered if he should open the letter. He knocked it off the wall with his blade before prodding it with his sword, unwilling to touch it.

He read it twice before it started to ignite itself, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

_That was odd. Who is this Danzo?_

**_However he is, he has some serious skills. Or has access to some talented ninjas. They managed to deliver the message without interrupting you. Wait, how did they infiltrate the Hyuuga compound again?_**

_Didn't you sense anything?_

**_You need to give me more access to my chakra before I can sense things around you kit. Hint hint._**

…

**_What, can't blame a girl for trying, right?_**

_Sometimes I wonder if you act like that because part of my soul rubbed of on you, or it is just how you are normally._

**_Good question. Can't answer that one though._**

_Anyways, should we go or not?_

**_I doubt that they were meaning to kill you. It seems like if they wanted to, they would of already. You're quite the celebrity these days and people would start to investigate if you were to go missing._**

Naruto wasn't so convinced. _I guess so..._

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' headquarters  
Four weeks after the ceasefire **

When Naruto reached the deserted training area, he was quickly subdued before a blind-fold was placed over his eyes. He tried to fight back before a paralysis jutsu was applied to his body, bound with steel wire and taken to an odd place. With his sense of direction lost, he was feeling quite nervous, especially at how easily he was taken down.

_How strong am I really when nearly everyone seems to be able to take me out so easily?_

The next thing he knew he was in a darkened room and able to move freely. He was disorientated and his vision had trouble adjusting to the lack of light. He found that his sword was still strapped to his back, which gave him some comfort.

In the distance he saw a man approach him.

_Wait, he looks familiar somehow. I think I saw him with ojisan some times. He always looked angry._

"Hello Naruto-san, welcome to my sanctuary. What do you think?"

"It's too dark?" hazarded the boy.

"... You're the first person to ever say that. It does make it look like we have something to hide doesn't it?"

"You don't say..." drawled Naruto nervously.

"Forget that for a moment. You're wondering why I invited you here yes?"

"Well, I wouldn't have come here otherwise," the blond pointed out.

_Hmm, the observation reports could have mentioned that he was a smart assed jinchuuriki instead of his ramen addiction. I would have pitched this in a different way._

Danzo began to speak grandly, "The truth is that you have serious potential. Enough to be one of the greatest to ever grace the history of Konoha, and I for one do not want to see you held back."

Naruto was uncomfortable with the offer of training. It probably had conditions. "My current sempais are already teaching me..."

"Oh please stop it. While your loyalty to them is touching, you know that they are holding back on you. It's not really their fault, so don't blame them. The Hokage was is limiting your growth. He doesn't want the more deadly things to be given to you, while other less talented receive it when they do not deserve it as much as you do."

Naruto stayed silent at that. He couldn't really disagree.

"You know this. That is why you are here. If you were really happy, if you really thought that they were trying their best, then you would not be here now, talking to me. Would you?"

Knowing that he had him, Danzo continued.

"I'm the head of a special organisation. One that seeks to protect Konoha by doing things that cannot ever be officially done. Think of us as the unofficial twelfth ANBU unit. The point is that we can help you bring out the best from you. To test you, to push you, giving you training so that your power is fully utilised."

"What do you get out of it? I don't like this village as much as you do. I'm sure most of them would rather see me incapable of eating by myself, than giving me any power."

**_Kit, that you shouldn't have really admitted that. If they decide to kill you, your body might never be found..._**

Danzo chuckled at the analogy but shook his head, "True, you may feel that way now, but I am sure that as time goes along, your views will change. The villagers are merely… misguided. Show them that you are not their enemy and they will warm up to you. People are capable of change, ne? Anyways, all sorts of shinobi find themselves in our ranks. We can test you in life or death situations, instead of the coddling that you have been receiving."

Remembering some of the things that Yuugao had put him through, he wondered what Danzo's understanding of coddling meant.

"I'm sure you noticed that you are not strong enough for the coming problems in your life. Gashir was nothing in the whole scheme of things. There will be others along who make him look like a joke. And I am sure that you know exactly what I am talking about."

And Naruto did. The fact that he was so easily taken showed him how much stronger he needed to be to face the coming darkness that lay ahead of him. And he needed it quickly without holding back an inch. But he was reluctant to actually abandon his two teachers. He was growing fond of them, almost becoming attached to them. But at times he really had to wonder...

With these thoughts running in his head, he made his decision.

* * *

**Kumo  
Raikage's Office  
Two months after the ceasefire**

Sinobi Gashir strode into Shun-sama's office a half broken man. His planning all fell apart, worse it had exposed themselves to the entire Elemental nations. As Sarutobi had predicted, the concessions won from Konoha over his arm were a tainted gift. The fact that they failed to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress was seen as a gross failure on their part, and confidence was at an all time low. Other nations looked at them with caution and distaste. Their world was a strange one with double standards across the board.

But what was undeniable that their village was in a position worse than before they warred with Konoha. And all of Kumo blamed one man for that.

It was hardly fair, but that was to be expected. But he had spent much of his time plotting his revenge. Promises had to be kept, even if he had to sell his soul further into the darkness to do so. It was ironic that his greatest failure would turn up the door to so many other opportunities. He was taken down by a kid, that was true. But that kid was special. But not so special in a way that he couldn't replicate for his village.

After all, there was more than one bijuu running around in the Elemental nations.

Fin

* * *

A/N

Wasn't that one hell of a chapter? I am slowly remembering how it all shaped up before the great crash of 08. Yes, I am still bitter over it all. The political system of Konoha had always intrigued me, specifically how power was distributed. It is not something that is developed at all in canon. What I wrote was a possible model, but is in no way complete, or as good as I wanted it to be. I was planning an entirely realpolitik!Naruto story that will probably not happen anytime soon. The kage position can literally be used to achieve a tyranny in my story, though Sarutobi would never do so. In any event, if he was so unpopular, the threat of an entire rebellion by all the ninja in a shinobi village would keep them accountable.

And before anyone rushes off to confirm things, this story will not ship, just yet. I don't really think seven year olds can fall in love and for it to be genuine. Hinata feels grateful and hero worships Naruto at this moment in time. And in a much stronger sense than in canon. He literally died for her, right in front of her. Think Wolverine and Rogue in the first two X-men films. I'm not saying that it might not change in the future, but many girls will develop an interest in our resident blond jinchuuriki. Who he ends up with (could be one, two, twenty), well that's something you just have to read to find out wont you?

And probably a few people will be unhappy that Naruto got his ass kicked. Well, that was intentional. He needs some incentive to become stronger. And no matter how strong he is, he still is a seven year old kid. Up against a war hardened veteran jounin... come on, it's unreasonable that he could use some miraculous jutsu to kill him like you see in other fics. Especially when his skills are limited to pure kenjutsu. Though if he was serious, he could have planned for an ambush that might have worked. Then again, Naruto is as impulsive in this fic as he is in canon. But as you can see, things are looking up in the training department. There is a saying that there will always be a person better than you at any given moment in time. Young Naruto has a lot of people better than him. Older Naruto, the list gets down to the number of fingers on both hands. Err, considering that this is a crossover, make that two sets of hands.

Damn, I'm tired. Two chapters in the space of a week, clocking 30,000 words. I'm going to rest until the writing bug hits me hard enough to compel me to bring out the next chapter. Speaking of which, I plotted the story again and have the damned thing saved on usb. Everything is falling into shape.

As always let me know your thoughts by writing a review. If you have a question I will answer it. Come on people, stroke my ego. It's not like I'm getting paid to do this...

Ja ne.


	6. Under the gaze of the white eyed goddess

**Breaking the boundaries**

A/N. Hello there. A few announcements. I have taken liberties with a few of the ages here, particularly Hanabi and Mikoto. Why, well I'm not quite sure myself. Wait, that's not quite true. It just makes things easier to explain in the future. This chapter has a bit of the explanation behind the ANBU, something that is a bit too, well thoughtlessly overused in fanfiction. I can't really complain, seeing as I did do the same thing… but I hope I made it slightly more refreshing to read. Though expect 'Ne' to spend some time out in the sun. And they might possibly never get away from it.

The last chapter got some pretty good reception and I will probably try to tone done some of the cliffhanger endings that I just happen to write in. Honestly, it just happens sometimes. Got to keep you guys and gals savouring the next chapter somehow. God forbid I do it by genuine talent and interesting plotlines… Anyways, onwards.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Chapter revisited: 23Dec08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_Sinobi Gashir strode into Shun-sama's office a half broken man. His planning all fell apart, worse it had exposed themselves to the entire Elemental nations. As Sarutobi had predicted, the concessions won from Konoha over his arm were a tainted gift. The fact that they failed to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress was seen as a gross failure on their part, and confidence was at an all time low. Other nations looked at them with caution and distaste. Their world was a strange one with double standards across the board._

_But what was undeniable that their village was in a position worse than before they warred with Konoha. And all of Kumo blamed one man for that._

_It was hardly fair, but that was to be expected. But he had spent much of his time plotting his revenge. Promises had to be kept, even if he had to sell his soul further into the darkness to do so. It was ironic that his greatest failure would turn up the door to so many other opportunities. He was taken down by a kid, that was true. But that kid was special. But not so special in a way that he couldn't replicate for his village._

_After all, there was more than one bijuu running around in the Elemental nations._

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**_Under the gaze of the white eyed goddesses_**

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
South Eastern training area**

Morning had just broken, the dawn's rays peaking over the clouds and marked the coming of the sun. The Hyuuga household was a buzz of silent activity as breakfast was cooked, rooms cleaned and plans prepared for the nascent day. But everything was strangely quiet, like it was a sin to actually make noise in the Hyuuga complex.

The Hyuuga estate was regarded as one of the finest examples of classical architecture in Konoha, if not the entire Fire country. Wide spacious areas with ornate gardens and laneways, it was the picture perfect display of everything being in its right place. Though in the training areas, sounds of heavy breathing and light sparing could be heard, the only incongruity that could be observed.

Hyuuga Hiashi stood facing his daughter as she tried to gather her breath after a particularly vicious round of sparing. While the lessons were not particularly gentle at the best of times, ever since the incident the patriarch had pushed and pushed his daughter until she could barely stand at times.

But all of this was borne without complaint. The heiress had an uncharacteristic look of determination on her face which delighted Hiashi.

_Finally, she shows some confidence when facing me. Odd how it doesn't seem to translate into other areas of her life, but still, its baby steps. She is no prodigy like Neiji though… but with sufficient training she would be a formidable opponent. I wonder what brought this all on…_

Oddly enough that was a rhetorical thought. He knew exactly what drove his daughter to such lengths and truthfully, he didn't know how to feel about it. Ever since Naruto had accepted the invitation to live with the Hyuuga family, life just wasn't quite the same. The silence that they had all been brought up in was shattered in a moment, replacing it with a frenetic energy and vitality that he found quite refreshing.

Of course the elders were up in arms against the upstart, demanding that Hiashi rein in their honorary son. At their advanced age, change was something that they detested, seeing it as something that went beyond custom and disrupting the routine that they found much comfort in. More importantly, it was just improper for anyone, from family member to retainer, to act in such a manner.

_Bringing dishonour to our name? Please, who are they trying to kid. Though actually… they probably genuinely believe in all that rubbish they espouse. Even if I did try to do something about it, he would just ignore it or act out even more. _

Subconsciously, he knew that a deeper reason why he let it go was that Naruto was possibly one of the few things that could truly change their entire clan. Hiashi and his brother had spent many nights since the incident trying to discover how Hinata was abducted in the first place.

They were forced to examine the weaknesses of their clan. Something that they always had denied to ever exist in the first place. They were one of the first to help found Konoha and had a doujutsu that placed other bloodlines to shame. Hell, in their bloods ran the distant but still noble lines of the descendants of the First Empire. But for all of those proud distinctions, they were humbled by the fact that they were flawed in a deep way. One that Hizashi took grim pleasure in pointing out to his brother and members of the Main branch.

It was also in a way that the elders would refuse to acknowledge. A way that would lead to them being destroyed in the not too distant future. Too many problems had become evident upon their investigation, inconvenient truths that they knew the council would prefer to ignore. And they did so at their peril.

For now he placed those thoughts in the back of his head as he concentrated at his more immediate task. To train his daughter to be a true heiress, one with sufficient strength and backbone to do what was necessary. And hopefully by her side she would have her sister and cousin. More importantly, he hoped that a certain near schizophrenic blond would be there too.

The Hyuuga were regarded as master of observation for good reason. Each person acted in a certain way that betrayed their intentions. Naruto was a damned open book for most of them. Which would explain why the majority of the Branch house women kind of adopted him as their own. They saw behind the mask that he tried to portray, seeing the lonely boy that seemed to have conversations in his head. They thought that he had created either an imaginary friend, or possibly had a sentient consciousness. Hell, weirder things were possible in the world. And they all knew that Naruto was special. It was doubtful that their Yondaime had just chosen him randomly. And if he did…

Then again, Hiashi thought that he might actually be conversing with the Kyuubi.

_That… would be really bad. Fuck… it could be possible. _

Some closer observation would be necessary.

* * *

**Konoha**  
'**Ne' Headquarters  
Holding cell eight**

Unlike most prisons, holding cell eight was full of light instead of the habitual darkness that seemed to characterize a dungeon. The reason for this was that it helped in an odd form of torture akin to sensory deprivation. Just in reverse, kind of. While most people had an instinctive fear of the dark, leading to the discovery of fire, people could also be deranged if they were denied _sleep_. Different methods affected different people.

The OIC of the Kumo cell had spent nearly an entire month in this cell alone. He was a haggard mess that was half insane. Deranged at the very least. He had held up under torture quite admirably, refusing to answer any of the questions out of general principle, or spite. But the sad truth was that all men will break. It is just a matter of time, patience and the amount of brutality brought to bear on the human body. 'Ne' had time, patience and brutality in spades.

Observing him were two of their specialists. Each of them had a pure white mask hanging off their belts, refusing to wear them inside their own headquarters.

"How long do you think it will take?" asked an operator idly, observing their captive mutter to himself.

"Honestly, don't know. As the OIC, he has too much sensitive information. Or potential access to other of Kumo's assets. It could be hidden away in his mind thanks to a genjutsu or a fuinnjutsu. Or he could be just one tough son of a bitch that just won't crack. All the standard torture techniques have failed to work so far."

Acknowledging that, he started to ponder some solutions, "You know, we really need to recruit one of the Yamananka's."

"Why? We know that their specialty is the possession of enemy bodies, but how does that help us in interrogation."

"We can just use a genjutsu to entrap them into their own mind, inducing a weird sort of subconscious world. A Yamananka should be able to then come in and dominate their consciousness into giving us the information that we want."

Blinking at that he shook his head slowly, "Sounds, dangerous. To both parties. Some people do have odd subconscious self defence mechanisms that could defeat that…"

Shrugging at his partners lack of enthusiasm, he tried to defend his position, "It's just an idea. One that wouldn't waste so much damn time. People can be trained to resist physical interrogation. Hell, all of us can. But breaking the mind and spirit could be so much easier if we were a bit more creative in our methods."

"To do that, we would need one hell of a genjutsu specialist. Those people are kind of hard to find. No one really has the patience or the skill to actually master it beyond the basics. Hell even the ones we use aren't that sophisticated."

"Well, if we can't find genuine talent, then we go to the next best thing," drawled the operative with a dry smile.

"Which would be?"

He gave a shark like smile before answering, "Why, the Sharingan of course."

* * *

**Konoha  
Training ground thirty seven**

_He has changed. Slightly colder, even more determined than ever. But now he seems have this realisation in his eyes that… scares me._

Said boy was moving through one form to the next. After much consideration Hayate had decided to teach him something new. Something that the blond picked up quite quickly.

The Dance of the Crescent Moon.

Most sword styles were heavily dependant of what kind of sword that the wielder used. Hayate used a fairly normal katana that was slightly shorter than normal, nearing the length of a tachi. This allowed him to get significant speed and strength from his blows, all the things that were needed for his signature style. He sacrificed reach, but he more than made up for it with his technique. After some significant research he found out that Naruto's sword had a strong resemblance to a kilij, but still retained elements form a katana, making it a mixture of both worlds.

If you had to describe it in one word, the dance was merely an expression of symmetry. In particular how a flowing arc could be completed into a circle without any waste of time nor momentum. It really was a dance where Hayate wove himself around an enemy while slicing his way through their defences like he was whittling away at them. And that was before he used _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_ to force multiply all of his attacks. He just wanted Naruto to learn the basic movements for the high speed technique before imparting the shadow clone technique. Something he was sure the Sandaime wouldn't be too happy learning about…

All of it was based on precision strikes designed to hamper movement, sever tendons and joints. Effectively maiming them before the final blow was delivered. It looked damned elegant as well and allowed one person to engage multiple targets at the same time, rendering them useless before finishing them off. The problem was that it was taught through a set of katas that Naruto absolutely _hated_. No matter how many explanations he gave to why he needed to do it, he would just argue loudly that it was a stupid waste of time, and that a shortcut must exist somehow.

_For some reason the kid has got his mind fixated on shortcuts. Everything he does, he wants to find the quickest way. Kenjutsu isn't just about winning against an opponent. There is a spiritual component that is there to calm the soul, to prepare them for the madness of battle where you can all too easily loose yourself to the rage, the bloodlust. Discipline is everything in the field, something that you need to understand Naruto-kun. Something you do not want to learn as well…_

The boy in question was now flowing around a training doll, trying to target the marked vital points with his blade. It was working, but he still took too much time to find the target. And his guard was wide open as he did so.

_Survival should come before thoughts of victory Naruto. _

But then again, some progression was being made. Though if he knew that the whiskered blond was holding back, then he would have not bothered going through it at all.

Naruto was busy having a conversation with the Kyuubi. _Did I make the right choice?_

**_Probably. Only time can tell for things like these. The better question is, why the hell are we wasting our time here when we could be doing other more useful things?_**

_Appearances still need to be kept up. I can't just drop them and disappear for hours and then come back. And I thought I was supposed to be the dumb one?_

**_I'm just testing you… it's nice to know that I'm rubbing off on you. God knows how I put up with it just twelve months ago._**

_Oh come on, I wasn't that bad._

**_You were pretty bad kit._**

…

**_Better pay attention, at least this isn't the killer regime that Danzo had organized for you._**

Naruto gave a shudder at that. When he was told that he was being coddled by his sempai's, he did not really appreciated that it was true, when it was compared to the torture that masquerade as training he was subjected to.

**_Flashback_**

"The training that you have received in the past, if you could call that training, was only good for one thing."

"What's that?" asked Naruto warily.

He was met with cold chuckle, "Letting me have more fun than beating a training dummy to pieces."

"Wha-"

Before he knew it he received a slash towards his ribs that left a shallow cut before drawing his own blade and fending off the next few strikes aimed at his head.

_Still too fast!_

The next moments were a blur as he just parried on instinct before it was all over. His instructor's blade had exploded out of his left shoulder before it ripped out again. Naruto staggered back before looking at his tutor with a disbelieving look of shock on his face.

He merely saw an impassive visage before he fell down.

"Medic!"

A med-nin came over and applied healing chakra over his wounds. Luckily there wasn't enough blood loss to cause shock, though the medic did have blood replenishing pills on hand if that did happen. Naruto gingerly tested his arm, finding that while he could move it, it just felt odd. Like the nerve endings were not quite there anymore, being dulled but still usable.

The 'Ne' operative shook his head at the boy before speaking, "Look kid, welcome to the real world. Your stunt against Gashir was pretty impressive. But remember that the only reason that you are still _alive_ is because of the sheer surprise that you managed to get over him. And the fact that your healing factor is ridiculous. Hell, I'm not sure why there is even a medic here, but Danzo-sama insisted on it."

Naruto just stared at the man in disbelief, unable to believe that he nearly cut off his arm just then.

"I'm not going to lie to you gaki. I will cut you up until you learn how to defend yourself. Up until now you have just been sparing. You haven't been seriously injured or been brought to the brink of death before. That's going to change. I'm going to push you harder and faster than anyone has ever done, because you're good. You have some talent kid, which I'm going to bring out in the fastest way possible. Your stamina is something that's going to make the ladies really happy when you're older, and the fact that you can heal nearly anything at all means that you're going to be one hell of a killer. If you make it through this first."

Giving a grim smile, he offered the boy his hand to pull him up. Naruto accepted it warily, not too sure of his teachers intentions.

_I thought Yuugao was being sadistic when she taught me. I'm having second thoughts about this one._

"Ne operatives call me 'Mi'. I will not give you my real name until you learn to protect your mind full and able to withstand basic interrogation. You're impulsive kid, and until you get over it, we can't trust you fully. For now, call me Mi-sensei. Any questions?"

The boy growled at that and shook his head, "Not right now. But one day I will get better. And that you won't be able to cut me up without getting messed up right back. That's a promise dattebayo."

'Mi' merely gave a laugh at that. _I like this kid. He definitely is going to get to high places._

"Gaki, I'm going to hold you to that. And honestly, I'm going to look forward to it," he finished with a vicious smirk.

Matsuo Michiyo had never taken on an apprentice before. He really didn't have the patience to teach them using conventional methods. When Danzo had looked for instructors for the jinchuuriki he realised that he had someone that could take his abuse, err, training and still be able to ask for more. _Hell, the training is two fold. Most ninjas never really experience pain, preferring to ignore or avoid it. Sensible really, but it's damned unavoidable in our profession. Better you learn to deal with it now than let it cripple you in battle later._

_And if he can handle it, then I have more things to teach him beyond kenjutsu._

He wasn't the resident scout assassin for 'Ne' for nothing.

**_End flashback_**

For now, Naruto enjoyed the peace in the seemingly repetitive motions against the wooden dummy. His defence was something that was drummed into him by 'Mi' until he got the lesson. And it took many bloody beatings before Naruto realized that he couldn't quite kill an enemy if he was just a bundle of lacerated flesh on the floor. 'Mi' merely nodded with approval when he started to gauge his guard properly and not be drawn in by feints and openings that didn't exist. Putting on a show now for Hayate was quite counter-productive, but it merely reinforced how far he would be behind if he didn't accept Danzo's offer.

There were no regrets in his mind. None at all.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

The furore over the Kumo incident had died down and an uneasy peace had settled amongst the two nations. Sarutobi took cold satisfaction that his ploy had worked against the Cloud and was desperately trying to make sure that it would never happen again.

The seeming failure of his CINT ANBU was disturbing him on levels that gave him headaches. They should have found _some_ trace of the Kumo cell, there was no way that it could have been pulled off without a single shred of evidence left behind. But they could find nothing, and there were really only two explanations

Kumo had some damned fine infiltration experts that were better than Konoha ANBU.

Someone else had taken steps before them to take out the cell.

The first was unlikely. Kumo were not known to be _that_ good and more often than not preferred open combat to the rather subtle surgical strikes that such an operation demanded. _Probably a reason why they failed…They didn't cover all eventualities. Though having Naruto around just seems to throw all plans into the air and make you scream in despair_.

The second was troubling. _If a third party did this, why did they take such pains to hide themselves from us, unless they were directly opposed to us? Kumo had no other real enemies at the time besides us. Unless that cell had intelligence that they desperately wanted. And if there was a third party who was able to pull off a forcible extraction without alerting the ANBU, then that is a more serious problem._

In truth six 'Ne' cells were sent in to capture the Kumo team due to the fact that it was rather large, and for secrecy's sake they needed to do it hard and fast without leaving any trace. It really was overkill on Danzo's part. Usually at most two teams would have actually taken on the extraction, but he justified it on the basis that they were doing it under the nose of the Hokage, transforming it into a high level risk, especially with CINT and Internal Affairs on high alert. But to be honest, most of them were on itching for a fight. 'Ne' had been silent for the last three years, slowly gathering strength. Now that the command had come, they would strike now.

With those thoughts in mind he considered the latest reports delivered by his ANBU Commander. They lay there on his desk as he thought of ways to improve the internal security of Konoha. Right at the forefront were two tools that he could use.

The Uchiha Military Police  
The ANBU

_Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai_

More commonly abbreviated into ANBU, they were the porcelain masked killers directly responsible to the Hokage. They were regarded as the cream of the crop from the regular forces and were given missions deemed too difficult for conventional shinobi. There were no real rank restrictions, though they at the very least had to be genin. Most started off as chuunin, though the majority of them were jounins. Then again there were some notable expectations. Uchiha Itachi being the more glaringly visible one.

In the beginning, Konoha didn't really have a rank structure. No village did. They were ninja for crying out loud, and did not want to advertise their strength to others. But as they became more and more reliant on civilian contracts, their clients demanded that they grade their ninjas. This lead to a semi standardisation throughout all of the Elemental Nations, creating the following rank structure:

Genin  
Chuunin  
Tokubetsu Jounin  
Jounin  
Kage

But they were all rough indications. The bi-annual Chuunin exams were more of a circus to show off talent than a real indicator of ability and strength. Hell, the promotions to chuunin themselves were made by the Hokage with consultation of the Council of Fire. Potentially anyone could be appointed to the jounin rank, given sufficient political leverage. But most nations didn't do so. To dilute the quality of their top jounin rank would just be bad for business, especially if they fucked up badly.

But the ANBU were still a small group and couldn't do everything. Its very core lay with their original reason for existence, which was assassination of high value targets. But as the years increased, a need arose to have more specialized teams for different areas, such as infiltration and intelligence. As a result Sarutobi had to reform the ranks into specific departments during his first tenure as Hokage. At current count there were ten divisions.

Intelligence  
Counter-intelligence  
Dignitary protection  
Internal security/ hunter nin  
Torture and interrogation  
Black guard  
Infiltration, espionage and assassination  
Assault  
Research and development  
Administration, logistics and training.

But Sarutobi faced the problem that there was not enough talent to replace the high turnover rate experienced by operatives. Then again, there was also a deeper underlying problem. People had entered ANBU to protect and serve. Robbed of that by the Hokage's seeming capitulation over the years, they discharged themselves and refused to be placed under his command. They invariably ended up drifting along being disillusioned before being approached by 'Ne'. It was one of the reasons why most of the ANBU divisions were missing its star talent.. One of his personal tools was missing the teeth that it needed to be a convincing enough deterrent to the rest of the world.

That said, the Sandaime was doing a remarkable good job with what he had. He was desperately trying to rebuild a few key areas.

Intelligence  
Counter-intelligence  
Infiltration and assassination

Which was proven during the Kumo incident. But the specialists in those areas had all migrated to 'Ne'. And Danzo was planning to use them all in the most effective and damaging way possible.

Though there was still some hope.

Mitarashi Anko had enough talent to be considered to be placed in the assassination division, and sadistic enough to join Morino Ibiki in his.  
Yuuhi Kurenai would be absolutely brilliant in Intelligence or CINT with her ability to mislead people with her genjutsu.  
Hatake Kakashi was still in the field under the Infiltration and Assassination division.

Focusing on the two, he knew that they needed to be recruited as soon as possible. But even with those two, he needed something a bit more. Something that he had not wanted to do for a long time, but it was becoming increasingly necessary.

It was time to bring his errant student to heel.

* * *

**Kumo  
Village central**

The order was given and dispatched. The 'Ne' commander known as 'Tatsu' sent three teams to Lightning Country to do what they did best.

That was to gather information in the highest levels of office before passing it along for it to be used appropriately. Before this could all be done they had to establish a few things.

A safe house  
Secure lines of communication back to Konoha  
Sufficiently reliable assets

The safehouse was already being organised as several abandoned warehouse in the commercial district were sourced by rather discrete enquires from a dummy corporation. The rest of it had to be done ad hoc by the team.

They had plenty of time to get the results expected from them. And they would because they were disaffected shinobi that were given a purpose. They would do all that needed to be done to make sure that Kumo would think thrice before trying to take their village on again.

This was by hitting them were it hurts. They merely needed to find out where that was. Then the saboteurs would come in and announce there presence before leaving without a trace. It was a new type of silent war that Danzo had envisaged, instead of the open warfare favoured by the other villages.

For better or for worse, he had started the beginning of the true war fought in the shadows.

* * *

**Konoha**  
'**Ne' Headquarters**

"Ready to get marked?"

"Do I have to?"

"Well short stuff, if you want to be one of us eventually then yes. Think of it as a commitment. We are training you, the least you can do is show some, good faith why not? But it will also do a few things for you that are quite useful."

While the ANBU had a spiral tattoo on their left shoulder as an indication of their position, 'Ne' had something slightly more advanced. This was the identification tattoo, an intricate _fuuin_ seal that only appears when chakra is channelled over the top of it by the user. It had a unique signature that acted like a beacon in case that a search and rescue was ever needed. It was applied by the only _fuuinjutsu_ master left in Konoha, who just happened to sympathise with Root. He operated under the codename of 'Karasu'.

Naruto was a bit apprehensive about being marked and sealed, "Err, can you take it off if I don't like it, or is it going to be there forever?"

The man pondered on that for a while, unable to think of reason why a person would want it removed, "Well, I guess I could take it off, but once I put it one, you won't ever want to. It's just that awesome."

Naruto just gave a sceptical look before he reluctantly agreed to be inked. While he was left screaming when the _fuuin_ matrix tried to integrate itself to his chakra pathways, Danzo was left examining the current strength of his little army.

At this moment in time, there were roughly forty active operatives, divided into two man cells. Each had a specific purpose to complete. The most active were the intelligence teams, each scattered across the Elemental Nations gathering information in targeted areas. They did not have the funding to sustain a general network that the Hokage had access too. Then again, intelligence from Jiraiya's network didn't seem to come in time, if it came at all. Not for the last four years anyways. Danzo preferred to concentrate their efforts on one village as they needed to do so.

_Which reminds me, what the hell is Jiraiya doing anyways? He just seemed to pack up and left, even when he knew about Naruto's heritage. Never once did he come back and check up on him. If he didn't find out about these incidents then I really need to push Sarutobi to get a better network. God knows that I can't do everything for him…_

He heard the screaming and gave a grimace. _Must be another tattooing. 'Karasu' could at least warn them that it would hurt like an absolute bitch and give them something to bite on. It would stop the punches to the face that he gets after it's done._

True to form, Naruto glared at him before kicking him in the crotch and then applying a knee to the face. 'Karasu' fell down in a heap, trying the stem the pain that seemed to radiate from his legs to the rest of the body.

_Fuck, they usually are knocked out or take longer to recover. Didn't give me time to prepare for that one._

There were times that Naruto was thankful for his healing factor thanks to the Kyuubi. But sometimes dealing with his zanpakuto was just frustrating. She could have healed him as the sealing occurred, but instead chose to hold back until the very end.

_What the hell did you wait for?!_

**_Do you always accept candy from strangers Naruto-kun? Maybe this will teach you to be more careful in the future. Seals can be made to do anything, even take over control of a body for periods of time. Now I can overload it with my chakra to burn the seal away, but that would make the pain you just felt seem like a kiss on the cheek. The matrix doesn't seem to do anything beyond what the man said, but you can never be sure._**

With that, Naruto gave a grumble before hearing a light laugh in his head. 'Karasu' managed to get himself in an upright position, though the pain on his face was indescribable. Naruto gave silent thanks to Yuugao for teaching him how to amplify blows with chakra.

On that thought his brows tightened in worry. He hadn't really seen much of the violet haired kunoichi as she seemed to be on duty for the ANBU. She wouldn't tell him what division that she was assigned to, which was really odd considering how excited she was about it in the first place. He shrugged those thoughts away as he concentrated on his more immediate problems.

"Ok, why the hell did that want to attach itself to my chakra pathways?" he demanded with a growl.

'Karasu' blinked at that, "Wow, you felt that happen?"

"Of course I did, it also hurt just like those times Mi-sensei decided to use an axe to spar with me… probably more," Naruto just started to grumble about sadistic snakes before getting back on point.,"What did you do?"

The man puffed out proudly before giving his explanation, "Well the seal is probably my finest creation. It does everything I said and more. The reason why it connected to your chakra is because it can act like a battery, storing your chakra away for a situation when you really really need it. Imagine being captured, stripped of your weapons and left with no chakra left in your system."

"You could have just told me that it would hurt," complained Naruto with a pout.

Shrugging, 'Karasu' then nodded his agreement, "I guess I could have, but it was easier and quicker this way."

"How was it in anyway easier?!"

"I didn't have to hear you moaning about it, thinking it over before having it done anyway. Haven't you heard the saying before?"

Slightly confused, the blond shook his head, "What saying?"

"Fuuinjutsu. Just do it."

"…"

Seeing that he had exhausted Naruto's good grace for the moment, he smiled nervously, "Ok, I'll shut up now."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga estate**

It was something that was bugging her for a while.

It was something that always seemed to be mocking her. For a six year old year old child this was intolerable. With that in mind Hyuuga Hanabi made her way down the residential quarters with one target in mind.

Uzumaki Naruto.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Hyuuga estate  
Naruto's room**

As he finally went asleep during his nap, Naruto found himself facing a beach that seemed to stretch across the horizon without end. The sun was on the verge of setting and a comforting seabreeze was gently caressing his face as he found her sitting on the sand. Her back was facing him and he gave a small smile as he went over to her.

**_Didn't I tell you so?_**

_Yeah, yeah. You were right, I was wrong. Are you happy now?_

**_No, not really._**

She scooted over so that Naruto could lie next to her before she gave a cheeky grin and snuggled in closer. She started to whisper in his ears.

**_If you really wanted to make me happy, then you could always-_**

_I am not giving you more tails dam-_

**_- Give me a backrub._**

… _what?!_

**_Ever since Mi has started teaching you, there really hasn't been much for me to do all day except sleep around._**

Not to mention plot my next move, but he doesn't need to know that.

**_And it looks like I developed this ache over my tailbone. I can't really reach it, so could you?_**

_I, guess so._

**_Excellent!_** Without much further ado she lay on her stomach before Naruto hesitantly started to rub the area, not really knowing of what to do.

**_A bit harder, use the part of your palm beneath your thumbs. That's it, now just a little bit harder. Hmm, it probably would work better if you were touching my skin_**. With that said she lifted her shirt so that it uncovered her lower back, before slyly pushing her skirt ever so slightly down.

The blush on Naruto's face would have given a tomato a run for its money.

Inside the Kyuubi was laughing. If that much skin affects him this way right now, when he hits puberty then he is pretty much all mine. Though with the attraction and attention he seems to be getting right now, ah, fun times.

Trying to distract himself from what he was actually doing, Naruto started to talk about the reason for her latest ideas.

_How did you manage to keep it up without anyone noticing?_

**_Oddly enough, the 'Ne' seal has some unexpected uses. One is that I can feed it my chakra and it seems to purify it into something approaching yours. I just keep feeding it and letting it release itself in a small cycle._**

_Well, at least you're using that tails for something useful._

**_You will eventually need to give me another tail if you are going to keep on being injured the way you are. Though the word maim seems to be more appropriate._**

Contrary to his actions, 'Mi' was not a sadistic man. He just believed that his methods were the most efficient way to teach Naruto. Even though he knew that Naruto had a talent for healing himself, he always did hold back from cutting him. It was after all training, not a full on fight to the death. The first time that he took off a limb, he was afraid that was beyond regeneration. And it nearly was, until Naruto gave his zanpakuto another tail. When he managed to heal even that, Mi just had an awed look on his eyes and introduced a new level of pain. The only thing he held back on were instantaneous kills to his vital organs. Naruto was quickly learning to hate the man.

_I'm not going to argue with you over that. But I could just use healing kido instead. When I first did it, that med-nin nearly freaked. She said she would do anything to learn that._

**_Well, it's damned useful to heal in the field without drawing any attention. Especially some of the worser injuries that would flare chakra like you would not believe._**

_It's not like I could teach it anyways. But she didn't look too convinced. And she has been bugging me about it every time she sees me. Which is like every day. Twice. Without fail. _

_Which reminds me, how did you think of **that** technique anyways?_

**_Oh, I've used it before. The legends about kitsune being tricksters is well deserved. We are masters and mistresses of illusions. Genjutsu just comes naturally to us._**

_Then why did you decide to attack the village in your full nine tailed form?_

**_Err… that's a story for another day. The point is that while most humans use active genjutsu, I just created a passive one over your entire face. And it worked as well, cause I'm that damned good._**

_Sure you are. _The drawl in his voice amused her to no end.

**_Well, that and people are idiots who see what they want to see. More correctly, they want to explain away what they see, and the best explanation is one that has some truth to it. Your 'happiness' could be explained away by having a surrogate family that just happened to come along. Since you have been deprived for so long, who is to say that isn't the truth?_**

**_Or some other such psychoanalytic nonsense. _**

The passive technique helped school his facial expressions to levels that could only be described as genuine. However, to keep it going constantly required a full tail which he was happy to hand over. Well, it didn't really need a full tail, but after a sixty minute explanation on the mechanics of it he just folded and gave it to me. Hmm, note to self, might need to use that in the future. It also seemed to engender a sense of trust from those around him.

The Hyuuga noticed the change and thought it is was real enough. That was enough for most of the clans to believe as well. Hiashi still had his doubts though... something that the Kyuubi picked up on and made her wary of that observant man.

**_Observant, but in many ways he is as blind to some things as Naruto is. The truth is in front of his eyes and he just won't see it. Oh well, that episode is over anyways. _**

As she just lost herself in the feelings of contentment and regained power, she couldn't help but let loose a slight purr.

Naruto stopped at that, and looked at her curiously.

**_What?_**

_Nothing, nothing at all…_

_I really need to speak to Kisuke-sama. Maybe he can give me some advice about what to do about my problems._

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga estate**

Uzumaki Naruto.

The boy was certainly an odd one and he had spent lots of time doing things that she would not have thought possible in her clan complex. The main one in her mind were all the pranks that were pulled off where he should have been observed by their Byakugan. But for some reason no one did.

More correctly, people did but had an odd case of selective amnesia. The answer was quite simple to anyone that wasn't a Main house Hyuuga. The Branch house simply lied for him. They had various reasons for actually doing so.

One, they felt vindicated as they pretty much only targeted the Main branch.

Two, the Hyuuga females simply adored Naruto for a seemingly unknown reason, and their partners were not willing to risk their wrath over some insignificant wrath. Yes, they were totally whipped. The fact that he had that genjutsu up helped a lot as well.

The fact was that everyone seemed to know that Naruto did it, but without some sort of evidence or corroboration, they really wouldn't do anything against him. Because it would be oh so improper to accuse someone of that without proof. They kind of resigned themselves to ignoring it in the hopes that Naruto would stop. To show that they did not deign to acknowledge his acts. Which was a bad move that just led to escalation. On last count Naruto had managed to string up all of their underwear onto the branches of the trees in the entire complex, leading to some of the most embarrassed faces on a Hyuuga ever seen. Having their unmentionables aired like that was so _unseemly_.

But that really wasn't the reason why she went off to confront the blond today. It had to do with something else. But first she had to find him. A problem that proved to be more difficult than she thought. He wasn't in his room or at the training grounds. She found him with some of the Branch members.

_What is he doing with them?_

That led to a rather interesting afternoon for Hanabi as she figured out how Naruto actually spent his free time. Simply put, he helped out with the domestic duties of the household. Something that no noble would ever do themselves.

_Why would an honorary son lower himself to that?_

In most situations, a person in Naruto's position doing what he did now would be regarded with suspicion. Almost like a painfully obvious attempt to ingratiate themselves to the Branch members by sharing in their workload. But the fact that he was an eight year old with an all too innocent face had an entirely different effect.

That was the main reason why he was so adored. He helped the women cook, clean and do all sorts of other things that she had taken for granted. His lively chatter with them as he did so showed that he actually did care for them, wanting to know about them, their lives, children and spouses. Currently he was in an apron cutting some vegetables for the evening meal. The head chef was looking over his shoulders, giving advice. For someone who is training to be a swordsman, cutting vegetables should be easy, right? Not if you have the attention span of, well, Naruto. All the other helpers just gave fond looks as he questioned every single aspect of the process.

Naruto didn't do this entirely out of his own heart. He had learnt to be independent the hard way, and just was not comfortable with people waiting for him hand and foot. He was always slightly paranoid about certain matters, such as poisoning. He would not have worried because the Hyuuga had safeguards in place, or so he was reassured, but the fact that their security was penetrated at least twice did not make him so confident. And while it might not kill him thanks to his zanpakuto, he didn't enjoy heaving his stomach to purge the poison in his system.

Of course, the greater reason he spent time with them was when he found out about the juin jutsu. Something he could definitely relate to.

As Naruto finished, he was walking back with three women when Hanabi decided to confront him. It was now or never as she overheard him saying that he would be training until midnight.

She stood in front of him waiting for him to acknowledge her. Which he eventually did, slowing to a stop with a curious expression on his face. There was silence as he observed her oh so serious face, wondering if he had done anything to her recently.

_No, I pretty much have left her and Hinata-san alone while I was here. What could she want?_

Deciding to take the first step, he asked her, "Do you want something Hanabi-san?"

"Yes, kneel down," she ordered seriously.

"What?!" asked a disbelieving Naruto, but Hanabi didn't budge an inch.

"I need you to kneel down," she repeated with a slight huff.

The women behind Naruto looked on with disapproval at the way she was speaking to the boy that saved their heiress, her sister. Hanabi just ignored them for a moment.

_What the hell?!_

**_I doubt she could hurt you kit if you did do it. Why don't you humour her? She could make things difficult for you while you're staying here._**

_Well, I guess so... but I'm not making a habit of bending my knees for anyone._

**_Sure, just limit yourself to cute girls and no one will think any less of you._** That was delivered in a thoroughly amused tone.

Deciding that there was no real harm in it, he slowly kneeled in front of her.

_Finally, it's time!_

Poke.

_Did she just?_

**_She did._**

The women had similar thoughts, though it was with curiosity as they had wanted to do the same thing for a _very_ long time.

Hanabi currently had her fingers over Naruto's cheeks, trying to figure out what the hell the whisker marks on his face actually were. It seemed to be some sort of birth mark, but it wasn't a smooth line of unblemished skin. It actually had a slight indentation that was unnoticeable unless your fingers were sensitive enough. Tenketsu training definitely made her fingertips sensitive enough.

So Naruto was trapped in this odd situation where Hanabi was caressing his face, while the other women were looking onwards, secretly wanting to do the same. The situation was fairly harmless, but he wasn't really comfortable at a relative stranger touching him like that. It was actually making him feel slightly ticklish, sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine as he desperately tried to hide how it was affecting him.

It didn't help when her father and sister came along and saw what was happening.

"Err, Hanabi-san..." Naruto started, trying to get her attention.

"Be quiet", she said distractedly, trying to figure out what it was that she was touching. She saw that Naruto was looking at someone behind her so she looked back.

_Oh, crap._

Pulling her hands to her sides with a speed that was quite remarkable, she had an embarrassed flush on her face as she faced her family.

Hiashi didn't know whether to feel angry or amused at the scene of his youngest nearly molesting the boy.

Hinata just saw red at the scene and was clenching her fists by her side.

Naruto decided to open his mouth. "Well, this is awkward."

* * *

**Konoha**  
'**Ne' Headquarters**

Naruto hated the dark. It was a perpetual reminder of isolation, being alone with no one else. While this was not the case anymore, he still hated it. Which is why he bitched and moaned to Danzo until he capitulated and decided to actually invest in decent lighting.

While it was useful in an intimidating way, there really was no purpose to do it to their own operatives. And there wasn't really like there was anything to hide, right? Well, granted if they were found out most of them could be expected to spend some time locked away or executed, but who the hell were they to judge them? They were not the ones making the sacrifices, they were.

Naruto argued that they had nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that needed to be hidden away. And eventually he got his way.

Naruto was currently having a lot of problems hiding his training from third parties. He was experimenting on several ideas, but all of them fell through.

The first was when he was taught _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_

**_Flashback_**

'Saru' approached him with a grin on his face, before his hand moved to form a cross shaped seal.

_Kage Bunshin no jutsu!_

A solid shadow clone appeared next to him, looking exactly the same.

"Now Naruto-kun, this clone is actually solid and can take a decent blow before dispersing. However, it doesn't really have a lot of chakra so it can't really do any jutsus. However, they are great as distractions and have a special feature which you should be able to take advantage of."

Naruto looked a bit dubious at that, "Really, cause I can't really do a_ Bunshin no jutsu_ properly, I don't think this would be any easier."

The operative agreed in principle before continuing on, "Normally that would be true. However, the reason why you couldn't was that you had too much chakra and overloaded the matrix, causing it to fail. With _Kage Bunshin_, the chakra input is much higher, in fact you could probably form a few hundred without too much strain on you. Eventually. The point is that shadow clones retain memory."

Naruto didn't quite understand that, "Err, how so?"

"You get them to do something, then _you_ will remember it after they are dispersed. And it works for everything. They are damned useful, but not everyone has sufficient reserves to pull it off to its ultimate potential. If you manage to tap into your reserves, all of them, then think of the possibilities."

Realisation dawned on Naruto's face.

"I could cut my training down to..." he stopped towards the end in awe.

'Saru' nodded with a wide smile, "A mere fraction of what it would take for you to do it the real way. Other people have other advantages, such as high IQ, a fancy bloodline or doujutsu. You have high stamina, ridiculously high chakra reserves and an unbelievable healing factor. And that, in my mind at least, makes you one of the greatest talents because there wouldn't be a thing that you would not be able to do."

Naruto looked excited and gave a wide foxy smile, "Then what are we waiting for dattbeyo?"

**_End flashback_**

_Having a clone pretend to be me won't work, people would notice the chakra difference. Well, the people that matter will anyways. There has to be a way..._

_Well, there might be a way. Which reminds me, have to find a way to contact him instead of waiting around for him to visit._

Happy that a solution was found, he wandered off to see Mi-sensei. Kami knew that the man didn't need any more provocation in their 'spars'. Though he couldn't deny that progress was being made. In a fight he could hold his own, kinda, his defence being the product of harshly learnt lessons. He was now going through getting sufficient speed in his attacks to give him some breathing space.

Secretly 'Mi' was impressed. _The kid had learnt in three months what most took years to accomplish. All thanks to his regenerative abilities. Damn kid hasn't proven me wrong. Given another three years he would be able to start hurting me. In another six, he might even be able to kill me if we limited ourselves to kenjutsu. _

* * *

**Soul Society  
Second division headquarters**

Shihouin Yoruichi was not your stereotypical noble in Sereitei. Smart, sexy and sophisticated she was, but underneath that was a fun loving personality that did not really appreciate the formality that her status had created amongst her and her 'subordinates'.

It was never as clear as when she saw her apprentice Soi-fong. The girl clearly was enamoured of her and tried to act in a way that she though would please her. It just did the complete opposite. She had thought to beat it out of her through relentless teasing, but all it did was manage to get her flustered.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when an assistant knocked on her door and invited an old friend in.

Urahara Kisuke strode into her office with a smile on his face, waving his cane around as he looked around her office. The two of them had a close relationship since they were children. Which was odd, now that she thought about it. Kisuke was one of those bona fide geniuses that come along in every generation who managed to find himself in the Academy at the same time as she. They would not have met otherwise, as no one quite knew about Kisuke's family, with him coming from Rokongai.

At least that was what she assumed. It wasn't a topic that he ever really approached with other people, even her. She had some feeling that his need to create large underground training spots had to do something with his childhood. Every time she had tried to even intimate something to that effect he laughed it off before mocking her attempts at psychoanalysis.

Though with the look on his face, she wasn't quite sure what he wanted. When she was first summoned to that strange realm to fight that demonic fox, she put up with it in good humour. _Hell, he has asked me to do weirder things before, and this was quite tame. Unlike that time with those Menos Grande... Anyways._

"Ah Yoruichi, it's nice to see you again. How have you been?" asked Kisuke with a cheerful grin.

The taichou shrugged her shoulders, "Not much really, besides the usual. The second division just kind of runs itself until missions require me to tag along. Especially with my fuku-taichou."

Urahara chuckled at that, well aware of her relationship with her subordinate, "Ahh, still having fun teasing your vice captain?"

She gave a laugh at that. "Of course I am, it's the most fun that I have had in decades. She needs to loosen up anyways. The seriousness combined with our job will just lead to problems in the future. So what brings you here?"

"Well, do you remember that night when I called for you?"

She gave him a mocking look before affecting some thought, "Who could forget, it's not everyday that you get summoned to another _realm_. Did someone manage to find out what you did? In fact, what did you do? We couldn't quite kill that fox for some reason, but you ended up defeating it. What really happened?"

Kisuke tried to explain it, trying to hide the details of the black orb, but Yoruichi wasn't fooled. She wasn't the captain of the second division for nothing. But she kept quiet about it, trusting his judgment to keep it hidden, for now. She could always get it out of him later on. But from what she was hearing, she was impressed. Kisuke had managed to create a living, breathing shinigami. Not only one that could use reiatsu, but one with a zanpakuto no less.

"Anyways, I visited the boy and he is developing his reiatsu abilities nearly subconsciously. Granted that he was fighting for his life, but he managed to perform shunpo."

Kisuke was waiting to drop that bombshell for a while, just waiting to see the reaction on her face.

Yoruichi took the bait, choking slightly, "He what?! That's not possible! I invented it only _after_ I had graduated. Ok, so I was fast-tracked, but still, there should be no way that a kid of eight with no training to use his reiatsu could pull that off!"

Wagging his finger at her, he smirked before correcting her, "Ahh, but he did. There was no other way that could explain it. He definitely didn't use any of his chakra based techniques, and the descriptions of it are near exact to the flash step. Who knows, we might had our very own God of Flash on our hands."

"... Why are you telling me this?" asked Yoruichi suspiciuously.

Laughing, he pulled out his fan which hid his mouth, "Oh, no reason. I just thought you might want to know that you might have some competition in the future."

_Kid, you sound interesting. I might just have to pay you a visit in the near future._

Kisuke was just dancing for joy inside. Everything was going to plan.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

_Well, at least there was some success in that meeting._

Mitarashi Anko had happily accepted her two promotions. First to Tokubetsu Jounin, the other to the ANBU.

_Why does it seem like everyone and their grandparents have some sort of tragic past in Konoha?_

Anko's history was one of trust and betrayal. And all of it lay in the hands of his student that he once held above all others.

Orochimaru of the Snake. The Serpent Sannin who was once lauded as a genius and could have very well been the Yondaime Hokage had he not hidden the darkness in his heart a little better.

Then again, that thought troubled him even more deeply. If he was appointed as the Yondaime, how would the whole Kyuubi incident have resolved itself? That was a disturbing thought. _Maybe it was for the best that everything happened out as the way it did._ At least it reaffirmed his choice in Namikaze Minato. He really doubted that his ex student would have sacrificed his life to save Konoha. _Kami, he probably would have sacrificed half the village to stave off the bijuu… _

He remembered when Orochimaru had confronted Minato after the announcement was made. He gave Sarutobi a vicious glare of betrayal before challenging the newly proclaimed Yondaime to a spar. It was brutally quick and embarrassing for the pale faced Sannin, who found a possible genius that matched him. Even exceeded him in many areas.

No matter how many jutsus that he had learnt, how many techniques he had at his disposal, Minato merely rendered them unusable with his _Hiraishin no jutsu_, seeding the training field with his three pronged kunai before ending the match in a matter of moments. His pride shattered, he retreated into himself before hiding himself from the rest of the village. Then began the mysterious disappearances of civilians and shinobi until Sarutobi had discovered the man and his twisted experiments.

What happened later was one of his greatest regrets. If he had taken steps, then he might have been able to spare countless generation's from their pain and suffering, and having his village torn apart in the future. But in his weakness, in his compassion he did nothing, letting his student continue in his path of darkness, declaring himself a missing-nin before disappearing into the Elemental Nations. Jiraiya had taken off to bring back his wayward team-mate before coming back empty handed. This led to him going off to his sojourn, writing those books of his.

Jiraiya wasn't present when the Kyuubi attacked, though he did appear shortly thereafter when he had found out. He helped supervise the reconstruction, but it was obvious that his heart wasn't quite in it. Konoha brought to many bad memories for the man, which was the reason why he never really spent time there anymore. And to see that his first student, regarded as the finest shinobi that Konoha had ever produced, being the one to take down the Kyuubi no Yoko brought him both great pride and sadness.

He left knowing that Naruto was in good hands, and continued to pursue his 'research'. Sarutobi couldn't really blame him, seeing the condition that Senju Tsunade had gotten herself into. The three sannin had all taken separate paths from each other. The fact was that he needed them back, though only Jiraiya would be the one to come back willingly. Tsunade would need some significant persuasion to come back.

_Maybe we could offer to pay off all her gambling debts? We could finally institute the training program for medic-nins that she had always wanted... Something that we should have always have done in the first place. So many mistakes..._

Then again, retrospect was always absolutely transparent in its clarity.

Though he was taking steps to make it better. He had sent the summons to Jiraiya and he _would_ pull himself together to restart up the intelligence network that had laid fallow for too long.

And that brought his thought back to the Yondaime's legacy. With some reluctance he allowed Hayate and Yuugao to teach him some more advanced techniques. The problem was that the boy seemed to have lost interest in becoming a shinobi. He had organised to have a few counsellors to speak to Naruto because of the two near death experiences that he went through during the Kumo incident.

Having a child face their mortality was something that would change them. But from the pysch reports he had read, it seemed that Naruto had adjusted to what had actually happened. Personally, he wasn't too convinced. But he trusted that they were doing their job properly. With that thought in mind, he decided that it was time that Naruto actually interact with other people his age. It was something that he had to do eventually, so he made the order to enrol Naruto into the Academy. He figured that he was the only thing remotely resembling a parent in Naruto's life and he would be happy because of it.

If only he knew how angry that move would make the blond jinchuuriki.

Anyways, Orochimaru saw the talent that lay in Anko and brought her up as his apprentice. They were both orphans and it seemed to be a good match. Sarutobi secretly hoped that it would bring out the goodness in his subordinate. That fell to hell when he started experimenting on her. Even then she still stayed loyal until he deserted Konoha.

Given a choice between her mentor/father figure and her village, she reluctantly chose the former. Something that Orochimaru found to be unforgivable, one of the many imagined slights that the village hidden in leaves had hurled at him since denying him the Hokage position.

During her return, she was ironically marred by her sensei's reputation even when she made the _choice_ to abandon him. She, like Naruto, was innocent of anything beyond loyalty to one of their Sannin, but too many remembered the experiments he had conducted. And once the truth of the matter was exposed, the brutality that Orochimaru indulged in during his pursuit for immortality, their opinions were set in stone. Too many believed that there was no way that Orochimaru's apprentice did not know what was happening around her.

So they treated her in a way that they used to treat Naruto. After the laws were passed to protect the death god effectively prevented them from hurting him too badly, they transferred their attention to Anko. Their words hurt her more than she led on, leaving her to develop a mask of a half crazed lunatic. It seemed to work, scaring of the civilians because unlike Naruto, she _would_ act against them. The shinobi were divided on the issue, but Anko always felt an undercurrent of distrust whenever she worked with them. Like she was some sort of double agent, regardless of the vetting process undertaken by Morino Ibiki that had determined her loyalty. To Sarutobi if no one else.

Though on some days, he really did wonder if she had held the mask up for so long that she actually became it. She was deeply grateful for the trust that the Sandaime had placed in her, and she gave a genuine smile to the promotion that she had accepted without hesitation. But deep down he knew that Konoha had let down one of their own. Again.

Now all he needed to do was to convince Yuuhi Kurenai to join his ANBU.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga compound  
South Eastern Training area**

For the fifth time during the spar Hinata found herself kissing the dirt while he father looked on with disappointment. The seeming improvement during the last few months had seemed to regress to nothing. And whenever he asked why, Hinata could barely stutter an answer out. He was fast loosing his patience, trying to push her harder and harder to get her back to the level that he _knew_ that she could reach.

Hinata was just finding her entire balance shattered, preventing her from exercising her chakra properly. And that was the heart of her entire family's technique.

This was the result of several reasons.

She had started to get nightmares about the incident, where she woke up in shivers and found it hard to breathe. While she did experience it a few times during the first month after the incident, it was becoming more regular and regular until she would get it nearly every night. And they all seemed to escalate with what might have happened had Naruto not been there.

And then there were instances where she saw Naruto die and not come back up. Cases where Gashir spent his time torturing the blond until she woke up suppressing a scream. She knew that she would get little sympathy from her family, so she tried her best to ignore it.

The second reason was her sister. She saw the way that she looked at her idol, and she didn't like it one bit. The way that she touched him so intimately, it just infuriated her.

_She had no right to do that to Naruto-kun! _

Then she was wracked with fear.

_What if doesn't really like me at all?!_

The fact that Naruto seemed to spend more time with Hanabi than her was eating away with her. That wasn't really true; the blond was spending equal time with both sisters. Which with his secretive training regime wasn't much at all. But in her state she didn't see it that way.

Complex couldn't begin to describe the feelings that Hinata felt for Naruto. All of it was building up her frustration that was leading to her getting her ass kicked by her father.

Hiashi was trying to find a solution to the problem. _Maybe a change of direction and instruction is necessary._

"Hinata, get up."

Dutifully, she complied with his order, "Ye- Yes otou-san."

"Take a break, this spar is over for today. I will speak to you in three hours time. Do you understand?"

Hinata merely nodded before running off. Hiashi sighed before making his way into his office. Sitting down, he poured himself a glass of water before considering his next move.

_They won't like it, but it's necessary. Hanabi is showing quite a bit of talent for Jyuuken. Then again, this could be a good thing to expose Hinata to new techniques, ones that could give her an edge in the future._

Calling a Branch member over, he took out a piece a paper and a brush before writing a short message on it.

"Please deliver this to Yuuhi Kurenai for me. Wait for her response."

* * *

**Konoha  
ANBU Headquarters**

"Ah, Uchiha-san, could I please have a moment of your time?"

The raven haired teenager paused in his step before turning to look at the person who addressed him. He was surprised to see a female with a cat mask approach him. She had a respectful smile on her face as she approached. Itachi knew her only in passing, but remembered that he was part of the Infiltration and Assassination division. For that alone he stopped and actually gave a response.

"I have clan business to attend to. My apologies." With that curt dismissal Itachi moved off.

Undeterred by his abruptness, she persisted gently, "It is just a simple question that I wanted to ask. Something that you should be able to answer quite simply. It will only take a few moments at worst."

Itachi paused at that. Things were getting a bit strained at his home, so he could afford to delay for a few moments and have a genuine excuse to do so. And it was odd that anyone would approach him for anything. He had developed a reputation for being a consummate loner with supreme skill which made him quite isolated even in the ANBU corps.

"Speak," he spoke flatly.

Smiling, the kunoichi went through her spiel, "Is it possible for you to create a new sort of genjutsu with your Sharingan? One where you are able to trap a victim in their own mind, but in a place where you can control absolutely everything in it. A place where you can extract as much information as you need in the least amount of time possible. Because there is no current jutsu yet that can do that. But with those eyes of yours, it shouldn't be too hard ne?"

The Uchiha paused at that. What she proposed was something that was ever so briefly mentioned in his clan manuscripts that he found as part of his exploration of the clan archives. Such a technique would be useful beyond words.

_A world where I am god, where everything I do will be beyond moral dilemma, beyond judgment. Absolute freedom..._

Seeing that his words had taken the interest in the Uchiha prodigy, she gave a smirk before leaving him to his thoughts.

"Think about it and let me know if it is possible. I am sure that you can see the potential for such a technique. Sayonara Uchiha-san."

_They only speak of this in our clan legends, though I do have to wonder. Is it something that could be more real than that? Is this what they speak of when they refer to Tsukiyomi?_

* * *

**Konoha  
**'**Ne' Headquarters**

"So, what are your thoughts?" Danzo was addressing Nara Gendou as they both looked at Naruto train with 'Mi'. Both of them were wincing at the wounds that he was taking, but were amazed at the recovery that his body was capable of. It was a near unbelievable ability that would be invaluable in battle. Along with his uncanny mastery of _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_, he would be capable of a hell of a lot.

But therein lay the rub. This was the reason he employed the Nara to observe the jinchuuriki.

The ponytailed man hummed for a while, "He seems stable enough, for a kid that is subject to training that has broken men twice his age."

Danzo shrugged. "He agreed to it, and he hasn't backed down just yet. His pain tolerance will be unbelievable after all of this."

Nodding his agreement to those words, Gendou nevertheless was disturbed by the sight of gross child abuse, "True. But in regards to your question… I don't know. From his behaviour and responses when his instructors ask him your veiled questions, he doesn't have a great hatred for Konoha, but he doesn't love it either."

Which was the problem. Naruto would, in one way or another, become a weapon. One wielded by another, or one acting by himself, for himself. Danzo preferred him to be one working for them, not against them. He wouldn't train someone just for them to turn on them in the future. He wasn't just going to leave the boy unsupervised to fester on his feelings. Which was another reason why he had issues with Sarutobi.

_He honestly thinks that the boy will be our saviour after all the abuse he was been through? That his inner goodness can still be there when it hasn't been fed a single scrap of decency? Granted Konoha hasn't actively made his life an absolute hell that it could have been, but he doesn't love us. He should have taken some steps to ensure his loyalty. Having two tutors isn't enough. _

"I didn't offer to train him out of the goodness of my heart - "started Danzo.

The Nara gave a snort at that, before he composed his face, remembering who he was speaking to.

With a thin smile the Root leader continued, "As I was saying, we are really using each other. But I'm just fixing another one of Sarutobi's mistakes. I will not let him become another Orochimaru."

Now that was one twisted son of a bitch that a psychiatrist would have a field day trying to deconstruct. Something that he didn't even want to touch unless the not so sane maniac was six feet under, preferably cremated as well.

And he knew that if Naruto was just trying to use him, then he would be in for one hell of a surprise. He wasn't going to let go of such potential and had plans to brainwash him if necessary. But it was a step that he didn't want to take unless it was absolutely necessary. Sure they were unthinkably loyal, but they were useless for the roles that they needed to play. Innovation, initiative, unconventional responses. These were the heart of the 'Ne' operative. An unthinking drone would only be useful for killing.

While he admitted that was the standard shinobi response to most problems, 'Ne' had to be more careful than that. Indiscriminately killing people was something that only happened in wartime. And that was why Gendou was tasked to penetrate any masks the blond may have put up.

"Besides that, I doubt he will turn on us in the future. He does have an honour system and will always try to keep his promises. Behind that, well, I know how you feel about psychology."

Danzo grimaced, but just nodded to let him continue.

"His childhood was bad, but not the worst. His mother abandoning him will have long lasting effects on him, particularly his ability to trust people beyond the most superficial things. The fact that he lives with the Hyuuga changes things. It may help him connect further with Konoha."

_That was true_, thought Danzo. If he became a true part of their household, it would be unlikely he would work to their destruction. And when most people thought of Konoha, the image of the Hyuuga was something that came from first impressions.

"Keep on watching him. I trust the kid, for now. But let me know if anything changes."

"Of course Danzo-sama."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
Naruto's room_  
_**  
The air in the middle of Naruto's room began to tear into many parts as a void started to form in the centre, the edges forming a corona as a black robed figure emerged from the darkness.

Naruto just looked up with a smile as he saw his errant mentor come back into his life. It had nearly been eight months since the shinigami had taught him healing kido, and he was really wanting something extra to his repertoire. His training with 'Mi' was still reaping dividends, but he wanted an ace up his sleeve should he ever need to use it.

"Urahara-sempai! You decided to visit," greeted Naruto with enthusiasm.

The other blond just gave a small laugh as he strutted around before giving the boy a piercing, serious look.

_His reiatsu is stronger than before, but it seems to be clouded. He must be using its chakra, and fairly often. But still, the strength is still growing. Why is he doing so well, but my experiments are failing so miserably? Could it be that there is no way to reverse the process? Or are you special in some way that I don't know Naruto-kun? _

His thoughts were interrupted by a question.

"Uh... Kisuke-san, could I ask you something?"

Kisuke nodded amiably, "Sure, why not?"

"Could you leave me something so that, you know, if I need to contact you, I can? Sometimes things happen, and I can't just wait for you to turn up 'cause it might be too late by then."

_Crap... why didn't I think of that? _A small sweat drop appeared behind his head as he gave a sheepish grin.

"Ok, just give me a moment." He reached into his robe and felt around for his summoning stones. He kept a few on him handy for those rare times he met a new ally. He took out a small silver orb and tossed it over to Naruto, who caught it before giving him a quizzical glance.

"Just channel some reiatsu into it and I will know about it. I should be there as soon as I can." Kisuke had the master copy that allowed him to forcefully summon the carriers to his location, but the jinchuuriki did not need to know about that, just yet.

"Ok, so tell me what training you have been doing since I have left?"

With that Naruto began explaining Danzo's offer and the associated training.

_Hmm, I might need to keep my eye on this Danzo. People who hide in the shadows usually do so for good reason. Then again, I do it often enough... Better be safe than sorry though. _

"Just be careful Naruto-kun. It sounds like he is training you to become a weapon of some sort. But remember not to let yourself be used by him."

Naruto's face and whole demeanour became serious when he heard that. "I know that, people don't usually treat me nicely for no good reason. But he has been, well, upfront about it, and I am learning new things. And I don't think he could brainwash me, not with Kyuu in my mind anyways."

Kisuke wasn't so sure about that but he figured that Naruto would be best able to prove his hypothesis.

The boy scratched the back of his head for a while before making a request, "Anyways, I have a problem that I wonder if you could help me with."

"Oh, what is it?" he asked. Naruto's problems were always something interesting enough.

"I need a way to hide myself. I train when I can with 'Ne', but I can't be gone for very long. It's not like I can disappear for days on end without _somebody_ noticing. Hell maybe I was better off when no body gave a crap about me. Now with the Hyuuga's and their eyes, sneaking around is, well, hard. There is a technique that can create a solid clone of me, but people can tell that it isn't me. I was wondering if you had any ideas?"

A wide grin appeared on Urahara's face as he rubbed his hands together.

"Well Naruto-kun, have you ever heard of something called a _gigai_?"

* * *

**Kumo**  
'**Ne' safehouse**

An abandoned warehouse made for an ideal safehouse. It was located in a large commercial district where loud noises were not that unusual and had sufficient space to hide things. And if you chose a place near a tannery or slaughterhouse then your scent was effectively neutralized if you were traced. The bad bit was that people could notice and wonder why an abandoned building was a sudden hive of activity. And why you smelled like a charnel house. This was slightly remedied by the use of passive genjutsu seals marked outside the building. And using copious amounts of cologne. But the seals had to be very weak to avoid giving away a chakra spike.

Inside were three operatives clad in civilian clothing. There were two males and one female, all of them were looking over a map of the city proper. A larger version was pinned up on the board with targets of opportunity marked in red.

"So, how are we going to do this?" The question was asked by the female wearing a t shirt with a mid thigh length skirt. She had her brown hair tied back into a single ponytail and faced her two male specialists, focusing on them with her brown eyes.

The male on her right answered her question. He was fairly tall, reaching one hundred and sixty seven cm and had black hair cut short and tight. He had a slight scar that ran from his right jaw to his neck. "Money is tight at the moment, and you know what that means." He gave a grim smile at that.

"Err… many things. Why don't you tell me?" she asked cheerfully.

He sighed before shaking his head, "Remind me how the hell did you ever end up in our infiltration cell again?"

The kunoichi laughed at that before tsking, "I'm good at killing things. And blowing things up."

Staring at her, he waited for a further explanation that was not forthcoming, "Roight. I guess you're useful if we need a diversion of some sorts. Anyways, when money gets tight people start doing things they wouldn't. Like steal and sell their families off into slavery."

The other male decided to interrupt at this point. Short and stocky, wearing a pair of three quarter length pants and a button down shirt, he was hardly the intimidating image that most people had of a shinobi. "I thought they banned that in Kumo?"

"Well sure, they did. But there are laws against burglary but you still see homes being broken into. The trade is particularly active towards the northern border of Fire Country for some reason."

"So, what do we do?"

Twirling a kunai in his hand, the shinobi grinned evilly, "Many things. Because money is scarce, our bribes will go further here than we thought. Me and 'Saru' will take care of that. But you have a special job. One that you should have a lot of fun with."

Her eyes perked up as she asked excitedly, "Do I get to blow shit up?"

Nodding indulgently, he passed her a satchel, "Sure, why not. Basically we need you to meet up with one of the bandit camps and join them. Feel free to have some fun robbing merchants and that sort of stuff. Work your way up until you can actually train them to become a problem that requires some attention."

"That might take some time. Err… how much time do we have anyways?" she asked uncertainly.

"Who the hell knows? As long as it takes apparently. 'Tatsu' wasn't that specific."

Happy with her orders, she made a move to go, "Sure, I will leave soon enough."

"Remember to get enough cash and other items before you leave. If worst comes to worst regroup back at Konoha. Otherwise meet with us again in six months time. I have rigged this place to explode if we are ever exposed, but even if we are I have left enough forged evidence to misdirect their ANBU for a while."

"Got it. Anything else?"

He gave her a lax salute before wishing her well, "Happy hunting."

With a grin she moved off, grabbing her supplies before disappearing to the outer gates of the city.

"Are you sure she is the best person to send out? Most bandits are guys, and you know how well they would take to having a female among them."

'Saru' agreed but shook his head, "Normally yes. But she is the best person for the job. You haven't heard of her exploits have you?"

Looking at the other man like he was crazy he laughed, "Of course I have! 'Ushi' could probably take out half this town if she wanted to!"

"Exactly. It's not exactly subtle. She can take care of herself and I pity to poor bastard that tries to force themselves on her. Her acts are at least minimised out in the field where reports are confused, evidence destroyed by the elements and so forth. Left here, well it's not like any other nation has pissed us off recently. So if half the bloody village suddenly goes up in flames, they would blame us. And I don't want to see Sarutobi resolve another bloody war again."

That thought made the operator feel very uneasy, "… Agreed."

"Anyways, there are a few people we can either blackmail, bribe or threaten. We should focus on…"

The two remaining operatives worked into the night. Plans were discussed, discarded and refined. The snare was being carefully laid before it would be triggered.

* * *

**Konoha  
Uchiha estate  
Clan shrine room**

"So, do you believe me now?"

"Hn..."

"More importantly, what is your choice?"

"Will you allow yourself to be free? Or will you forever chained by those inferior to you. Let yourself be used for their ambitions which are so trivial that it's pathetic?"

"Will you let yourself be denied the right to fly for any longer Itachi-kun?"

"...No."

_Thank you Anbu-san for putting me on the steps to opening my eyes. It all makes sense now. My light will now never fade, ever. _

It was time for him to measure his capacity in the only way he knew how to. In the manner that he was brought up thinking was the right way. And when the dust was all settled they will all realise that their crutch would be missing. No one would ever really know why he did it. But he would. And for Uchiha Itachi, that was enough. More than enough.

* * *

**Konoha  
Yuugao's apartment**

"Congratulations!"

There was a near feral grin on Anko's face as Yuugao complemented her on her promotion. Not only to tokubetsu jounin, but she finally was given acceptance to the ANBU corps.

Life was rarely easy for most people. But Mitarashi Anko had problems that most people would have given up all hope over. But she would be damned before she let something like that take her down. Headstrong and determined were words that Yuugao would have used to describe Konoha's resident snake mistress.

_Clinically insane with a fetish for blood would be the other, but those words would have hardly fazed her anyways. Or do they? Does she hide behind that persona that she created to mask the pain that she feels?_

Yuugao had her eyes opened by her association with two people. The first was the blond swordsman that she was slowly drifting away from; the other was right in front of her.

Two pariahs that did not deserve the treatment that they were receiving from the majority. Two people who had their choices taken from them by people in superior positions to them. And it was shocking to see how different they were to each other.

Naruto still managed to keep a part of himself alive during his abandonment, with his optimism and drive for life still shining through. While there were hints of pain in his eyes, they were overshadowed by the determination that burned brightly, deep within his core.

Anko was a provocateur, in every sense of the word. She was in every instance daring people to glare at her, to spite her, to show the world their ugliness reflected in their actions. But she didn't know if that was what she was like normally, before she was taken in by Orochimaru. Hell, what she wore was pretty scandalous in itself, designed to draw attention to herself in the most obvious way possible.

Then again, kunoichi aren't known for conventional dress sense. _How Kurenai thinks bandages are in any way practical, I do not know. What is wrong with a jumpsuit and armoured vest?_

_In a messed up way, I guess she and Naruto are the same, they desperately want attention. In any way they can get. Though I must say his pranks against the Hyuuga are pretty good. At least he isn't in my room going through my ..._

Anko couldn't help but crow on about her victory over those who ever doubted her, "Fu Fu Fu Fu. It was only a matter of time anyways for me anyways. Who could expect anything less from Mitarashi Anko?! But damn me if it doesn't feel good!"

That said/proclaimed, she sat back and bit into some dango as she indulged herself in the moment. It wasn't often that she could say that she was happy, but this was one of those moments. Ecstatic over the news, she rushed out to celebrate and it seemed that nothing could take her down from her high.

She looked around Yuugao's apartment and found a picture. Showing some slight interest, she walked over and had a look.

"Hey, who are those two? I think I recognise Gekkou Hayate, but who is the brat?"

Smiling, Yuugao went over and pointed out the people in the photograph, "Yep, that's Hayate-san alright. He's still in the general division as a chuunin.

Feeling the need to tease the kunoichi, Anko gave her a light jab to her ribs, "Fu fu fu fu fu. Is Yuugao-chan hiding a little secret from little 'ol me?"

Blinking owlishly Yuugao shook her head in denial, "What? No! He is just someone that helped me train Naruto!"

With a predatory smile, the tokubetsu jounin nodded her head in mock understanding, "Of course of course, wait, are you holding hands in that photo?"

Yuugao quickly grabbed the photo from Anko's hand while the snake mistress laughed out loud. _Damn, still got it_.

"Anyways," drying the tears from her eyes, "Who is the other boy?"

Yuugao gave a huff before responding. "The other, oh, that's just Naruto. Haven't you ever heard of him?"

She had. And that brought back memories that she had tried to suppress. The knowledge that he was also a kind of experiment lingered in her thoughts as she examined the photo. And in no small part did she remember the look in his eyes, giving a smile at the person taking the photo.

She was familiar with the look. Hell, she just had to look in the mirror to see it reflected at her.

_Hide the pain because no one can understand the burdens that we face. Things that we did not choose, but we bear regardless._

_  
The tightness of the eyes, the hidden insincerity of the grin..._

"How is he doing anyways?" she asked indifferently, or at least tried to.

"I... I don't really know. I haven't been able to speak or see him in months. You know, ANBU duties and all..." Yuugao just trailed off towards the end, lost in her memories.

Anko just looked at her with a sad smile. While she wouldn't face such a problem, others in the ANBU program were not so lucky. With irregular hours, deep secrecy and constant stress, it wasn't for everybody. Operatives did regularly burn out and their turnover rate was high. Too high to be met at any rate. Time for family and friends were severely limited as a result, leading to strained relationships. Which was a reason why shinobi and kunoichi usually dated as they understood. Civilian relationships did not usually end well.

Anko was jealous that Yuugao had people to care for. People that she cared for but couldn't see because of her responsibilities. She herself could count on one hand how many people would miss her because of her assignment. _Hell, everyone else would be happy that I'm not around as often, bastards..._

She was suddenly struck with a thought. She grabbed Yuugao with one arm, dango in the other and dragged her out of the apartment.

"Arrgh, what are you doing?! Let go of me dammit!" protested the violet haired kunoichi.

"Ah relax. Its so boring celebrating with one person, come on, let's go see these two!"

"But you don't know where they are at the moment!"

Anko scoffed at that, "So what? We're kunoichi aren't we? And if we can't find the two of them then we really need to reconsider being part of ANBU!"

With that said, she gave a maniacal laugh as they tried to find the two swordsmen. There was something about Naruto that she needed to see for herself. This was just a convenient opportunity for her to do so. And Yuugao really didn't need an excuse to see the boy that she had trained for over a year. Though a slightly drunk Anko might lead to all sorts of things that she, being the sober and responsible one, would have to deal with.

_God dammit._

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga complex  
South eastern training ground**

If anyone accused the Hyuuga of being stalkers, they would be met with icy glares and cold disdain. But really, their doujutsu was seemingly made for observation and intelligence gathering.

Yet it was an odd scene where over twenty Branch members had their bloodline active as they watched one boy train with his zanpakuto. If asked why, they wouldn't really be able to give a coherent answer. If pressed, they would have provided the following:

Said boy was one of the kindest souls that they have ever met. More importantly, he treated each and every one of them as a person. Not something disregarded into a pile that did not quite make the grade. But as people that had desires and hopes that, for the majority at least, would sadly remain unfulfilled

When Naruto first learnt of the juin jutsu, he was glad that he didn't have a family. There was something about Konoha and branding people, particularly by fathers, or father like figures… He figured that if family treated each other like this, he was infinitely better off without them.

Though as he spent time with them, he realised that they had formed an odd surrogate bond with them. Konoka would always be there with a laugh and a treat for him whenever he visited the kitchens. Setsuna would always be willing to help him mend his clothing whenever he got a bit too over-zealous with his training. The sheer happiness and compassion in his eyes whenever they spent time with them was heartfelt and reciprocated. He was like the little brother that they felt fond of.

And they were interested in his development as he pushed himself to levels that were not healthy for a boy his age. It was nearing midnight where under the glow of the moon Naruto finally understood what it meant to actually dance.

Rhythm and balance were things that were drummed into Naruto by Hayate and they were now paying its dividends. Katas were developed as a form of muscle memory exercise that showed the potential movements that could be made during an enemy encounter. The fact that they did look like stylised dances did not detract from the fact that by repeating the same movement over and over, perfection in a way that was not obvious.

_Remember Naruto, I do not fear the thousand strikes that you have practiced just once. I fear the single strike that you have practiced one thousand times. _

Those words from 'Mi' really opened his eyes.

Naruto leaped up into the air, chakra boosting his height so that he cleared five metres before twisting his body as gravity kicked in. Before he hit the ground he tucked his body into a roll, arms extended as he began his dance.

Hayate had begun the Dance of the Crescent Moon with a simple and elegant kata that relied on grace and fluid movements. He remembered what he could and tried to replicate it, doing what came naturally to him.

Little did he know that much of it was assisted by his zanpakuto. The Kyuubi had long discovered Naruto's affinity to wind and began to subconsciously guide her vessel into combining it with his kenjutsu.

An overhand slash quickly became a twirl, balancing on the tip of his toes as he lunged forward, his stance perfect as he balanced on his left foot, raising his right until his entire body arced into a crescent, blade extended forward as Naruto found his balance.

_Woah, his flexibility is amazing! Imagine the things he could do when he was older..._

While the Hyuuga women were playing matchmaker with an older, mature jinchuuriki and their daughters (and others with themselves, particularly Setsuna), Naruto began to move his arms like a whirlwind, his breath becoming more ragged as his arm burned from the shear strain of actually wielding his blade for over an entire hour. The Kyuubi stopped her healing to actually allow his muscles to break down and become stronger. Though this did mean that he would get teased in the future for having such a muscled right arm compared to his left, it meant that Naruto's strength would be entirely his own, not something augmented by chakra or otherwise.

When the moon reached its zenith, Naruto stopped and was surprised to see Hanabi watching him with intent eyes. Honestly, he didn't really know how to feel about her. Hinata was different, being more reserved and quiet around him while the youngest was curious and unafraid of satisfying her inquisitiveness. He remembered the last time they met and how her hands had wandered.

Fighting back a shiver, Naruto just sat down and stripped off his training shirt before reaching for a towel and a bottle of water.

_Oh, my..._

Though he was still a kid, he had an impressive set of pectoral muscles that showed clear definition and use. While he was not ripped in any sense of the word, his body was purely functional and lean, being made for speed and stamina.

Hanabi's eyes widened slightly before she came over and sat down next to him, at all times focussing on his face.

_She's looking at my whiskers again, isn't she?_

**_You better believe it kit._**

_Which reminds me, why the hell are they there in the first place?_

**_Probably the result of my chakra being stored in your body. It might have meant that you would have became an hanyou sooner or later. But that's not likely now._**

_Why not?_

**_You're a shinigami now. I doubt the chakra could change your cells anymore than when Kisuke came along and did whatever it was that he did._**

And sometimes I wonder what would happen if you were a hanyou...

While he was having his internal monologue, Hanabi was trying hard to restrain her fingers from making their way to Naruto's face.

_Stop it, it's not that interesting..._ Hell, she couldn't even kid herself with that.

It was more like an addiction. She could see the way that her sister looked at Naruto, using her Byakugan to seemingly stalk him at every opportunity. Something she never expected her demure sibling to ever do. It raised Naruto into a person of interest. He was a puzzle that didn't quite fit in her world.

_The clan has never had an honoured son appointed before, not when I asked my tutors. What makes you so special Naruto-san?_

"Well Hanabi-san, why are you here? Its awfully late you know."

She flushed slightly. Truth was that she was supposed to be in bed, and if the Main family ever found out that she was up, then it would not be pleasant. But she knew that the blond trained at odd hours and when she used her Byakugan and found him immersed in his kata, she couldn't help herself. Not when she saw twenty others doing the same thing.

That began a conversation that lasted into the night and early morning. Talking about everything and nothing until he realised that he had another session with his torturer/instructor in twelve hours.

He got up, stretched his muscles before offering his hand to her.

"How 'bout I walk you back to your room Hanabi-chan?" he offered graciously.

The affectation gave her a slight blush as she took his hand. With a mischievous smile, she grabbed on his arm and jumped onto his shoulder. His centre of gravity disrupted, Naruto nearly fell over before he regained his balance. Hanabi was laughing at him as he scowled at her playfully.

Hanabi had never felt so free before in her life. The restricting atmosphere and ceremony that she was brought up in were all relaxed in front of the jinchuuriki. She could really be herself without fear of seeing judgement in his eyes. It was liberating in a way that she could not express. He was really like a brother that she would never have, possibly something more. She also liked the view when she was on his shoulder. Things looked much better when you were taller. Well they would if you were a six year old kid.

Naruto just gave a feigned sigh as he picked up his zanpakuto and made his way into the living quarters, a faint smile on his face. Seeing him move in their direction, his appreciative audience merely deactivated their bloodgift and walked away while whistling inconspicuously.

Naruto smiled as he felt for the first time in his life a measure of happiness in finding people precious to him. And the chance to protect himself and them if need be. Though if Hanabi didn't stop grabbing his hair and use it as a steering wheel, he would have to reconsider her position on that list...

* * *

**Konoha  
Uchiha estate  
Inner courtyard **

It was a quiet evening that greeted the Uchiha estate. Too quiet when you compared the acts that just happened an hour ago. It was history in the making, I mean really, who could have claimed that they had laid waste to an entire clan of one hundred and fifty in an entire night?

Uchiha Itachi could as he stood over the dying body of his father, his ninjato wet with his blood as Uchiha Fugaku looked at his son in disbelief.

"Wh-why did you do this? How could you-" He stopped as a tremor wracked his body. Itachi had stabbed the man through his lungs, letting him experience a rather bloody death.

No emotions were present on Itachi's face. It wasn't the first time he had killed and it would not be the last. The fact that it was his father was irrelevant in his mind.

He turned and walked away. There was only one more thing to do. And almost as if the gods were granting his prayer, he found his two remaining kinsmen.

Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Sasuke. His mother and brother respectively.

Mikoto knew that something was wrong when she saw the blood splattered walls of the complex. When she saw the bodies of all their clansmen, she grabbed Sasuke and held him behind her before activating her Sharingan.

When she saw Itachi, her heart felt relief that at least someone was alive. Though there was something about his face that concerned her. It was more emotionless than ever, if that was possible.

_Did he see the attackers? Is the rest of the family alright? What hap-?_

Before that thought could have been completed, Itachi blurred in front of her. Her three stage Sharingan saw the possibilities in front of her as her son dashed towards her. She had no chance to do anything as he stabbed her through her abdomen, the blade going completely through and exiting her back. Complete surprise graced Mikoto's face as she collapsed to the floor, Itachi kicking her off his sword.

Sasuke was just as shocked as he saw his brother just gut their mother in front of him.

"Kaa-san!" He went to her body and tried to put pressure onto her wound, doing anything to staunch the bleeding. He was getting hysterical as he saw Mikoto's eyes reverting to their normal appearance, running out of chakra to maintain her bloodline.

Sasuke looked up and saw the cold and empty eyes of his brother. His idol looking back at him impassively. He never felt as betrayed or alone as he did on that night.

"Why did you do it! Why!" he demanded hysterically.

With a pitying tone, Itachi deigned to answer his little brother, "It was necessary Sasuke-kun."

That confused the hell out of the little boy, "How was killing mother necessary?! You, you did this all didn't you?!"

The blood splattered shinobi gave an imperceptible nod of his head, "Yes. Our entire clan is dead, all by my hand. A fate that they all deserved. Each and every one of them."

"What did father do, what did -"

Interrupting Sasuke's rant Itachi sneered at his incomprehension, "Foolish otoutou, the question is what didn't they do. It was required to test my capacity."

Sasuke blinked repeatedly, unable to reconcile the killer in front of him with his sometimes distant brother, "What was wrong with a training post?! They were our family dammit." He saw his mother going into shock and was desperately shouting to get some help.

The ANBU's eyes hardened into rubies as he spoke with controlled rage, "I never considered them to be my family. Just like I never considered you to be my brother."

To hear those words said aloud was a shock to the raven haired boy. Enough to stop his cries as he looked at his brother with disbelief.

Itachi walked over to the boy, his ninjato by his side, dripping blood as he approached, "Don't waste your breath shouting. No one will hear you. And who would come anyways? The Uchiha were the Military Police for Konoha. If I could kill them all, who else could stop me?"

"The ANBU will, they can stop you!" replied Sasuke, the edge of desperation clear in his voice.

Itachi cocked his head and acknowledged that,"Possibly, but I was their _best_. This conversation has been going on for too long. You are weak and beneath my notice. No matter what you did, you will never reach me, doomed to forever chase my shadow. You do not have what it takes to kill me otoutou, you never will. Not unless -"

Raising his ninjato, Itachi was about to finish his of his sentence before he was interrupted by eight thrown kunai. He used his blade to deflect all of them before he faced two shinobi decked in ANBU gear. Instead of animal masks, they wore blank ones with their eyes showing.

"Good evening Uchiha-san. Would you mind throwing down your arms so we can take you into custody? We promise to be gentle."

The only reaction was a slight tightening of his face before lowering his blade. He turned towards an unconscious Sasuke, noticing a senbon needle in the back of his neck, before speaking to his body. "I will deal with these nuisances first before we can finish off our conversation."

Facing the two, he looked at them all before noticing that they were not looking at his eyes.

_Like that will help them. They have no idea of the true power of the Mangekyou Sharingan._

_Katon: Housenka!_

The handseals were crafted before they all exploded forward, balls of fire that spread towards 'Saru' and 'Uma'. Both of them jumped out of the way before Itachi seemingly burst into ravens that cluttered the battlefield.

Both of them nodded towards each other before channelling chakra into their mouths.

_Fuuton: Daitoppa!_

Currents coalesced into whirlwinds that blew the birds away. This was all a distraction as Itachi got close enough to engage them in hand to hand combat. With the precognitive abilities of the Sharingan, it was a fight that they couldn't win.

He approached 'Umi's' blind side and cut deep into his underarm. Or he would have had he not disappeared in smoke.

_Doton: C__hikyuu no sen tou no ouda!_

_Kaiton: Hametsu no chuushin no younin!_

Jagged spires of earth burst from Itachi's feet, managing to penetrate his chest and legs. That was before lava burst from the earth and wrapping around the Uchiha. He sagged slightly as 'Saru's' heart quickened at the thought of victory. That was before Itachi's body burst again into ravens.

_What the fuck was that? Some sort of bunshin? God dammit why is it that high level shinobi battles all seem to degenerate into this?_

When the two of them saw that it was Itachi they were up against, they planned to draw him into a trap. But they did not truly appreciate the power of the prodigy's new eye. 'Saru' knew he was outclassed and had just wanted to bluff the Uchiha prodigy while desperately channelling chakra to his tattoo, calling for reinforcements. But for some reason his chakra signal wasn't sending out.

_Fuck, I need backup. Where was he all this time?_

The two of them had hidden themselves in genjutsu, confident that they wouldn't be trapped in any genjutsu if Itachi wasn't aware of their presence. He just hoped that the Sharingan wouldn't be able to penetrate their double layered illusion.

Itachi was actually on a roof as he saw the two 'Ne' operatives trying to find him.

_Pathetic. This is a waste of my time. Prepare to die._

_Raiton: Tsurugi no raito!_

Currents formed around his arm as he pointed it towards 'Saru'. The charge gathered before discharging, travelling in a ragged line before striking the shinobi in the lower back. His entire body spasmed as it fried his senses. His body remained twitching on the floor.

_Dammit, I'm nearly out of chakra. Hopefully that's the end of it._

He wasn't so lucky as a dragon made entirely of fire exploded towards him. He dodged it before it crashed into the roof, blowing an eight meter hole before setting anything flammable alight.

Another 'Ne' operative arrived on the scene.

_Fuck, one down already. And he needs help fast. Got to end it quickly, but how?_

He drew his ninjato as he charged Itachi, focusing on his throat and below instead of his head, his blows driving the younger man back. Itachi merely dropped into a defensive stance, meeting all of his attacks while looking for a pattern or an opening.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find one. While the Sharingan allowed him to trace the potential movements by the flow of chakra, it didn't help that much when the enemy was right in your face and you were not fast enough. But even then 'Mi's' strikes were flawless and tightly controlled, not giving an inch as they all moved towards a fatal strike. While he didn't have the Sharingan, 'Mi' had the experience to know how an opponent would telegraph their next movements from their legs and shoulders.

'Uma' was watching this in awe. 'Mi' was one of their best when it came to close up bladework and it showed. The Uchiha was not experienced when fighting someone who could stand toe to toe with them, Sharingan be damned. Snapping out of it, he waited for any opening where he could strike.

A particularly strong blow knocked Itachi back five meters before his hands blurred in more seals.

_Katon: Hotaru no merodei!_

Fire the size of eggs burst forward from his hands as they circled around him like a protective shield. 'Mi' didn't want to get that close so he let loose kunai and shuriken to test this new jutsu. They encountered the firewall and were rendered useless, unable to penetrate the barrier as they melted before even reaching one meter of his body.

'Uma' decided to take his chance.

_Suiton: Suiryuudan!_

Drawing water from the communal well arose a dragon that twisted in the air before targeting the flame shrouded man. Itachi didn't even bat an eyelid as he was crushed by a near quarter tone of water. His katon jutsu was extinguished during the contact. But then 'Uma' realized his mistake.

The collision of water and fire created steam. A hell of a lot of it which blinded him and 'Mi', decreasing their chances of survival by three-fold.

_Oh shit! How hot was his damned katon jutsu to cause this much vapour?!_

_Fuuton: Dai –_

His words were cut off when two feet of steel imbedded himself into his lungs, crushing his concentration. It was roughly ripped away leaving him on the floor trying to mould healing chakra to save his life as blood flooded his lungs.

Itachi focused his attention to the greater threat.

_Ok, that's two down. Fuck that god damned doujutsu. It looks too different to the three tomoe stage… All my strategies are useless then. Better end this quickly._

An idea came to him as he faced the rogue Uchiha.

"I am going to end this in one strike. Genius or not, nobody has survived this kinjutsu," he said confidently.

That got his attention. He could tell that his man was strong, stronger than anyone he had encountered during the night. The problem with Sharingan users was their insatiable curiosity when it came to new techniques. Itachi more so than others, so instead of actually killing his enemy quickly, he decided to wait for a few moments to copy his jutsu. He figured that he could survive it and add something new to his list. And really, it was only in life and death situations that the really impressive stuff was pulled out, just ripe for him to assimilate.

_Raiton: Herald of the Thunder God!_

'Mi' had an entire column of lightning channelled over his arm that he held high above his head. Over three feet wide, it wove around him and reached out into the heavens, creating a light show of unimaginable proportions as they all felt the electrical discharge ionise the oxygen in the air. The heavy smell of ozone lingered, and Itachi widened his eyes. It _was_ an impressive technique. Hell, if 'Mi's' hair was anything to go by, if anyone got hit by that they could kiss their mortality goodbye.

_Much like Hatake-san's Raikiri. Yet for some reason, it doesn't look like it was made for an attack…_

It was then he realized that he had been fooled. It wasn't meant to kill him, it was meant to draw attention to the _entire dammed household_. The chakra flare was immense, something that most shinobi should not have been able to pull off. He knew that in moments the entire Internal Security ANBU division would probably converge onto his position. And he was not quite ready to take them all on just yet.

Giving a grimace, he left his brother and his mother before taking off to the roofs, running away before attempting a _Shunshin no jutsu_. As soon as he was out of sight and confident that it wasn't just another genjutsu, 'Mi' released his ninjutsu before collapsing onto the ground.

_Fuck, that was intense. I wouldn't have been able to pull that off unless I had taken those soldier pills and used the 'Ne' seal… Shit, we better get away._

The two other operatives managed to pull themselves together and get to him. They were all in a fairly sorry state as they barely escaped that with their lives. 'Saru' and 'Uma' gave a grateful smile that was hidden behind their masks and pulled him up and onto their shoulders before forming the seals for _Shunshin no jutsu_. It just wouldn't do if they were found by the ANBU at the scene of the greatest crimes in their village's history.

* * *

**Konoha**  
'**Ne' headquarters**

Danzo was not a happy man. Being woken up in the middle of the night did that to him. Especially when he was greeted by really bad news. This was one of those times. Seeing 'Mi' in his exhausted condition raised some alarms. There wasn't much the assassin of 'Ne' couldn't handle. And if he took on someone like that in Konoha itself…

"What the hell happened?" he demanded urgently.

'Mi' gave him a lackadaisical wave, "Nice to see you as well boss. You're looking as healthy as always. Did you just recently change your bandages as well?"

Danzo just resisted the urge to roll his eyes. While talented and useful, 'Mi' did run his mouth off to anyone he liked. He just fixed an impatient stare before the other caved.

"Well, as far as we could tell, Itachi went bat shit crazy and decided to kill his entire clan in an entire night. I'm kinda glad we didn't invite that fucker into 'Ne' now."

Danzo's mouth was opened in surprise, "Impossible. How could he kill his entire clan just by _himself_?"

The assassin shrugged with some difficulty, "Oh, he probably didn't. In fact, I am sure he had some help."

"Explain."

"There was one massive genjutsu cast over the _entire_ Uchiha complex. One that precluded sound and sight from actually letting anyone know that something was wrong. It's the same technique that we used on the Kumo safehouse, and something that 'Saru' and 'Uma' noticed on patrol. I was lucky enough to be near when I felt it and could feel them using their tattoos for reinforcements."

Nodding thoughtfully, Danzo tried to fit the pieces together, "That explains that massive light show just then. More importantly the chakra flare. What the hell did you do?"

With some reluctance 'Mi' answered the question, "Yeah, there was no way I could have beat him then without some help. Though he must have been tired, I have never seen the Sharingan with that shape before. So I made him retreat. But the thing was, he didn't cast that genjutsu. There was no way that he could maintain something like that and still kill off his family at the same time."

An icy feeling developed with the 'Ne' leader's stomach, "That means…"

"Yes, he had some help in taking down our entire Military Police force in a single night. Question is who the hell were they?"

Uchiha Itachi only needed one person's help to become known as the greatest Kinslayer in the Fire Country. Oddly enough most people would not have believed anyone who actually knew the truth of the matter. The question that would remain on everyone's mind would be why he did it. A question that would remain to haunt many a person during the coming months.

Fin.

* * *

A/N

_Doton: C__hikyuu no sen tou no ouda! _(Strike of the earthen spire)

_Kaiton: Hametsu no chuushin no younin _(Embrace of the molten heart)

_Katon: Hotaru no merodei _(Melody of fireflies)

_Raiton: Tsurugi no raito _(Blade of light)

Ok, some OC's were created, which I kind of had to do. There was no mention of any of 'Ne' operatives beyond Sai in canon. I didn't really plan to give them much more of a role beyond that of Naruto's instructors. But if there is sufficient interest, then I might just have some fun with them for a bit while longer.

Oh yeah, the jutsu's that I created were all in English. Couldn't find a good enough resource, or someone who could speak/write Japanese to actually help me. Which is ok until the next few chapters, when I will probably need one quite desperately. Zanpakuto's don't name themselves...

Likewise, no one really knows what Hanabi's real character is. We can infer a few things, but not much beyond that. But she will be an important character in the future. To be honest I was inspired by Daniel Rush – Koushi - and his story Naruto Fuujinroku. Excellent fic, read it if you have the time to do so. And I must say that I was planning the whole Hanabi as Yachiru scene for a damned long time. Parallelism anyone?

Anyways, this is yet another massive chapter. I think I have resigned myself to writing epics. Next will focus on the ramifications of having the massacre, something that I will have lots of fun exploring. Some characters will be introduced explored with a bit more depth as well.

As always, read, review and enjoy. University starts again so updates will not be as quick as they used to be. But rest assured, they will continue as long as I have an interest in doing so. Hint hint.

Ja ne.


	7. Reflections and ramifications in red

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N. Hello there. Now for something not really explored in fanfiction, I don't think. Anyways, updates will not be as quick as they have been. Uni starts for real and supersedes this unfortunately. Thanks for all the people kind enough to leave reviews; it's the only real payment I'm getting out of this. Hope this manages to tide you over until the next chapter. Oh yeah, I posted scans of Naruto's gear on my profile, if anyone is interested.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me. Sadly.

Chapter started: 28Feb08  
Chapter completed: 02Mar08  
Chapter revisited: 26Dec08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_Danzo's mouth was opened in surprise, "Impossible. How could he kill his entire clan just by himself?"_

_The assassin shrugged with some difficulty, "Oh, he probably didn't. In fact, I am sure he had some help."_

_"Explain."_

_"There was one massive genjutsu cast over the entire Uchiha complex. One that precluded sound and sight from actually letting anyone know that something was wrong. It's the same technique that we used on the Kumo safehouse, and something that 'Saru' and 'Uma' noticed on patrol. I was lucky enough to be near when I felt it and could feel them using their tattoos for reinforcements."_

_Nodding thoughtfully, Danzo tried to fit the pieces together, "That explains that massive light show just then. More importantly the chakra flare. What the hell did you do?"_

_With some reluctance 'Mi' answered the question, "Yeah, there was no way I could have beat him then without some help. Though he must have been tired, I have never seen the Sharingan with that shape before. So I made him retreat. But the thing was, he didn't cast that genjutsu. There was no way that he could maintain something like that and still kill off his family at the same time."_

_An icy feeling developed with the 'Ne' leader's stomach, "That means…"_

_"Yes, he had some help in taking down our entire Military Police force in a single night. Question is who the hell were they?"_

_Uchiha Itachi only needed one person's help to become known as the greatest Kinslayer in the Fire Country. Oddly enough most people would not have believed anyone who actually knew the truth of the matter. The question that would remain on everyone's mind would be why he did it. A question that would remain to haunt many a person during the coming months._

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**_Reflections and ramifications in red_**

**Konoha  
Uchiha estate  
Thirty minutes after the massacre**

"Quick, get the medics!"

"ANBU, secure the area and search for any survivors!"

"Fuck, what the hell happened here?"

"Where is the Hokage? He needs to be informed right away!"

"Get the Internal Security division, we have a code red emergency. Put the entire village on lockdown. No one leaves or enters until the Hokage says so!"

"The kid is still breathing! And the woman! They need a medevac now!"

"On it sir. You five, form a protective detail. Protect them if anyone comes back to finish the job. Understand?"

"Sir!"

"On second thoughts, contact Dignitary Protection as well."

The officer in charge struggled to come on to grip on the situation as he found a nightmarish scene that he was not prepared for, "Do we have any leads?"

One of the investigative nins from the ANBU shook their head in disbelief as he had to explain how this happened in the heart of Konoha, "There was massive chakra activity in the last three hours. We are finding residues of it everywhere. It was somehow masked and remained undetected until we saw that raiton jutsu light up the skies. The two survivors will probably know more than we do."

Cursing, the jounin shook his head angrily as he tried to find some good news from the situation and explanation for the massacre, "How many casualties so far?"

"We have found at least one eighty dead so far. And that is only three quarters of the compound. Whoever it was knew what they were doing, or did their homework. Most of them were caught by surprise and didn't even have weapons on them."

"Shit, that bad?! Form a cordon at least three blocks wide, move progressively out. Have teams of at least three and keep in radio contact every two minutes."

"Roger!"

_This just doesn't make sense. How the hell could the entire damned clan get itself killed without us noticing? Nearly every fucking single Uchiha? Without even fighting back?_

_An inside job?_

_Possibly, but too early to tell_.

"Where the fuck are those trackers? Dammit, recall all standby ANBU on duty right now!"

_Oh fuck, please tell me there were some survivors at least. This isn't something that we can recover form otherwise._

Chaos ruled the night as emergency services and ANBU desperately tried to contain the blood stained compound, trying to find survivors while seeking out any enemy lying in wait while keeping any forensic evidence intact. As people rushed about only one thought was on the ANBU captain's mind as the true extent of the carnage was revealed.

_Who, why and where are they?_

* * *

**Konoha  
Ne headquarters  
Two hours after the massacre**

The same questions were being asked as well by Danzo along with 'Tatsu', the operations commander of 'Ne'. Danzo was pacing around as he wearily rubbed his temples before sighing and sitting in his seat. Grabbing his cup of green tea he gave a sip before deciding to hit the harder stuff. In his drawer he took out some spirits before pouring a substantial amount into a tumbler. He decided to voice the question on his mind.

Danzo felt sick as he tried to digest the news that the entire Uchiha clan were gutted, "Who the hell helped him do it? Did he defect to another nation, and killed off his clan as a show of loyalty?"

'Tatsu' just gave an imperceptible shrug before he answered, "Who knows, he probably wasn't the most sanest of people in the first place. They gave him power since he was a child, but not enough restraint. Or maybe it was too much restraint? In any event, his psych profile wasn't good enough for 'Ne', being that he was too high profile in the first place."

The scarred man nodded his agreement before responding coldly, "We can get the answers when we drag him in for interrogation. Find him. Incapacitate him if you can. Kill him as the last resort."

'Tatsu' shifted uncomfortably as he was given those orders, "I'm not sure that we could anyways. It would take all of our best and from what 'Mi' reported, he has some new form of Sharingan that we have no information on. Too much risk is involved. He, and any company he may have had, did just take out our _entire_ Military Police force. We would need some of our best, and most of them are on deployment."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear, "Then what do you suggest? "he demanded, "We let him go after killing off one of our founding clans!? One of the greatest deterrents in the whole damned Elemental Nations?!"

The other just shook his head, "Pursuit is not practical at this point. He may be exhausted or not, but he still has the Sharingan. More importantly, he may have an entire cell or three to cover his exfiltration. No doubt the hunter-nin's are on the case. We can't afford to throw away operatives like that, not since we have committed ourselves to the Kumo offensive."

Danzo was unhappy at that answer but he pressed on anyways, "No, we give him some lead time while we get the Hokage to get Jiraiya on the case. My sources say that the Toad Sannin has been recalled."

The 'Ne' leader laughed bitterly and gave a grim smile, "Finally, he does something useful. Fine, but we cannot stop right there. I'm sure you know what this means."

The shinobi looked him in the eyes, waiting for the order, "I want you to say it Danzo-sama. Just so there is no confusion at all."

The bandaged man just laid back and steepled his fingers, "Too many nations will see us as being on our deathbed as a result of this. I want you to give them other things to worry about. I don't care what you do, but make sure they have enough problems to leave us alone until something can be done. Hit civilian targets if you have to, incite a civil war. I honestly don't care. But get it done."

Nodding at his mandate 'Tatsu' stood up and gave him a short salure, "As you say Danzo-sama."

_Goddamit, I hope no one tries to invade us right now. And Sarutobi, you better pull something out of your hat because I sure as hell can't do everything for you. _

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's office  
One day after the massacre**

_Minato, you son of a bitch. Why did you leave me with this bullshit to deal with?_

_After the whole Kumo incident, just another one pops up. How many of these god damned tragedies to I have to deal with?_

_I need to find a successor soon. _

_I am getting too old for this shit. _

The reports were finally coming through. At last count there were two Uchiha found alive. That was Sasuke and Mikoto who were being under heavy guard in the ANBU hospital quarters. The rest were still being identified from eviscerated body parts, charred corpses and other seemingly unrecognisable pieces of human matter. Forensics were a damned nightmare with all the destruction, but a grim picture was being painted from the available information. More importantly there were too many questions left unanswered.

_Who the hell did it, and how they did it under their very noses?_

Uchiha Itachi was still missing, with most thinking he fought off his family's attackers and drove them away. But he hadn't reported in to ANBU yet and they could not find his body anywhere. It was all too disturbing.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when his secretary knocked and spoke to him.

"He is here Sandaime-sama."

_Finally, some good news_.

"Let him in."

In came a kabuki clad figure with red paint on his face. Wearing clogs and a large scroll slung over his back, white bangs covering his face, his student hadn't really changed from when he last saw him nearly eight years ago. He had a disgruntled scowl on his face and he approached his desk.

"What have you done to the place sensei? Security wanted to strip search and escort me to you when I was at the gates this morning. Me! Have you finally gotten senile old man?" he demanded indignantly.

Sarutobi was in no mood to deal with his student's trivial bullshit. "Where on this earth have you been Jiraiya?" he asked bluntly.

Giving an airy wave of his hands the Toad Sannin rolled his eyes theatrically, "Oh you know, doing research here and there."

"Well that's great to hear that you have been having fun. But your village needs you know, especially that intelligence network that has been silent for the last six years."

Jiraiya looked uncomfortable and tried to find an excuse, "Look, I haven't got the time right now – "

_Ah screw this, I'm sick of being polite. _

"THEN YOU WILL MAKE TIME!" he ground out with an icy sense of anger.

Jiraiya was shocked. His sensei rarely ever raised his voice and for the first time he saw something in Sarutobi's eyes that he hadn't seen in years.

It was a combination of anger, pity and disappointment.

It was also directed solely at him.

Looking every bit like the shinobi that people had revered for years, Hiruzen stood up and cast his implacable gaze over the Sannin, "I have had enough of this. Do you think I wished to be the Hokage after Minato sacrificed his life?"

Jiraiya gave an indifferent shrug that made his mentor scoff.

"No, I didn't. I would have appointed you or Tsunade, but you still were dealing with your grief. So I foolishly let you go, hoping that you would come back in your own time. Tsunade has spent the last years drinking and gambling her inheritance away, while the village that her forefather's built and died for has slid downwards from one tragedy to the next."

Pausing for effect, he then pointed his finger at Jiraiya and spat out, "And you, you have just drowned away your sorrows in the embrace of drunken whores and spying on bathing women!"

Feeling the sting of hypocrisy the nin protested heavily at that, "Now wait a minute! My research has not been useless! You read my books as well dammit!"

Nodding at the point he nonetheless continued on, "True, but I have been able to separate my private and professional life. Something that you have to do as well. You are a man grown as well. I should not need to tell you this. Because I will not always be around, and somebody has to take over as Hokage when I am gone."

"I hope you are not thinking of me," Jiraiya said uneasily.

Sarutobi sighed and just slumped into himself. For the first time Jiraiya realised how the ages have crept up on his sensei. He had always thought that the Sandaime was indomitable, weathering everything that came at him with determination and stoicism. This was the man that had led Konoha through two wars and one crises to the next. But he had another illusion shattered that morning.

Sarutobi was old. Worse yet he was desperately trying to plug holes in a ship that seemed to multiply as the years went on.

He suddenly stood up and walked over to the window overlooking the village.

"I love Konoha," he started softly, "each and every person here has the potential to carry on this will of fire. I was lucky enough to carry the mantle twice. But it is up to all of us to nurture our potential so that we leave on a legacy that our children can be proud of. To create a world not caught up in bloodshed and hatred."

He turned to face Jiraiya so he could see the earnestness on his face as he explained himself to his student.

"I love this village so much that I will do anything to protect it, even from itself. Even if it means that I have to give up my life for it. I do it willingly because it is a burden that I chose to bear. To serve all, not myself. Not everyone thinks like I do, or could do what I do."

"Do you know what being a Hokage means Jiraiya?" Hiruzen asked suddenly.

The Toad Sage shook his head.

"It's a sacrifice that we live for others, not for ourselves. My marriage, my children, my grandchildren… all of them hate me, resent me in some way for neglecting them. And I have, I could never spend enough time with them to be a good father and husband, or grandfather even. I have given up my life to make sure that there is something left for the future. Their future."

With hardened eyes he asked softly, "The question is Jiraiya, what have you given up? What are you prepared to give up to Konoha? Especially when it needs you now, more than ever before."

Unwilling to answer, the Sannin avoided Sarutobi's eyes as he continued.

"I have given my life, my love and my morals for it. I have kept the peace even when I didn't really want to, made decisions for the greater good that I will not forgive myself for. I have sent people to die, ordered the torture of combatants and things that will weigh against me in the next life."

Softening his tone, the Hokage sighed as he gave his student a sympathetic look, "I know that you have lost people important to you. But we all have. How we deal with it is what really determines the measure of a man. I only hoped that I taught you that lesson when you were my student."

He went on to explain the events of the last three years. From Naruto's abandonment, to the Kumo incident, right down to the Uchiha massacre.

Seeing the surprise on the Toad Sannin's face, he scowled. "Where the hell have you been all this time? Granted we tried to keep this all quiet, but the fact that you have had no idea ..."

Seeing that he was still a bit stand, the Fire Shadow just sighed and continued, "I want you to find who actually did it Jiraiya. Who could have pulled it off. Because this is pretty much an act of war against our village and I will not stand for it."

"On that note, find Kushina. My ANBU have had no luck and I get the bad feeling that she has been kidnapped or has been taken into another village. You know how many secrets that she has in her, things to sensitive to be disclosed."

Jiraiya blinked incredulously, "You can't be serious. She loved Minato and Konoha. She would never betray us."

"I wouldn't have thought that she would abandon Naruto like she did. But guess what, she _did_," he interrupted icily. Jiraiya had nothing to say to that and closed his mouth.

"She might not have had a choice in the matter, but we cannot leave it alone. She had a working knowledge of the _Hiraishin_, which is enough to make her valuable to anyone."

"And let me tell you something Jiraiya, that boy is special...

He went on and explained everything to his pupil. The truth of the sealing, his new status as a death god and honorary son of the Hyuuga clan.

He felt shame in his gut as he realised how irresponsible and selfish he had been. For the last nine years he hadn't seen his godson and to hear of his exploits and his condition from a third party no less made him feel ashamed.

"I... I have to see him," he said with determination.

Sarutobi contemplated his request before shaking his head, "No."

"What do you mean no!? I'm his godfather dammit!" the Sannin shouted in outrage.

"You gave up any right to call yourself that when you abandoned him just as effectively as Kushina did."

Jiraiya winced. That was a low blow, and the Sandaime knew it.

"With the way that you have been living your life, I am not convinced that you are the best influence on Naruto right now. Icha Icha has gotten decidedly hardcore over the last few years. He has changed, and I don't know what to do."

"I will see him," ground out Jiraiya with a fierce expression on his face.

Seeing the uncharacteristic resolve in his face, Sarutobi smiled inwardly, "Perhaps, but only when you've proven to me that you are fit to do so. As much as I hate to say this, Konoha needs you more than your godson right now. It's not like he has been missing out on much anyways. And you have only yourself to blame for that. Oh, and take a STD and STI test before hand. Do you understand me?"

"What?! I'll let you know that I have neve - , err, I mean hai Sarutobi-sensei."

The Sandaime gave a slight smile at that before Jiraiya got up and left his office.

_That's one student down. Now for the next. _

* * *

**Konoha  
ANBU headquarters  
One day after the massacre**

"Is this really all necessary?"

The masked ANBU sighed in exasperation, "You know its all standard operating procedure. "

"Hasn't' he been through enough?" his partner pointed out with a grimace.

"I won't argue that. But we need to know if they were involved or not."

"Come on, that's a load of bullshit," the nin scoffed.

Unmoved by that, the chuunin looked heavenwards, "You heard the taichou, leave no rock unturned."

"You want me to interrogate a crying kid who just had his entire family killed!" he spluttered out in disbelief.

While acknowledging the point, he still had orders to carry out, "He was one of two eyewitnesses to one of the greatest crimes ever committed in our village. The fact that he survived when the rest of his clan died is, well, suspicious. Normally Torture and Interrogation would be involved, but…"

"The Hokage said no?" hazarded the operative.

Nodding with a slight smile his partner continued, "Yep. He left it up to Internal Security (IS) and CINT."

The masked ANBU just sighed before removing his mask. The other just gave a frown.

"You still should remain masked. You of all people should know about operational security," chided the shinobi with a shake of his head.

With a dry laugh the man hooked his mask to his utility belt before walking towards a cell, "Call me crazy, but I don't think he was involved in his entire family being killed. And I will need to get the kid to open up to me. It's not like you can warm up to an animal masked killer."

"True enough."

Uchiha Sasuke woke up from his induced coma for nearly a day and was still dazed by the events during the last twenty four hours. He found himself in a sterilised white room before he was shifted to a small cell with one way mirrors, a table and two chairs. The lighting was muted and no one told him what was going on at all.

_Was this all a dream? It must be, there was no way niisan would have done all of that, he wouldn't have killed kaa-san like that as well. No! She isn't dead, she must still be alive! If she isn't…_

He couldn't take the isolation anymore and felt the overwhelming urge to scream, "Why are you keeping me here, let me out dammit! I need to see my mother! My family. Let me go!" His voice had a twinge of hysteria as he started kicking at the door, doing nothing but create a racket as the reinforced steel weathered his assault.

"ARGHH, break damn you!" Looking around, he grabbed the steel chair and started to bash away. He then decided to work on the glass. It seemed to resist his assault until a few cracks started to appear. Seeing some success, he decided to pound away some more before the door opened.

In came a brown haired ninja with an ANBU vest and two cups in his hand. He merely raised an eyebrow at the scene before closing the door with his foot and walked over to the desk. Sasuke stopped his actions and looked at the intruder.

_ANBU? What happened? No please, don't tell me that Itachi did it! This must be some kind of dream, a genjutsu?! It can't be possible, it doesn't make any sense!_

Giving the raven haired boy a smile, he gestured for him to take a seat, before realising that his chair was dented beyond use. He then stood up and offered it over.

"Take a seat kid."

Stubbornly Sasuke shook his head, "No. let me out of here. I need to see my mother, my father, my family…"

_Crap, how the hell do I tell him that they are all dead except for his mother, who is still touch and go at this time? _

He just gave a sigh before facing one of the last Uchiha.

"Kid, I'm sorry to tell you this, but your mother is still in surgery at the moment. You can't really see her, but if you answer my questions about what happened last night, then when she is out of the red, I promise that you can see her."

That was not good enough for the distraught kid, "No, I want to see her now! I need to know that she is ok."

Hardening his tone slightly, the ANBU put a stern expression on his face, "Kid, I'm afraid that you have no choice in the matter. I am just being polite here. Like it or not, something terrible has happened, and we need to know what happened that night. Don't you?"

Sasuke was torn, he didn't really want to face up to what he saw. What he thought he saw, or maybe this was all real, and not some horrible dream he could wake up from and forget about.

Seeing the boy's lost face, the ANBU felt sympathy for the boy.

"Come on, sit down and take a drink. Just tell me what you heard, what you saw, anything that you think can help. And when it is all done I will personally take you to the medical ward. Ok?"

Sasuke just gave a wary nod before lowering himself onto the chair. He took a look at the cup of hot tea before taking it in his hands. He felt the comforting warmth before staring at the placid surface of the liquid, watching the steam wafting into the air. The ANBU just waited patiently, not wanting to push the traumatised kid any more than was absolutely necessary.

"We were coming home from …"

* * *

**Konoha  
Village Central  
One day after the massacre**

"Did you hear what happened?! Someone managed to kill off all the Uchihas!"

"Bullshit, there's no way that they are all dead."

"Haven't you seen the compound, it's pretty much under lockdown with ANBU everywhere. And have you seen any Uchiha anywhere today?"

"They have the Sharingan, it is not possible for all of them to be killed off. And why didn't we hear about it? If they were attacked I'm sure they would have fought back."

"I don't know. Maybe the attackers were better?"

"I don't believe it. Better than the Sharingan? Please, if there was one, then we would know about it."

"And anyone strong enough to take them all out, why didn't they do more damage to the village, hell, even take it over?"

"There are other clans in the village you know that, they wouldn't take it laying down."

"Stop spouting off rumours. I tell you, the Uchiha are probably having some sort of clan meeting right now, and they will all come out later during the day."

Needless to say rumour was rife among the civilian and shinobi ranks. And when the truth was finally revealed, it was accepted in measures of shock and disbelief. Though in a perverse kind of way, they could easily accept that it was only possible for a _Konoha_ shinobi to take out their entire Military Police force. It was a bizarre kind of pride that Konoha did breed legends, even if they did go rogue. Itachi's open reputation as being the ANBU's best helped create a reputation that would stay with him for the rest of the life.

Because if he didn't do it, then someone else would have had to. Someone else that might be planning an invasion straight away, being a pre-emptive strike. Better to think of it was a falling out among family members than a leading indicator of an incoming invasion.

Foolish thoughts, but hey, Konoha was like that.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga complex  
South eastern training area  
One day after the massacre**

Genjutsu was one of the areas that most shinobi discounted. A large part of it was that it was a difficult discipline that required a large amount of chakra control. The other was that it was a damn near theoretical exercise.

Most of the standard genjutsu's were recognised and were hence easily dispellable with sufficient chakra. In essence, the vaunted killing intent used by shinobi was a form of genjutsu that relied on eye contact and increasing the levels of fear in an opponent, usually by showing them their death or creating an oppressive atmosphere that just accelerated their heart levels to immense rates.

But what most fail to realise that its versatility made it damnable powerful in the right hands. It was fact that Yuuhi Kurenai had realised long ago.

In some ways genjutsu was an ideal choice for kunoichi. They generally had lower chakra reserves, but conversely that meant higher control. While some like Anko relied heavily on ninjutsu to overwhelm opponents, Kurenai liked a stealthier approach that did not widely advertise her presence.

Ninjutsu was impressive, chewed through a lot of chakra and was common. Taijutsu required a lot of physical fitness and technique. But genjutsu was in many ways easy. It just required a certain sense of creativity. Or sadism. Both helped.

Which led in part to her reputation as Konoha's Ice Queen. Those peculiar red eyes did not help as well. As one of the few genjutsu experts in Konoha, she was well known to create demonic illusions that most people mistook for actual ninjutsu. Just enough for her to come up and neutralise them.

From setting up ambushes that misled enemies into thinking that they were alone, to making enemies think that they were friendly, advanced henges and so forth, they were all part of her repertoire that made her more than a match for others. Currently ranked as chuunin, she was currently in the Academy struggling to foster an interest in her art.

_It was all about perception_ she argued. _If a ninja can't see an enemy, how can they defeat them? If they think that they can't see, hear or feel, then what use are they? People only act on things based upon their perceptions of what is around them. With genjutsu, you can create a false reality where you are the god of all creation in it. _But it was a futile effort that was not really her fault. It just was an area that even most shinobi didn't care about. Trying to convince kids to take it up when they could be learning ninjutsu was difficult at best. But she had the determination to at least try.

And she was now confronted by two different offers. One from the Hyuuga patriarch, the other from the Hokage. Two men that you didn't easily refuse without facing consequences. And as a chuunin she didn't really want to make enemies with two of the most powerful men in the village.

She had met with Hyuuga Hiashi who had shocked her with an offer/order to train his daughter. That was near unprecedented as the Hyuuga were usually limited to their family techniques, not others. When she had asked him his reasons, she was surprised by his reasoning.

_"Hinata doesn't show a great aptitude for Jyuuken that Hanabi does. She is proficient enough, but it will not be her strongest point. I have never agreed that we handicap ourselves with only our family techniques. As such, I wish for you to tutor her so that she is prepared to for the outside world when she does become a kunoichi. I believe you would be an appropriate mentor for her. She has… confidence issues."_

While she was flattered by his somewhat offhanded praise, she honestly didn't want to deal with a spoilt brat that most heirs or heiresses invariably became. That was before she actually met Hinata and saw how meek she actually was.

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Her doujutsu and family style required an immense amount of control that was damn near perfect for genjutsu users. Combined with excellent close combat skills if it ever came down to it, it seemed like a match made in heaven. By near accident she had found a student that could help take up her cause.

So she had accepted his offer and spent four days a week with Hinata. She quickly found out that 'confidence issues' was a gross understatement of the problem. She was softly spoken, had a tendency to avoid looking at people when speaking to them, and had a somewhat adorable tendency to poke her index fingers together when flustered.

She was wondering how she could overcome it. And the problem was finding the basis for her insecurity.

Was it lack of skills?  
Was it regarding her family or friends?  
Was it something else?

After sitting her down over some tea, Hinata started to open up and reveal the secrets that she had kept close to her heart.

The nightmares over the Kumo incident.  
The seeming lack of affection from her family.  
Her competence in Jyuuken compared to her sister and cousin  
Even her feelings regarding a certain blond haired swordsman.

Now that brought some interest to Kurenai. She was a young teen when the Kyuubi attacked and knew of Naruto's sacrifice during the day of the sealing. She had respect for him and it only increased when he managed to main a veteran Jounin when he tried to abduct Hinata. It was pretty amazing for a kid his age, and she realised that most of Hinata's image problems could come down to Naruto.

He was her idol. A boy around the same age who managed to fight off someone greater than him for a near stranger. One that really died in front of her eyes, only for him to come back alive to keep on fighting.

She felt like she owed her life to him, but could never ever repay the favour. Not at the rate of her progress. And she felt the undertones of possessive jealousy when she mentioned the time that the jinchuuriki spent with her sister.

_Well, this is complicated. I wonder..._

She had a plan going through her head_. If Naruto is the one that she feels inspired from, how much more would that be if he actually spent time with her during training? _The more she thought about it, the more sense that it made.

_Hell, they live in the same damned compound, so what is the problem there anyways?_

Of course when she mentioned the idea to Hinata she went absolutely red and was mortified. She didn't want to appear weak in front of her idol, and honestly didn't know if she could concentrate with him around.

Yes, things were complicated. It was an odd sense of a hedgehog's dilemma that she had entrapped herself with.

She just sighed before deciding to go ignore her wishes and do what she thought best. Approaching Naruto was actually easier than she had thought. He pretty much jumped at the offer of extra training and when he turned up the next day Hinata nearly fainted on the spot. She spent the rest of the session giving glares at Kurenai. She just gave an apologetic shrug before miming out that it was for her own good.

But things were not looking that great right now. She wanted to go straight into genjutsu, but that just wasn't possible. The kids would not get sufficient control until one or two more year's time. Especially Naruto with the amount of raw power in his body. Hinata needed to develop her control a bit more, but it was made easier as she could see the tenketsu points on her body. So she decided to act like a mentor.

She had Hinata teach Naruto the basics of the Jyuuken style. She figured that getting to know Naruto as a person, not as a god like figure, would cure her of her problems.

_Eventually. Maybe. Hell, it's worth a shot._

And it was times like this that she remembered why she became a teacher in the first place. Seeing young minds and bodies develop and flower into their prime. There was no greater sense of satisfaction in seeing her subordinates grow, especially when she laid the steps for their eventual path they took.

Right now Naruto was going through the steps in releasing his chakra to disrupt a person's chakra pathways. While he could not see where they actually were, Kurenai managed to get a training doll and marked out common points on it. n reality, Naruto could not ever learn the style, though in theory he could master a soft style similar to _dim mak_, relying on pressure points to do damage. But the problem was that Naruto didn't have the patience to learn a taijutsu style.

He was a swordsman first and foremost. And it helped when he had a sword that seemed to never leave his side and could be summoned to his hand. So while conceivably it could be such that he would never use it, but he knew that it would be useful to have. It was why he learnt about chakra amplified blows, and this could only help him refine a few of the techniques that 'Ne' was going with him.

Which needed to be hidden for now. But then again Naruto did like the time he spent with Hinata. Though he was still oblivious to the attention that she lavished on him, he found her to be an interesting if subdued contrast to Hanabi.

"O – Ok Naruto-kun. F-first of all you need to gather chakra at your fingertips. After that, yo- you need to release it like it – it is like a needle."

"Ah. I think I understand." Naruto's face just screwed up in concentration as he concentrated his chakra while Hinata stared at him.

_He is so serious, so determined, why can't I be like that?_

The training was also useful for Kurenai as it helped refine her control. The training techniques used by the Hyuuga were a closely guarded secret, and she found the exercises to be demanding even for her. It in part reinforced the reason why the Hyuuga were one of the top clans in the shinobi hierarchy.

And while she was doing lots of good for Konoha's future generation, she didn't really want to stop doing it. Something that she would have to do if she accepted the other offer given by the Sandaime. And if she was honest with herself, she was having too much fun with the two.

* * *

**Konoha  
Uchiha complex  
Two weeks after the massacre**

It was a curious scene.

The sight of an empty and broken home that a fortnight ago held one of the most powerful and influential clans in Konoha. The blood splattered walls and floors had been whitewashed in an attempt to hide the scenes of the massacre. But the cement and fine plaster has faint stains that forever reminded them of what had happened.

_What had happened?_

That was the question on both remaining Uchiha's mind as they walked around, trying to reconcile the events in their mind with the reality in front of them. Their escort was standing a respectful distance to the rear as he stayed alert for any potential risks.

For Sasuke, his world was torn apart as his brother, his idol had apparently went off and killed their entire family. He was indescribably happy when his mother had survived the wound she had taken. But as time wore on, the nightmares started to accumulate.

The cold and peculiar eyes of that night faced him over and over again.

Mocking him with his weakness and inability to protect his mother. His entire family.

All lay dead by his hands. His fists tightened in remembrance.

Mikoto had similar thoughts. Because she knew with cold certainty that it was Itachi that did it. No _genjutsu_ or _henge_ could withstand the cognitive power of the three tomoed Sharingan. And that made it all the worse.

The boy that she had raised as her son, the fruit of the love that she shared with Fugaku turned out into something nightmarish. She had tried her best to raise him the right way, but she was always uneasy in the way that the clan had heaped expectation upon expectation upon him.

The pressure to succeed, to be better than his peers, the relentless pursuit of excellence. In some ways she could understand why he had cracked. But to do what he did, to kill off everyone else, including the innocent children?

Overall over one hundred and fifty bodies were recovered by the coroners. And they all had to be identified in one way or another. And that duty fell on to Mikoto as she went down an entire floor filled with corpses. It was a heartbreaking experience that shook the woman to her very core.

Even worse were the bodies that were not recoverable when they were pretty much incinerated by _katon_ jutsus. More morbid where the assorted body parts that they identified by DNA as once being a discrete human body.

She could only take so much before she had to rush to the bathroom, where she had to empty her heaving stomach at the aftermath of the slaughter.

_And my son did it. Kami-sama, it was all done by my son! How did it end like this?!_

And in her mind she analysed everything that had happened with Itachi and his family. She could not identify any one point that could point to a breakdown, no one event that could have neatly explained the cold hearted methodical slaughter of men, women and children.

Only the fact that he spent less time with Sasuke and the general air of coldness that he seemed to surround himself in. She had written it off as being part of ANBU, as she was aware of the detachment necessary for the corp.

But the suspicions began to arise when Shisui turned up floating face down in the river. Being the most skilled Uchiha alongside with Itachi, the entire clan was suspicious of it. Suspecting foul play, but verifying the suicide note was in truth legitimate, the investigation nevertheless turned onto Itachi. Which had always bothered her_. _

_Did the elders know something that she didn't? It was a well known fact that they were best friends, why would he kill the person he regarded as a brother?_

In light of recent events, maybe Itachi was a better actor than she had ever given him credit for. He did manage to fool everyone. She was fairly confident that he did do it now. But that all seemed like an academic point at the moment.

Bitter laughter seemed to escape her mouth as she suddenly stopped and seemingly collapsed onto the floor.

Sasuke stopped with shock and raced towards his mother, "Kaa-san! Are you ok?!"

_Ah Sasuke, at least he spared you. Wait, why did he spare the two of us anyways?_

That was a question that haunted her. Did he leave her alive to spare himself the guilt of knowing that he would have ended their line? But why would he care when he only left 3 Uchiha left alive in the world.

It was questions that plagued her mind and she had no questions for.

**_Flashback_**

Surgeons and med-nin worked furiously in trying to keep Mikoto alive. The wound was deep and managed to rupture her stomach, where the remains had managed to leak into the rest of the body. This had to be cleaned otherwise an infection would result. Besides that, other organs had to be repaired before she had a fighting chance of survival.

But they were experts. Most ANBU suffered serious injuries like that and were expected to conduct surgery in the field. When they had an entire staff of medical practitioners and state of the art facilities, the chances were good that she would survive.

And survive she did. After eight hours of surgery she was out of the red and was left to rest. She regained consciousness three days after. At first she was horribly disorientated and no one would speak to her regarding her circumstances.

Then Sasuke came along, escorted by a brown haired ANBU with a small smile on his face. The sheer relief in her boy's face brought tears to her eyes as he embraced her, laughing and crying. She did to, until she realised that what she say and went through was not a hallucination.

Then the interrogation started the next day.

"Where were you on the night of the incident?" came the question from an animal masked ANBU.

"I was taking Sasuke to see a movie when we arrived home. Everything was too quiet and I saw what looked like blood on the wall. I activated my Sharingan and kept Sasuke behind me."

That was noted down before another operative asked, "When you saw the blood, why didn't you get out and call for help?"

Feeling a bit distraught over the questions that implied that she was in some way to blame for the massacre she lashed out, "Who else was I suppose to go to?! The Uchiha were the Military Police for Konoha! I thought it might just be some prank by some kids, but then I saw the corpses and …"

"Who did you see?" pressed the ANBU.

"I – I saw Itachi," she admitted in a whisper.

"Are you sure it was him and not someone pretending to be him?"

Shaking her head, like it was the hardest thing in the world to do, she had to agree, "Ye-Yes. It was him, I had my Sharingan activated and it was my son standing there with his sword drawn. I called out to him, thinking he was fighting off someone when…"

"I see. What happened next?"

With haunted eyes Mikoto recounted what had happened on that terrible night, "He, he attacked me. I dropped down and I heard Sasuke screaming. I then… lost consciousness."

"Can you remember anything else?"

Thinking deeply, drawing upon her eidetic memory, she shook her head, "Just his face, like he wasn't surprised at what he saw. No emotion on it as he stabbed me. It was like he was just a machine…"

"Do you have any idea to why he did it?"

"I DON'T KNOW! I have no idea why he killed his family, don't you see! I – I just don't know why…". With that she had broken down in tears.

"Why, why did you do it Itachi. I loved you, we all loved you. Why did you do this? What did we do to deserve this?"

The ANBU tried to awkwardly comfort her, but in truth there was little he could do but keep on asking questions, to get an answer to the question on everyone's mind.

_Why_

**_End flashback_**

Mikoto just gave a weak smile before getting back on her feet, holding onto Sasuke's hand as she decided to leave their broken home.

As they both walked out, she could see and feel the eyes of the civilians upon her. Full of sympathy, pity and compassion. Part of her loved her village for their care, but another part of her hated them for it.

They were talked about in hushed tones, like they had done something spectacular. She wanted to scream at them, to tell them that they had merely survived, and they didn't do anything either for it.

They were alive because of some whimsical reasons that Itachi decided to leave them alive. Not because they fought him off. Nothing as honourable as that.

She didn't deserve those looks. She should have been stronger, been more able to confront her son and get him to answer the questions burning in her head. She had barely lasted ten seconds before she fell to his blade.

Sasuke saw the anger in his mother's face and was getting worried. They were currently staying at ANBU quarters just in case Itachi came back to finish his job, and he knew that Dignitary Protection were closely observing them every step of the way.

As they made their way back into their quarters, Sasuke tugged at Mikoto's hand. She stopped and looked at his eyes.

"Kaa-san, I promise you that I will be strong. To train hard and find nii-san. To get him to explain why he did what he did."

It was a child's promise full of enthusiasm and determination. Like it was a statement that time would just prove him right.

She just went down on her knees before hugging him close to her chest.

"We both will Sasuke-kun. We both will."

* * *

**Konoha  
ANBU headquarters  
Two and a half weeks after the massacre**

Kurenai was sitting in her office going through the witness statements, forensic reports and timelines in an attempt to determine what had actually happened at the Uchiha complex.

**_Flashback_**

"Welcome to ANBU Kurenai-san."

Facing her was the ANBU commander, wearing a blank noh mask as she stood at attention in his presence. After she had found out about the massacre, she could no longer hold off her obligations to Konoha. Granted, she had gotten a student who she could pass on her knowledge to, but at the end of the day she knew that if she refused, then many would potentially suffer for her selfish inaction.

"Thank you sir. Could you tell me what happens now?" she asked with open curiosity.

He gestured for her to make herself comfortable on the chair in front of him, "Take a seat, this might take awhile."

As she did so, the commander took off his mask. It was odd, she could not quite focus her eyes on his face properly, appearing to be blurred. She was stunned to realise that it was a form of genjutsu. Her surprise must have shown on her face because the commander gave an amused laugh.

"I should have realised that you of all people would have taken an interest. Yes, my face is obscured from most people through a passive genjutsu. Took me some time to figure it out as well..." he commented wryly.

_Passive genjutsu! That should be impossible! Well, ok, not impossible, but really hard and theoretically difficult. How much chakra does he need to keep on maintaining it?_

Grinning at her attempts to deconstruct it in her mind he made a gesture for her to be easy, "I'm sure you will be able to figure it out in due time. But stand easy, there are a few things that you need to know."

"Normally there is a selection course requirement for all ANBU candidates, but that seems to be… loosened on Sandaime-sama's orders. We are fairly confident that you are loyal to the leaf. You are, aren't you?"

"Of course I am sir!" she assured the man with confidence.

He chuckled, "Good to hear, otherwise Ibiki would have too much fun, and god knows that man is aching for some action."

"Anyways, your formal induction will be conducted when we have time. Right now we need CINT up and running. Kami knows that the division hasn't had a stellar record, not with Kumo and now this happening under their noses. Along with IS, they are facing some really hard questions from me and the Hokage. Questions that they have no answers for."

Kurenai remained silent as she wondered what she had got herself into.

Fixing a hard look on her, he continued, "And that makes me concerned. If an enemy can pull of an operation like this under the greatest concentration of shinobi in the Fire Country, then I'm afraid. You have been assigned to CINT, but don't think that is concrete. While we try to compartmentalise the departments to prevent the risk of a leak, these current events have forced us to cross vest jurisdiction to certain individuals."

"As a result you have been promoted to Tokubetsu Jounin effective immediately. Congratulations again."

Some more surprising news, "Thanks again sir."

He gave a darker laugh at that, which she flinched at.

"Don't thank me at all. This merely brings on more responsibility than you can imagine. You, my dear Kurenai-san have been tasked with the following. To determine who orchestrated the Uchiha massacre. Then to find out ways to limit our exposure to the event. There will be nations looking at us right now, thinking we are ripe for invasion. We need to misdirect them with faulty intelligence. While it is hard to deny that the Uchiha clan is effectively lost to us, you need to find a way to keep them off our doorsteps."

Which was one hell of a task that he was putting on the recently promoted kunoichi. But he was confident that she could do so, along with the CINT division. It was time that they had earned their pay.

"Any questions?"

"Can I reconsider joining sir?" she asked half jokingly.

"Not a chance shinobi. Consider yourself dismissed."

**_End flashback_**

_He made it sound oh so easy back then, but no, you just had to say yes, you patriotic fool._

The fact of the matter was that there was little evidence beyond the eye witness statements of the two surviving Uchiha's. And the finger pointed to one Uchiha Itachi.

Now that was something that was surprising. It was true that he didn't form part of the body count, and no one had seen or heard from him since the massacre. But she had questioned the few ANBU members that knew him. The answers she had gotten were depressing.

**_Well, he was a cold son of a bitch that had no problem in killing things. Unofficially, he probably had over a hundred kills during the Kumo incident._**

**_Man, that bastard was ice cold. Most of us would at least socialise with other operatives, but not Itachi, he kept to himself, always aloof. But it wasn't like he didn't earn his rep. I wouldn't want him on my bad side._**

_Well that's just great. He is starting to fit the profile more and more. But to be honest, a lot of shinobi would, it's just that he would be the only one with the skills to actually do it._

Which raised the question of how the actually did do it. More importantly without anyone noticing. She herself spent many hours at ground zero, seeing the damage done. Itachi apparently used his sword for most of the kills, but he didn't hold back from ninjutsu and other chakra based attacks. And his victims did fight back with jutsus, if the ambient residue was any indication.

So the question remained unanswered. She swore that she could have felt some sort of overlapping jutsus over the entire compound. But that should have been impossible for anyone to maintain without someone noticing. And if the timeline she had constructed was accurate, it took about two hours for Itachi to mow through the ranks.

_If he had an entire team to support him then it was possible. But CINT were adamant that there were no enemy cells_.

And looking at their records along with IS, she was fairly certain that it was correct.

_So, the odds are that he did do it himself, by using some sort of cloaking genjutsu to keep us from noticing. They did say he was a prodigy, but really..._

The more important question was how to keep it a secret. Or was that the best way of handling the situation?

* * *

**Konoha  
Village Central**

"Oi gaki!"

_Oh crap, not again. How can she find me so easily?_

**_It's your animal magnetism kit._**

_And who else can I blame but you for that!_

"Come here gaki, I have something to show you..."

_Oh hell no, I'm out of here._

Pretending not to hear her, Naruto just started to run away before jumping onto the rooftops and start sprinting.

_What!? How dare that little brat ignore me! Me!_

With a savage grin on her face she decided to give chase, a slightly deranged laugh trailing onto the wind.

"Oh you can run Naruto-kun, but you can't hide from Mitarashi Anko!"

As he was desperately trying to get away he couldn't help but remember the first time he met her.

**_Flashback_**

Naruto was standing outside training area twenty seven, admiring the sunset after a light workout when he realised that he had visitors. Two visitors in fact.

"Yuu-chan!" with a smirk he ran over to her and glomped her.

"Dammit, how many times have I told you to stop calling me that Naru-kun?" she complained with a long suffering sigh.

They both playfully scowled at each other before Naruto retorted.

"Well, maybe I would remember if you came and saw me once in a while. I know you have other duties, but you know, every once in a while..." he trailed off with a sad look in his eyes.

At the unspoken accusation, Yuugao's eyes softened and gave the blond a sincere hug and a kiss on his forehead.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But here I am, and I want you to meet someone."

Naruto brightened up at that, "Oh, is she your friend?"

_Well sure, in an odd and twisted way yes._

"Of course, Naruto, meet Mitarashi Anko, she is a tokubetsu jounin who works in the corps with me," she introduced with a sunny smile.

"Hello!" greeted Anko exuberantly.

"Hi..." Naruto's response was far more cautious and qualified.

Anko scowled, "What's wrong gaki, you almost sound like you're not happy to see me."

"Oh, it's nothing like that," he hastily assured the kunoichi, "I was wondering why you weren't cold wearing that."

With an evil smirk she placed her hands on her hips, "Oh, this? Do you like what you see Naru-kun?" She slid over to Naruto and held him closer to her body.

Yuugao was mortified at her behaviour and moved to restrain her, "Anko! Stop it, he's just a kid!"

Chuckling at the blond she noted his blade and gave a low whistle, "For a kid he is carrying a pretty big sword. I mean look at it, it's nearly as tall as he is! Do you know how to use it properly? If you don't, I can teach you how to sheathe it properly if you like, fu fu fu fu fu."

_Nani?! What is she trying to say?_

**_Err. She's making fun of your kit. Yes, that's it. Kick her ass._**

Naruto bristled at the 'challenge' and growled lowly, "Are you making fun of me? Cause if you are –"

Yuugao tried to put her foot down at her friend's innuendo, "Anko, he's eight for crying out loud! He hasn't even been to the Academy yet! What the hell do you think you are doing?!"

"Geez, I was just having fun with the kid. Isn't that right Naruto-kun," she asked, waiting for his support.

Naruto nodded seriously, "Ok, I get it. You're crazy."

Which was definitely the wrong thing to say. A tick formed over the snake mistress' head as she stretched her arms and decided to crack her knuckles.

_Ok, maybe that was the wrong thing to say. Err, got any advice Kyuu?_

**_Hide behind Yuugao. Like, right now. What are you waiting for?_**

Giving a nervous smile he dashed over to the violet haired kunoichi before a rather amusing stand-down occurred between him and Anko.

**_End flashback_**

_Ever since then she has always followed me. It's like she is stalking me._

**_Maybe she is stalking you kit._**

_Don't say that!_

"Oh Naru-kun! Running is only going to make it worse in the end. Fu fu fu fu fu !"

_Dammit, she's right. What do I do?_

**_Beats me. How about you take it like a man?_**

_Err. Cause I'm a boy?_

**_Try explaining that to Anko._**

Grumbling to himself about unhelpful women he managed to make it to training ground thirty one before he found himself trapped.

_Oh crap._

Anko was lightly panting over the workout she was given. A near vengeful grin was gracing her face.

"If you had just stayed put and stopped running then everyone would have been ok. But no, you just had to run. I wonder how I should punish you for that Naruto-kun... fu fu fu fu fu."

_Somebody save me!_

A few pain filled hours later that involved lots of maniacal laughing on Anko's part and screaming on Naruto's, both of them lay down facing the sky.

_Why is Yuugao-chan friends with her again?!_

**_Can't answer that one._**

While she acted angry, inside Anko was pretty well amused by the jinchuuriki's actions. Not many people could give her that kind of workout, and she had lots of fun hearing him scream out at the snakes she had summoned against him. It's almost like he had some kind of phobia against them. But his stamina was impressive.

_If only he was a bit older... well, maybe a lot older. But still..._

Naruto just looked at Anko in the eyes and saw beyond the front that she had put out for people. He saw a version of himself if certain things did not happen in his life. He was not stupid, he saw the glances that the civilians and shinobi alike gave her. It was like the ones that he received. In fact in some ways it was worse.

He did want to know why, but he figured that it was her story to tell. Which made him feel bad about trying to ditch her in the first place. God knows that he shouldn't judge people just on first appearances alone.

"So Anko-san, what did you want to see me for again?" he asked after he had recovered his breath.

"Err... you know, I can't remember. Thanks for making me lose my train of thought gaki!" she scolded.

Naruto stayed silent before he spoke quietly, "... I'm sorry for running away from you back then."

_What? He just apologised to me?_

As she looked into his eyes, she realised that he understood. He gave her that sad smile that she recognised deep within herself. A kindred spirit only separated in years.

"How about we go get something to eat, my treat", offered Naruto.

"Oh, dango, dango, dango!" she squealed excitedly.

"How about ramen?" retorted Naruto.

"No, dango!"

"Ramen!"

"Dango!"

"Fine!" Naruto said it in a sulking voice and started to walk away. Anko just sniggered before grasping his shoulder and directed him to her favourite dango stand.

**_Kit, I've been meaning to speak to you about something._**

_Yeah?_

**_Have you noticed something odd lately? When you see people?_**

_I thought it was just me. It's like I see an aura around people. Its gets dark when I'm seeing some people. Especially shinobi._

**_Well, the thing is that you can kinda see dead people._**

_Nani?!_

**_It's part of the whole shinigami thing. But things are not quite the same in this world. It looks like dead people don't quite linger in this world. But the point is that you can see death and spirits. It just looks like black auras._**

_I guess that makes sense._

**_But the point is, concentrate on Anko's neck._**

_Alright, I see her neck. What is – oh._

**_Odd isn't it? _**

_What the hell?! I'm pretty sure that Anko is not dead, thought it would explain a few things. It feels pretty evil as well, like it is almost alive._

**_I guess that is a question for another day._**

As Anko approached the dango stand she made her order.

"Twenty sticks of dango please," she declared magnanimously.

"Twenty?! How can you eat so many sweet dumplings like that? Won't you get fat?"

**_Damn Naru-chan, you sure know how to put your foot in your mouth._**

After being severely abused in the head, Naruto just pulled out his wallet and paid the vendor, grumbling all the way. He wouldn't admit it, but dango was pretty tasty. Not as good as ramen, but fairly close.

As he made his way to the Hyuuga complex, he gave a final wave to Anko.

"Come see me sometime. We can just hang out. Or something. Remember, you're not alone anymore." With that said he just walked past the gates with a nod to the Branch member on duty.

_Damn gaki, you really are something else. _

* * *

**Kumo  
Ne safehouse  
One month after the massacre**

"Welcome to 'Ne' 'Sai'."

The pale faced teen gave a wide smile that was obviously insincere. The other 'Ne' operative gave a grimace at that.

_Looks like he is not going to blend in very well if he is going to attract attention every time he is going to do that. Oh well, he wasn't recommended for infiltration for nothing._

"What do you require me to do taichou?" he asked with no change in his tone.

"Well, we have picked up some chatter lately. Its something big and being kept under wraps by the kage and Kumo ANBU. There's not much else happening around here, but we have a lead."

"Oh?"

The operative leafed through some paperwork before finding the right document, "Just a name right now. Nii. Nii Yugito. You have some pretty interesting abilities with ink, so we need you to infiltrate these two sites and report us what is actually going on. We have some people to blackmail, so report back in 48 hours. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

With that the boy left. Clad in civilian dress, he didn't really draw attention. While he didn't usually approve of children being used in operations, he couldn't deny their usefulness. People did not suspect kids of being spies, being naturally curious and all. And with his special abilities approaching kekken genkai territory, 'Sai' was near invaluable at times for intelligence gathering.

"Looks like Hamura has been trying to cheat his partners out some profits. Plus he has four mistresses on the side and one hell of a gambling problem. I wonder what happens if we can reveal this to the other partners, or leak the fact that they have debts leading up to 2 million hidden away."

Chuckling, his partner just grinned widely as he thought through the implications, "Hmm, well it would cause a panic. The creditors would call in, making the company insolvent and liquidated. And seeing that it supplies most of the rice in this country, it would make life very difficult for everyone as they would then need to import it, at least for the short term."

"And Konoha is the closest nation anyways. Unless they want to ship from the warzone that is Kiri right now."

With a sharklike grin he made a move towards the door, "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office  
One month after the massacre**

The official report into the Uchiha massacre finally made its way onto the Hokage's desk. Though it was over two hundred pages long (he shuddered at actually reading the damned thing in its entirety), the abstract covered the findings sufficiently.

Uchiha Itachi went and killed his family, only leaving two survivors.

He managed to do it alone, or with some very secretive assistance, and managed to hide it from the rest of the village from a cloaking genjutsu discovered by Yuuhi Kurenai.

Why he did so was unclear and remains a mystery.

There were traces of poison found in some of the bodies, which went a long way to explain how he could have done it himself.

The report in itself merely raised more questions. Like what kind of genjutsu did he employ? And more importantly, where the hell was he now?

And there was more anomalous evidence. The senbon found in Sasuke's neck was suspicious. There were no other bodies that had senbon in them. And Itachi wasn't known for using them at all. They were fairly generic piece of shinobi gear that was commonly sold in weapon shops. It was a fairly useless lead and CINT were quick to write it off as being insignificant.

But Sarutobi wasn't quite convinced. Things were not adding up lately, and they all seemed to point towards a third party since the Kumo incident. A friendly third party, possibly, but one that preferred to hide in the shadows. It could all just be paranoia, but the Sandaime hadn't lived for as long as he had by being reckless.

The solution to the crisis still loomed in his head. Certain suggestions were made and he didn't know which one was better.

Many wanted to hide the fact for as long as possible, trying to build up their strength in other ways before news invariable filtered through to other nations.

The Hokage thought that it was naïve at best, and hopeless at the very worst. It was going to be hard to keep it a secret, when nearly everyone one in the village knew about it. And travelling merchants noticed that the Military Police were strangely silent.

Kurenai proposed that Itachi be placed on the bingo book, ranked as an S class. She figured that a cover story be created to why he killed of his family in the first place, making him appear to be an unstable killer. That just happened to be on the loose in the Elemental Nations and had allegiances to no one. Who just managed to kill off the majority of the Uchiha clan in one night and might decide to pay another village a visit.

She argued that it would create one hell of a deterrent and make the opposing villages to tighten their security, just enough to delay any thoughts of invasion. Things were looking better with the public appearance of the Toad Sannin arriving back to Konoha.

She also then proposed that certain operatives undergo some sealing to take on Itachi's identity and then hit certain targets in the most public and visible way possible. It would probably involve civilian targets to ensure success as they didn't want any shinobi to verify that they were under a henge.

That part of the plan was problematic, at least for Sarutobi. He was very reluctant to order an attack on the civilians of nations that they were not at war at. It was, in his mind, completely unjustified and unethical.

But it would be one of the better plans that he had on him. He couldn't think of what else to do right now. Putting that issue aside, he realised that other matters had to be taken care of.

The first was the appointment of a steward to the Uchiha clan. They needed someone to take up their affairs in the Council, and to take care of their assets while Mikoto and Sasuke recovered. If they ever did.

Another was the now defunct Military Police force. He had his ANBU conduct patrols and operate as a defacto law enforcement division, but it was not a permanent solution. It was a gap that needed to be filled in the future. Though who was competent to do so was another question. They needed to be strong enough to handle drunk nins and stronger threats. It was a short list that he was drawing from.

He sighed and decided to roster some more chuunin and tokubetsu jounin to take up the slack from the ANBU. He had an idea in mind, but that would take some convincing and time. But it was really the best solution, if a bit unconventional.

The lack of answers surrounding the massacre was really irritating him. He felt that the CINT and IS had failed him twice already. But the thing was that maybe, just maybe, they were not to blame for the situation. Something unforeseeable had occurred and they were caught with their pants down. The fact it had happened twice was just plain embarrassing.

He resolved to have Jiraiya oversee CINT and intelligence the next time he was back in the village. Some serious work needed to be done with those divisions.

He looked at the other paperwork gracing his desk. There were renewed calls to lower the entrance age for the Academy. Again. He didn't do it after the Kyuubi attacked, and he wouldn't do so now. He saw that the proposal came from Danzo.

Giving a grimace at that, he just sat back and sighed.

_I thought that Itachi would be the case in point. Power shouldn't be given away at such an age. When will he learn? Or is it something that we are fated to argue about?_

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga complex  
South eastern training ground  
One and a half months after the massacre**

BAM, BAM, BAM.

A pale kid was working his way around a training dummy that was suspended by wires. The boy was clad in robes while his forehead was bandaged. He was lightly sweating as he focused on the tenketsu points marked out on the doll.

The doll responded to his strikes according to the force and direction that it was applied. In a very loose sense it replicated a real enemy. Just one that didn't fight back and couldn't die. He was currently trying to develop the muscles in his fingers, to get them to be rigid enough to actually penetrate the muscle of an opponent. Or to strike deep enough that it made it easier for the Jyuuken to actually work. Working on his speed and reflexes didn't hurt either.

But then again, even at a young age he showed immense talent. He managed to awaken his Byakugan at the age of six, two years before everyone else. He spent the remainder of his time watching the Main branch members spar using Jyuuken, something that they would not teach him until he was nine.

All Hyuuga members who activated their bloodline were expected to be proficient in Jyuuken, and when you see the chakra pathways on an enemy, the only hard part is to focus chakra strikes to disrupt it. That part was left untaught.

But Neiji was nothing if not observant. Using his Byakugan he saw how the chakra formed and shaped in their hands to actually figure it out himself. He decided to do it without his father's help because he had something to prove.

He remembered the day that he received the seal on his head. Besides being extremely painful and, well, extremely painful, it symbolised to him and everyone else that his life was not entirely his anymore. That on the command of the Main branch, his obedience could be compelled. At the worst his life could have been taken from him without even a chance been given.

If that didn't make you bitter, then what else would? He effectively was a slave. Even when he saw himself as better as some of the so called Main house members.

Case in point was Hinata. He saw how she trained, and now incompetent she was in his eyes. Her form was lacking precision, her strikes were awkward and hesitant. Hell, the word hesitant seemed to define his cousin. _And they have the gall to call her better than me?_

It wore away at him. This fate that he was consigned to when he knew that he was better. But he would be damned if he was going to take it laying down. He would show Konoha, the elders, the entire damned clan his strength. Then they would know the truth of his conviction by his actions.

It would be continuing his father's legacy. He remembered that day like it was yesterday.

**_Flashback_**

"Otou-san, why do we serve the Main branch?"

It was a simple question that had no good answer. Not to a six year old anyways. Hizashi sighed before facing his son, putting him on his knee.

"Son, that is a hard question you ask. And there is no answer. Some people would say that it is our fate, a path that was chosen for us before we were even born. By luck or chance, we were born to a family that decided that we shall serve. They will say that it is the way things are always done and it is for the good of the clan."

"But Neji, I want you to promise me that you will never believe that. When you get older, I will explain it then. But know that their explanations, their justifications do not make any sense. How can we be blamed and suffer something outside of our control? And if we accept that fate controls everything, then how sad is that? Why would we do then?"

"Our lives have meaning and we are given the gift of choice. Choice in many areas. No one is ever really free my son. But it is when we decide how we will live our lives we tell those who try to control us that they cannot. Whether it is to die a free person, or to protect those that we love, in making that decision we go against any path that may have been set for us. Do you understand me?"

"I-I think so otou-san."

Hizashi gave a genuine smile before ruffling his son's hair.

"I don't think you do. Not quite yet. But when you get older you will."

**_End flashback_**

Those words had woken up his eyes and burned like a fire within himself. He would prove his worth to everyone and damn them to say otherwise.

And when he met Uzumaki Naruto, both of them managed to start of a fierce rivalry that had settled into an uneasy friendship. Well, not friendship per se. The blond spent more time with Hinata and Hanabi than anyone else. On second though, add most the Hyuuga women to that list as well. Something that had always troubled him, but he failed to understand why or how he got so close to them.

As Hizashi looked at his son train, he was filled with a sense of pride and sadness. He knew that as soon as he grew up, he would face challenges that he could no longer shield his son from. But he took comfort in knowing that he had the support of Naruto and Hiashi in it.

Thinking of the blond brought back some darker thoughts. Their investigations were finally bringing some leads together. The only explanation that could explain how Hinata was kidnapped would have been some inside help.

More specifically, a Branch house member had turned traitor. While Hizashi had entertained such thoughts, they were always just thoughts. They had never ever solidified into action. But it was always on the back of his mind. And apparently one of their own had decided to take the next step.

_This is bad. If the elders find out about it, the consequences would be catastrophic for all Branch members._

He shuddered at the potential punitive measures that could have been taken. Things that Hiashi could not overrule even as the head of the clan.

He was of half the mind to call of the search, or mislead his brother in the investigation. But he knew that would cast suspicion onto himself, putting his loyalty under question. It was a terrible position that he was placed in.

_What the hell am I suppose to do?_

* * *

**Elemental nations  
Two months after the massacre**

Funny things were occurring in the Elemental Nations. All of them were seemingly isolated but worked the destabilise nations other than Konoha. That said the loss of the Uchiha clan could have been taken to the general bad run of events affecting the world.

Kumo found that the price of rice had increased by nearly three times after it was discovered that a trade consortium had incurred debts that wiped out its equity. As a result all of their creditors took the staples and sold it at near extortionist rates. Importing rice was troubled by delays, especially attacks and robberies by increasingly skilled bandits that roamed the countryside. Inflation was soaring along with unemployment, economic growth slowing. Stagflation was rearing its ugly head.

Kiri was still engaging in its purges and showed no sign of stabilising any time soon.

A new village was established in the north of Konoha's borders with a mysterious new kage. They declared themselves to be Otokagure.

Ame still remained a closed nation after the various wars that occurred due to its unfortunate location. In fact no real intelligence was coming from that village for the last three years.

Iwa experienced some unrest when a trade faction tried to instigate a powerplay against the Tsuchikage, trying to replace him with a proxy. They somehow got ideas that they could take on his ANBU by hiring some nukenins that, funnily enough, didn't show up when they had agreed to. After arresting them all for treason and sentencing them to death, the other factions had pleaded for mercy. Some of them were responsible for much of Iwa's wealth and if they moved their business away, then it would have been inconvenient to say the least. He reluctantly imprisoned them for life while ordering his ANBU to keep a closer eye on the civilian populace. Tensions were quite tight.

Suna had it's own problems with it civilians mysteriously dying by the hands of a red haired child. Then again, it wasn't quite in any position to be a threat to anyone at the moment.

More importantly, 'Ne' were proving their weight in gold as they kept the other hidden villages concerned with their own internal matters to think about a possible strike against Konoha.

* * *

**Konoha  
Ne Headquarters  
Two months after the massacre **

Naruto had spent much time with 'Mi' learning how to survive.

Combining bits of Hayate's dance, intuitive knowledge from Kyuu and the painfully acquired knowledge of the human body from 'Mi', he was more than able to hold his own against people his age. And even some chuunin. His greatest strength would be the element of surprise. His skill level was way beyond his years.

The jinchuuriki had placed his kage bunshin's to good use, having them read books and having the knowledge transmitted to him. Beyond that, he was able to exercise some jutsus. The problem was that as a swordsmen, he let his blade do the talking. That required jutsus that only had one hand, or used no seals at all.

'Mi' was all too happy to help him as he went through some support jutsus to aid in kenjutsu. Things that would give him the edge to take on targets more experienced than him.

But after a while, Danzo decided to expand on Naruto's education. In particular the art of intelligence gathering.

His instructor was a man codenamed 'Saru'.

"Ok Naruto, do you know what ninja were traditionally used for?"

"Err… killing things?" hazarded Naruto.

"Well, that was incidental I guess to the main point. Which was to get information. Originally shinobi were spies that found dirty little secrets, or great big fat secrets. Have you heard of the saying that knowledge is power?"

The boy nodded his head, "Well, yeah."

"Do you agree with it?"

"I guess so. But how does that compare to jutsu's or other things," asked Naruto with a frown.

'Saru' just gave a sigh. "Naruto, say I kill your friend. Then I hide away. What do you do?"

"I find you then kill you back?"

Chuckling at the direct response, the operative tapped his finger against his book, "Yes, I guess you would. But you would need to find me first. The world is a big place, and you are just one person. Well, with kage bunshin, you could be hundreds of people. But anyways, the point still stands. Information to where I am is going to be valuable to you. Enough for you to pay anyone a lot to find me. Especially if time is of the essence."

"Now let's expand that. Say there is an attack planned on Konoha. If we do not know about it, we cannot prepare for it and chances are that it could succeed. Being prepared is half the battle. Being ignorant is just inviting people to have a go at you."

"Ok, I guess you're right. Now how do we get information?"

'Saru' drew up a chart and pointed to it, "Many ways. Spies are the most obvious ones, but that takes time and supervision. Information can be quite easily had from travelling merchants. Indicators are also useful. One important one is the amount of food and supplies being bought by a country. An invasion usually requires lots of material and food. Focusing on prices can indicate a buildup of forces is occurring. Then again, there is always the risk of a blitzkrieg of sorts, so it's not foolproof."

Naruto examined the list and scratched his head, "What enemies does Konoha have right now?"

"Everyone is a potential enemy. Even allies. You have to realise that treaties and alliances are not really worth the paper they are written on. If its in a countries best interest to break a treaty, then they will do so with no hesitation. Something the Hokage doesn't really understand. And the point is that we should try and gather intelligence on all sources. Even on our allies. Probably more so because they can unexpectedly attack us. Right now Naruto, there are two targets of interest."

"One is a new village. They are on our northern border and call themselves Otogakure. While it isn't one of the great five, the fact that they are so close bears some investigation."

"The other is Ame, who have closed off their borders for no real good reason. That is suspicious in itself."

"Oh yeah, and Kumo and Iwa still remain a problem. Iwa has stayed silent since the last great war, but we are still dealing with Kumo."

"Which reminds me, have you found a way to actually come here without raising suspicion?" queried the operative.

Nodding enthusiastically, the blond gave a confident smirk, "Yep. Don't worry about it. I have it all sorted."

It was amazing what a gigai and a modsoul could do. Sure his replacement was hyperactive fool that could run really quickly and had a tendency to glomp people, but it wasn't _that_ far from his personality right now. Sad as it was to say.

After explaining the basics behind it, 'Karasu' was salivating over the thought and he wanted to have a look to see if he could replicate it. It had immense potential, but he had promised Urahara that he would try to keep it as much of a secret as he could.

Danzo wasn't happy, but he didn't want to mess with a shinigami that helped seal the Kyuubi no Yoko into Naruto. He reluctantly told 'Karasu' to let it go. It didn't stop him from tinkering with ideas though.

Speaking of Danzo, he was off in his office speaking to 'Tatsu'.

"So, how are the operations going?" he asked.

'Tatsu' just gave a pleased grin. "The Iwa plan went off quite nicely. Kumo is still experiencing some heavy problems and their shinobi guards are taking a hell of a beating thanks to 'Ushi'. Our assets indicate that Itachi's listing is working, somewhat."

"Where the hell is he?" demanded Danzo.

"Honestly, no idea. The two hunter-nin teams sent out to 'retrieve' him were pretty much KIA. The Sandaime called of any further attempts. Last time he was seen he was heading towards the North West."

Thinking on that information, he asked his next question, "What are his ANBU doing about Itachi?"

"Well, he was listed on the bingo book. The associated back-story was a bit of a joke, but no one outside of Konoha would ever really know any different."

"Oh come on, a love story?" scoffed the scarred 'Ne' leader.

"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't write it."

Looking at the bingo book, he was regaled with a somewhat ridiculous tale.

Uchiha Itachi embarked on a relationship with a civilian girl who distracted him from his duty. In an attempt to refocus their prodigy, the clan elders hired a nukenin to kill her. He succeeded, but was caught by Itachi who executed his entire clan in retaliation. Declared a nukenin and swore vengeance to the village that trained the nukenin. That village is currently unknown.

"Well, that's the greatest load of bullshit I have heard. Are you really sure that they are buying this?"

With an amused chuckle 'Tatsu' assured him that it did, "Funnily enough, yes. Kinda. I like to think our operations are helping things along as well."

"What happened to the other half of CINT's proposal?"

'Tatsu' just gave a grimace, "Sarutobi called it off. Said it was disproportionate to the good that was to be achieved."

Danzo just cursed. "What greater good could there be than ensuring the survival of Konoha? The village that he swore an oath to protect and serve?!"

"He does have a point," the nin said tentatively.

Danzo just gave his commander an incredulous point before 'Tatsu' hurried to clarify his position.

"The civilians didn't really do anything to instigate the massacre. Not that we know of really. I don't think it's a great idea to strike out blindly. I mean Iwa were probably going to do something against us, but the others, well, I'm not so convinced."

"If we did so, the cycle will merely continue. Some things people can let go and forget or forgive. But if we just indiscriminately target people that don't have anything against us, we are just creating more enemies in the future. All actions have consequences."

"That is pretty, deep, coming from you," remarked Danzo.

'Tatsu' looked uncomfortable, "I know. But you know that is the truth. Sometimes violence is necessary to ensure survival. But it should only be used when it is _necessary_."

"Do you think the Sandaime was right then, in his decision?" Danzo asked quietly.

Giving some thought to it, he finally responded, "No, not this time. The loss of the Uchiha clan is a blow to our guts that we will not be able to recover from for at least three generations. Any acts to ward off attack now is more than justified. But I am saying that we have to be more circumspect. Our resources are pretty much stretched to the limit anyways. Let the ANBU do their job as well. We can't keep on taking all the risks. He could have just ordered property damage, but he decided not to."

"Could 'Ne' take on CINT's suggestions?"

"Not without tipping our hand. ANBU will find out eventually, and raise suspicion onto us. And our mole in CINT. Let's keep that ace hidden for now. Things should start changing now that Jiraiya is back in the picture. We have to be even more careful from now on"

"Hmm… agreed."

The two of them discussed matters long into the night

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga complex  
Three months after the massacre**

Kurenai gave a tired smile as she saw her two pupils spar with each other. Her time with them was more limited than she would have liked, but the whole Itachi incident had managed to quiet down. Looking at the two she could see that some progress was made, with Naruto developing a bit of a soft style that relied on precision strikes with his fists and feet. It wasn't all too dissimilar to the Dance of the Crescent Moon, except he used his limbs instead of his blade. His developed grace merely made it easier for him to adopt to the Jyuuken.

While he would never would be truly able to use it was irrelevant as such. Exposure to new techniques was always a good thing, even if it was to a rare and esoteric style such as the gentle fist.

Hinata on the other hand showed more improvement. Constant contact with Naruto had made her more confident. By that, she wouldn't faint every time the boy smiled at her. She would just light up like a tomato before stuttering like crazy.

She sighed. _Well, baby steps I guess. Baby steps._

She decided that it was time to teach them some of the more basic ideas behind genjutsu. Who knows, maybe they would surprise her with some talent. Or interest.

"Ok, listen up. I am going to teach you something new, so sit around me."

The two of them hurried over, with Naruto looking excited about learning something new. While he enjoyed sparring against Hinata, he knew that she was holding back. The problem was that he was too.

"Does anyone here know what genjutsu is?" she asked with some hope.

Deciding to act dumb, Naruto just adopted a thoughtful pose where he was stroking his chin while scratching his head.

_Damn he looks cute when he's doing that._

Hinata decided to venture an answer. "S – sensei, isn't that a skill that affects a persons awareness of the things around them?"

Kurenai smiled. "That is exactly correct Hinata-san." Girl in question just lightly blushed. The red eyed mistress knew that she needed as much positive reinforcement as possible and had no problems in giving it to her.

"Anyways, genjutsu usually uses a chakra technique to affect one or more of the four senses. That is sight, smell, taste and touch. Higher level techniques can actually affect the subconscious into thinking things that aren't actually real. Which relies on a combination of techniques."

"But here is a little something that you can work on. It is a basic technique really, but takes time to really develop. It is also something that most people don't think is genjutsu. But they are wrong."

She stood up and gestured for them to do the same.

"Most nins call this 'killing intent'."

Focusing a look on them, she let loose her chakra at the two kids.

Hinata froze up, finding it hard to breathe suddenly. Her vision started to darken and dim until she could only see a narrow tunnel, where her sensei stood. She felt like her body was suddenly paralysed and she was helpless against anything Kurenai could have done.

Naruto was somewhat less affected. 'Mi' had demonstrated the use of 'killing intent', or ki as he called it, during battles. He once went all out and Naruto nearly collapsed at the sheer power of it. Compared to what he was experiencing now, it was just discomforting. Then again he doubted that Kurenai was going all out and was really trying to injure or maim them. But 'Mi' hadn't decided to teach Naruto yet, more on how he could expel it, theorising that he could use it better once he knew how people could ignore it. For the sake of appearances he pretended that he was scared out of his mind.

Satisfied that her demonstration had worked, she relaxed and cancelled her ki. The both of them started to relax and regain their breathing.

"Wh- what was that Kurenai-sensei?" asked Hinata with some fear.

"That Hinata was killing intent. Let's call it ki for short. Some people do it in different ways, but the basic principal is the same. Take a seat again."

As they did so she started to explain herself. "Basically, the technique usually works when you channel chakra through your eyes into that of the other person. Just by doing that you can force pressure onto them, making it hard for them to move. As long as you maintain eye contact, the connection can prevent them from moving."

"After a while, you can actually create feelings in them. You might have noticed your vision clouding and your heart racing. I just affected your sight and your mind to increase the amount of adrenaline in your bodies. It is not that easy to do, but it can be really useful in battle. You can easily flank an enemy if you narrow their attention onto you, letting someone else get around them. And it is hard to fight when you feel that you have no chance at all."

"Both of your chakra control is ok enough for this. Now gather it up to your eyes, and pretty much let it flow to what you see. Hinata, you go first. Face Naruto and do it."

"H-Hai."

She faced the jinchuuriki and forced chakra into her eyes.

"Now, because Hinata has a doujutsu, genjutsu should come quite easily to her. Naruto, just let me know if it gets too much ok?"

"Sure thing sensei."

Hinata was somewhat reluctant to use ki on her idol, but was curious to see if she had a natural knack for it. Turns out that she did.

Her Byakugan activated and she saw all around her. Focusing on Naruto, she focused the chakra and into the cerulean eyes of the waiting boy.

Naruto felt a slight pressure on him, which was building up. It didn't bother him too much, but he remembered what 'Mi' had said.

**_Flashback_**

"Do you know that it is to truly be afraid? To feel your heart seize up in tremors, to find your limbs shaking so much that you cant even form hand seals. To loose all sense of hope?"

"Everytime I spare against you when you use two weapons? Especially when you use an axe and a spear?"

"Err, sure. Point is when you can isolate the highest expression of fear, then you can project that upon another. Probably take another six more months before we can reach that point."

"What!? I'm afraid of you already! Isn't that enough?!" protested Naruto wildly.

"Not enough. Not nearly enough. I want you to cry whenever I even look at you in a funny way. Oh, that reminds me, got to dual wield more often in our matches then."

"… Crap."

**_End flashback_**

_Just as I thought, her control is quite excellent. Though she should be able to use ki without activating the doujutsu. The element of surprise is lost otherwise._

Naruto was interested in it just because it didn't use any handseals, making it a near perfect support jutsu for his kenjutsu.

"Okay Hinata, that's a great job. Let Naruto have a go now."

Deactivating her jutsu, she just stood ready as Naruto tried to focus his chakra into his eyes. Hinata had a slight blush as she saw him stare so intently at her.

_His eyes, they are so blue, like a summer sky. I wonder…_

Focusing chakra into the eyes was one of the hardest things to do. Which was a reason why ki was usually used in conjunction with other jutsus. And something that couldn't be maintained for very long. People usually used to overwhelm an opponent anyways with sharp concentrated bursts.

He decided to close his eyes and gather up the charge. Feeling an odd tingling sensation, he decided that it was enough and opened it. His normally bright irises now literally glowed in intensity, the intent sparking a jump that cause Hinata to whimper for a second. Then it stopped.

_Just as I thought. His control is too poor because of his reserves. Looks like it is going to be more work then._

Naruto just had a sudden painful headache that brought him to his knees. He was rubbing his temples as every single sensation around him brought pain to his receptors.

Kurenai got concerned and rushed to him, Hinata following shortly.

_What the hell? Kyuu, what just happened?_

**_That, was, interesting… I never though it would work out like that._**

_What do you mean?_

**_Err, remember the whole seeing dead people thing. Well, oddly enough by focusing chakra into your eyes, your reiatsu followed as well. _**

_What does that mean?_

**_Next time you open up your eyes, things won't ever be quite the same again._**

_What?!_

**_Let's just say your spiritual sight has been awakened kit._**

* * *

**Kumo  
'Ne' safehouse  
Four months after massacre**

"Ah, 'Sai'. You have arrived. I read the report that you have prepared. Is there anything else that you have found out."

"No sir. It is all there."

Interesting news was arising. It seemed like Naruto's little secret was not so much of a secret anymore. Apparently Gashir being disgruntled with the loss of his arm and made a connection to the kid that did it. Then again anyone one that manages to survive an explosive tag at point blank range was worth noting. He didn't think Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki would be exposed so early on though.

_Someone must have gotten a bit chatty_. And as a result Kumo were trying their own little jinchuuriki program. The Nibi no Nekomata was sighed a few days ago and five ANBU teams were operating with a sealing expert to capture it. Then stuff it into some poor bastard.

He had no idea how the were going to do it, but it wasn't something that they could let happen. Or could they? Sealing was iffy at the best of times, and it could be that they were all going to fail horribly and die without 'Ne' intervention.

Though the risk of having a jinchuuriki in Kumo hands wasn't something that should be considered lightly. Especially not with the rumoured powers of the two tailed cat. Not in the hands of Konoha's enemy in any change.

"Sai, report back to Danzo and 'Tatsu'. Use your ink to get further instructions. Tell him that we can plan a snatch and grab, or we can just kill everyone on sight. Or we can do nothing and let the dice roll. Either way, if we plan some action, we are going to need more than four operatives. Probably another two teams would be nice. We need a reply by the next week. Got that?"

"Crystal clear."

He walked off with another fake smile on his face.

_Honestly that kid scares me. He is damned useful, but I wonder what made him join 'Ne' at such a young age. He seems earnest enough, but using kids like this…_

_It may be necessary, but I don't like it. Maybe I should keep a closer eye on him just to make sure he doesn't quite bend and break._

_And probably to request a partner. Him going solo isn't a great idea if he can't act like a normal person around anyone. At least a partner could coach him, or make excuses._

_Oh well, we can deal with that later._

He went on and started possible plans for an extraction exercise, or just plain old fashion killing. He was tending towards the latter as it would mask their trails quite nicely.

_Let's see. Dangerous sealing goes terribly wrong leading to a loss of five ANBU teams and a seals master_.

_It's plausible enough. _

_Bijuu proves stronger than expected and kills off all involved before making its escape. _

_That sounds even better._

_I wonder, if we do snatch Yugito, I wonder if she would work with us? Or is it safer just to neutralise the threat? Hmm. _

_If they fail now, then they will probably just try again in the future. It is not like we can actually stay here forever. Most bijuu seem to stay in one nation, except for the greater ones who just turn up like a STD. Unexpected with lingering consequences. If we deny them this by taking the bijuu away… then they will be screwed. Royally so. _

_It's in your hands now Danzo. I leave it in your hands. Damned if I have to make the decision here. Clearly above my pay grade._

* * *

**Konoha  
Village Central  
Six months after the massacre **

It was a sunny midday where Konoha was treated to a curious sight. Their resident blond jinchuuriki was walking down the road with Hyuuga Hanabi riding on his shoulder, giving a glare at anyone that gave her Naru-kun any funny looks that he had been attracting. Wrapping her arms around Naruto's neck, she just asked the plaintive question.

"Naru-kun, where are we going again?"

"Just to the best place in all of Konoha! Its just a few more steps, hey, why are you complaining? I'm doing all the walking here!"

"But you're older and taller than me; of course you have to carry me," she replied obstinately.

"What, no!"

Giving a devilish grin, she grabbed his sun kissed locks before whispering in his ear.

"Are you sure?"

At that he just hanged his head while he continued walking along the road. He had learnt early on that some things were just not worth fighting over. This was one of them.

**_Naru-chan, this is embarrassing for all of us. Especially me. What are you, a doormat? Get her off you!_**

_If it only was that simple_ he thought back plaintively.

He finally reached his destination. Hanabi looked at it, gazed back at Naruto who had an expectant look on his face.

_He brought me to a ramen stand!?_

"You brought me all this way to a ramen stand!?"

Naruto just had an offended look on his face.

"Don't you ever, ever call Ichiraku's a mere ramen stand! It has won award far and wide as being the freshest, tastiest and most authentic ramen restaurant in all of Konoha!"

Hanabi wasn't convinced. "Really?"

"Well, maybe not, but it's still really good. Won't you at least try some, for me?" with that Naruto tried to give his best puppy dog eyed look. It worked on most of the Hyuuga women and he figured that Hanabi wouldn't be any different. Problem was that it just highlighted his whiskers to her, leading her to stare at it again.

"I- I guess so."

"Great!" Rushing in and taking a seat, Hanabi rather reluctantly got off his shoulder while having a look at the menu. She had to admit there was a large variety of ramen on hand, and it wasn't something that they usually served in the Hyuuga household. Deciding to humour Naruto this once, she finally decided to order a bowl of pork ramen.

When she nodded at her choice Naruto just gave a foxy grin before waving his hands at Ayame, who saw their favoured customer and approached with a smile on her face.

Ichiraku Teuchi came to Konoha trying to find a better place to raise his daughter after the vicious civil that was still raging in Kiri. After it cost him his wife, he decided to leave his well to do business and flee for any country that had some form of stability and cared about its civilian populace. In the Elemental Nations this was a rather short list, with Konoha being right on the top.

And after hearing that financial incentives were offered for migrants with skilled labour (one of Sarutobi's initiatives that the Council of Fire took up) he quickly packed up what he could carry and took his child with him. It was a rather harrowing journey to remain undetected while the purge was still being conducted but he managed to get out. Upon arrival, he found a modest conditional grant so he decided to do what he did best.

Which was to serve ramen. But not just any ramen, it had to be the tastiest, freshest and most satisfying ramen that Konoha had ever seen. And it was, but he just didn't have enough money to actually build a brick and mortar establishment to reel in the customers that he could have. He was really a refugee who just had the clothes on his back as his business could not sell back in his hometown. So he was slowly saving away for the day his dreams could be realised, one where he could give his daughter everything that she deserved.

While Ayame was happy working with him, he wanted more for her. She deserved to do something with her life that she wanted to do, not out of an obligation to him. Ayame didn't really complain, but he saw the wistful look on her eyes when she was on her break, looking at the citizens going about with their daily lives. And how their lives all changed when a little boy came into their stall, looking for food.

When Kushina decided to disappear on her child's life, she didn't really prepare him for what was to come. After getting kicked out of the orphanage and struggling to live on his own, Naruto realised a few things.

His life sucked.  
He could cook for crap.  
He couldn't buy anything decent in his life

After a particularly lonely day, Naruto just wandered around till he smelt something divine. A scent that just wafted in the air and drew him until he found himself in front of a ramen stand. He stood outside for a few moments, hesitant to actually enter knowing what the likely reaction would be. Steeling himself, he quickly dashed in and sat himself, grabbing a menu to hide his face as he tried to gauge the reaction to his entry.

Ichiraku just saw a skinny little kid in ragged clothes dash into his stall. Thinking it was an orphan kid that couldn't afford to pay, he made a move to shoo him out until he saw the look of despair on his face. The last time he saw it was back in Kiri where a country had turned in on itself, creating whole neighbourhoods of dispossessed kids that lost hope. It was that look staring back into his eyes that made him get his daughter to approach the kid, to figure him out. Luckily Ayame was quite an approachable girl who was only four years older than Naruto.

They had just managed to click. Luckily or not, the Sandaime's law had protected Naruto and prevented Ichiraku from knowing the truth of the matter. Though if someone were to tell him now, he wouldn't have changed his opinion of the jinchuuriki at all. He was still Naruto, his best customer who was kind, generous and had a near bottomless appetite. Sure other customers had an issue with him, but the boy ate more than enough to cover those potential losses of profit.

He was quite shocked to see how much money the boy had, yet was still unable to clothe and feed himself. After offering to buy him things, Naruto just flat our refused, not wanting to take advantage of his hospitality any further than he had already. He had a place that he could eat unmolested, and for that he was thankful.

"Ah, Ayame-chan! How are you?"

"I'm fine Naruto-kun, and who do you have with you?"

"Oh, this is my friend Hanabi-chan. It's her first time here so you better make her meal a good one! Not that it isn't good any other time I eat here," with that he gave a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of his head.

Ayame just smiled fondly at the blond before facing Hanabi.

"What would you like Hanabi-san?" she asked politely.

She just casually grabbed onto Naruto's left arm before responding, just as politely. "Just a pork ramen thank you Ayame-san."

_Pay attention to me dammit, not her! You're spending your day with me!_

Naruto was slightly confused at this by play before Ayame turned her attention to him.

"Oh, I will have two pork, one miso and one chicken ramen."

Hanabi just looked at him in shock. Naruto just gave an innocent look back.

"What?"

"How can you eat so much but still stay so thin?! The Akamichi clan would kill for that secret!"

Naruto just gave a sheepish laugh before a thoughtful expression found its way on his face.

"I suppose I just work it all off when I train I guess."

Ayame just gave a laugh before saying "Ah, Naru-kun, never change." With that she ruffled his hair before walking away with their order.

In fifteen minutes their bowls came. Naruto gave a loud itadakimasu while Hanabi gave a more subdued one before they started eating.

Naruto first of all inhaled the aroma before breaking his chopsticks into two. Giving the noodles a swirl so that the broth was properly mixed, he then began to eat the noodles, slurping away as he enjoyed his favourite treat. He was literally on cloud nine as he felt the savoury broth mix with the fresh crisp texture of the noodles interweaving into a melody in his mouth. In under five minutes he had finished his first bowl and moved onto the next.

While Hanabi did have noodles before, ramen was a new dish as it was not really served in the Hyuuga household, being seen as something not quite fit for their rank and status. But she figured that if Naruto liked it, it couldn't be that bad.

She decided to mimic the swordsman's actions.

_Hmm, it does smell pretty nice. Ok, let's take a taste. Woah, its pretty salty, but, mmm, it's quite tasty._

Happy that it was actually better than she had expected, she ate the rest of it with a grin on her face. Naruto was looking at her from the corner of his eyes and had an even bigger smile on his face. It was rare that he could share one of his loves with anyone, but when he could, it just made his day.

After they finished their meals, Naruto took out Gama-chan before making a payment, leaving a generous tip as well. He left before they could protest, carrying Hanabi once again on his shoulders.

"So, where do you want to go Hana-chan?"

"I don't know, where do you want to go?"

His eyes furrowed in thought before he had an idea.

"How about we go to a place with an awesome view?"

Hanabi just shrugged before Naruto speed off into the distance. They eventually reached the top of the Hokage monument, in an area not open to civilians as it required scaling a wall face that was near vertical at times.

"Woah…"

"Nice isn't it?"

"Yep." Never in her life had Hanabi actually see her village in its entirety. She was usually isolated to her compound and other approved areas. But it was Naruto that had opened up her eyes and brought her to areas that she would not have ever experienced otherwise. Her considerable respect for the blond just increased at this point.

"You know, it's funny, I found this place by accident. I was just walking one day because I had nothing to do, and I decided to see if I could actually make it up here. That cliff was annoying, but I found a small path that wound its way up here. I just chakra walk it now because it faster. But when I came here and saw the view, it was really something."

His eyes clouded up in memory. "It was so peaceful, so quiet, like I was the only one in the entire world looking down. A place where I could be left alone…" Then again, those memories brought back times when he was completely and utterly alone. Painful memories of ice.

He just laid back and stared at the clouds, watching them make their way across the sky. Hanabi just used his stomach as pillow as she joined him in his cloud gazing. She could tell that his memories were not all pleasant ones, but oddly enough it reflected her and her sister's isolation from the rest of the village. She just held onto his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Both of them laid there enjoying the silence and the post lunch break as their stomachs were all bloated from the soup and noodles. That was before Hanabi remembered something.

She reached into her tunic and took out a letter and gave it to Naruto. He look at her with a question in his eyes.

"Otou-san asked me to give this to you. It is from the Hokage-sama. I kinda forgot that I was supposed to hand it to you." She gave a sheepish grin at that.

He merely tore open the envelope and started to read before a frown formed on his face.

_Uzumaki Naruto,_

_Congratulations, you have been enrolled into Konohakagure's Shinobi Academy. As one of the finest schools in the Elemental Nations, it will more than adequately prepare you for your future career as a ninja for the village hidden in leaves. Please note that classes start in two weeks time on Monday for a 0900 hrs start, with dismissal at 1500 hrs. any questions should be forwarded via your guardian to the Induction Coordinator._

_Faithfully yours_

_Takahashi Remi  
Principal_

Naruto just let the letter drop as he looked forlornly into the skies. Hanabi just crawled over him and grabbed the letter, her curiosity piqued. _Goddamit._

Fin

* * *

A/N

Hope that all makes sense. PM if it doesn't. I was just struck by an idea that will have to be developed in the next few chapters. It is regards to Kiri and the Mizukage.

I always found it hard to believe that Itachi managed to kill his entire clan by himself. Well ok, maybe the whole point was to suspend your disbelief to place him on a level that the canon characters could use a measuring stick. But the fact that he did it with no one noticing? Geez, that's a bit much. A whole ninja village just slept while its entire police force was massacred. Some screams would have been heard at least.

Anyways, who actually helped him will follow the recently revealed canon events. So no spoilers, though I might add or change that position in the future.

Oh yeah, and if Sai seems a bit OOC, well he is dealing with his bosses/superiors. He will get to his usual penis obsessed self when partnered with someone closer to his age. And not as powerful.

Next chapter will focus more on 'Ne', Naruto's time in the Academy (or lack thereof), the use of his _gigai_ and befriending a certain weapon obsessed mistress.

So yeah, you know the drill. Read and review to make me a happy boy. You don't want to see a grown man cry, it's really pathetic. No joke.

Ja ne.


	8. Hello and goodbye, halcyon days

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N.

Alrighty, this is for real. This will be last update for the month. I have like six assignments and I can't spend as much time to write on this fic. If I don't update for longer, keep on bugging me. I hope I can spend at least thirty minutes a night on this, but I can't make any promises.

Ok, more changing of canon events. The hardest part for me is to try and reconcile events so it all proceeds chronologically. But for some parts it is just not possible, so I just had to wing it. So yeah, remember, AU world means AU events.

And is anyone else getting frustrated with the manga? It's insulting enough that Sasuke is seemingly powered up to the hilt, but now with chakra-less jutsu's, the third form of the Mangekyou and a new legendary sword, something is not quite right. I'm not quite sure how I feel about all of this, but happy isn't a word i would use to describe it.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me. Sadly.

Chapter started: 02Mar08  
Chapter completed: 08Mar08

* * *

**Previously on BB**

_Uzumaki Naruto,_

_Congratulations, you have been enrolled into Konohakagure's Shinobi Academy. As one of the finest schools in the Elemental Nations, it will more than adequately prepare you for your future career as a ninja for the village hidden in leaves. Please note that classes start in two weeks time on Monday for a 0900 hrs start, with dismissal at 1500 hrs. Any questions should be forwarded via your guardian to the Induction Coordinator._

_Faithfully yours_

_Takahashi Remi_

_Principal_

Naruto just let the letter drop as he looked forlornly into the skies. Hanabi just crawled over him and grabbed the letter, her curiosity piqued. _Goddamit._

* * *

**Chapter eight**

_**Hello and goodbye, halcyon days**_

_**Konoha**_  
'_**Ne' headquarters**_

It was another gruelling training session that Naruto let loose of him anger and frustration against his instructor. Of course 'Mi' didn't take crap from anyone, certainly not from a nine year old boy, no matter how skilled he was. They were sparing again, both of them panting lightly with light cuts grazing both their frames. Except that 'Mi' didn't have a healing factor to take care of those otherwise insignificant injuries.

"What's wrong Naruto? You seem to be angry. That's not good. Getting angry leads to mistakes. And mistakes lead you to getting introduced to Mr Axe over here. He does get quite lonely though..." He gave a slight chuckle at the end of it.

"Why would I want to waste my time at the Academy anyways?! Not when I am getting the training that I need. Not that bullshit about books and rules!"

Truth said, Naruto had tried to take it with good grace. Which lasted for half a week before getting bored stupid. The teachers were going through material that was just a joke to him. And if he wanted to get glares and snide remarks from adults he would parade around town with Hanabi on his shoulder. At least he got some fun out of that. So did Hanabi.

He complained long and loud to the Hokage that he was bored, for him to get an apprenticeship, or something. But Sarutobi remained unmoved. This was mainly because of the whole Uchiha incident that seemed to simmer lightly. He would not risk again another repeat of a child prodigy. Especially one that had an obvious and justified grievance towards the majority of Konoha. He was fairly sure that Naruto would not snap and kill off everyone that didn't like him. Because that list was large and increasing by the day. If not hour. Sarutobi was just trying to impart some life skills to the boy so that he could have a future to look forward to.

A great part of life was learning about how to deal with others. In an ideal world everyone would be reasonable and pleasant. The fact was that most people weren't, so you could either kill them all or get along somehow. The whole killing option wasn't going to be left to Naruto, so that left the other.

Then again telling an eight year kid to get along with people that hated you with an irrational passion was not lost on the Sandaime. He was hoping that by his acts Naruto would win them over, like he did with the Hyuuga clan. But the boy decided that it just wasn't worth the effort and gave as good as he got, usually in the form of pranks that were relatively harmless, just embarrassing.

Though the amount of complaints that were filtering in the form of written threats was getting to be a hassle. The standard academy student spent three years learning about the basic arts before being truly tested in two ways. An initial test to see if they had enough talent to do the basics, the other secondary test one to whittle the wheat from the chaff.

And Sarutobi was not looking forward to three years of complaints in his ear, ones that he would politely listen to before ignoring. He was aware that right now Naruto could easily pass the entrance exams and be placed in a genin team.

Kami knows that the precedent was already set. Most notably by Hatake Kakashi who somehow entered the academy at six years of age before making chuunin at eight. Absolutely amazing.

But the whole point was to let Naruto make friends with his age group. He was fairly sure he was friends with the Hyuuga sisters, possibly Neji as well according to Hiashi, but it never hurt for him to have more. So by exercising some of his powers he had enrolled the blond.

He figured that the boy wouldn't be happy. On another note, he discharged Hayate and Yuugao from their mission, as the results were shown already and it wasn't really that necessary anymore. Both of them did not seem particularly happy at that, but they had no choice but to accept it. It didn't mean that they wouldn't see him during their spare time.

Something that the Hokage tacitly understood and approved of anyways. His defacto family was growing bit by bit.

So it was there that Naruto spent much time sleeping or planning other things as his teachers were droning on about Konoha's founding over one hundred years ago. He would have been interested if it was_actually_ the truth of the damned matter. He had long found the archives in the 'Ne' headquarters and decided to have his shadow clones take a read.

After one hell of a headache later, he was quite surprised at the information that he had absorbed. He asked Danzo who just gave an amused snort.

"Remember Naruto, things only really happen if we remember them. And it is the winners that usually write the history books. And remember we live in the shinobi world. Lies and misdirection are the name of the game. What you read there were independent reports of the events commonly regarded as the 'truth'. Hell, they might be wrong as well."

"But if you read and compare the two events, you will find elements of the 'truth'. And it's up to you to believe what you want to. I mean, think of this."

"'Ne' will never be on the history books. Well, hopefully so. But did that mean we didn't exist at all, didn't do anything at all for Konoha? Of course not, but if no one remembers it, then it is good as being useless. But the point is that _we_ will bear witness, and that is enough. We do no hunger for glory like those vain young fools. So when you look at anything written, remember it is all about perceptions."

"The founding of Konoha was a bloody affair that was sanitised by the winners against the losers. Justifications and reasons were created after the event. Then again it's not like other nations didn't do the same thing. Konoha just likes to give off an image of benevolence, which became a reality about fifty years after the founding. Apparently it was good for business."

But hearing the teachers reading from the text like it was the damned gospel annoyed him.

_**Kit, why are we here listening to this idiot?**_

_Well, I would use the gigai that Kisuke gave us, but I'm pretty sure that someone will pick up on it. _

_**Well, not necessarily. Think of it this way. The modsoul given to you is pretty much an idiot with no real talent but to annoy people yes?**_

_Yeah. And? Your not saying that I act like that are you? Are you?!_

_**Err... of course not. But think of it this way. You're still a kid, so it could be explained away if you have him take all of your classes while you do other things.**_

_I don't know. I'm pretty sure people would notice a difference. I don't act quite like the modsoul._

_**Sure, whatever you say kit.**_

_I don't! Take that back Kyuu!_

_**Your still young, so your development is still occurring. You personality isn't set in stone. We can explain it away by saying your bored and all that. That is why you are acting out, if that happens. And since you are not really learning anything, it wouldn't matter as such. **_

_But the gigai doesn't have any chakra in it. It couldn't use any of the damned techniques in the first place._

_**Well, I don't think they go through chakra based techniques till the last year. And even if you do fail, what will they do about it? They know that you are good enough to pass, but you just can't be bothered putting in the effort until the graduation exam. Or something like that. Anyways, all of this now is just background knowledge that could possible be crammed in four months time anyways. But I guess they try to drill in the basic concepts into you as a child, so you never forget it.**_

_... what a waste._

_**It works well for most kids. Probably. Anyways, there is little risk. We just need a way to monitor it so if does land in hot water we can somehow bail it out. I'm pretty sure that if the Hokage takes a look at it, he will notice a difference.**_

_Hmm, this sounds more risky than its worth._

_**Well Naru-chan, it beats the pants of just sitting here day dreaming.**_

_True..._

_**How about we ...**_

Naruto and his zanpukuto spent the rest of the day going though plans and rejecting them before coming to a solution. Things were definitely going to be interesting for the next few days.

* * *

_**Kumo**_  
'_**Ne' safehouse**_

"Welcome to 'Ne' 'Rei'."

"Thank you." The response came from a black haired boy clad in black. His face was fairly ordinary, nothing to bring any attention to it. It was near perfect for any operative. The only thing odd about him was a sword that he had strapped to his back.

"I bring a directive from our glorious leader."

He handed out a sealed scroll. 'Tori' merely gave an amused grunt before she bit his thumb and smeared some blood over the seal before it deactivated. She mentally read the order.

_Proceed with extraction of jinchuuriki. Wait till sealing is complete before striking. Make it seem like the bijuu destroyed the area and the team before fleeing the scene. If possible, plant some evidence of Iwa involvement. After mission is complete, pull out from Kumo to check point tango. Await further instructions from there. Expect eventual return to Konoha. _

The order was sealed with a stylised rendition of the 'Ne' seal, which glowed for a moment before the instructions ignited on itself.

Giving a curse, she blew on her burnt fingers.

_God damn it 'Karasu' and your stupid flare for drama, you could tell us when they self destruct. Jackass._

'Rei' was hiding a smirk before 'Tori' focused her attention to him. An evil grin appeared on her face that worried the boy. And for good reason.

"Well 'Rei', seeing that you are new here you will be partnered up with one of our existing operators. His name is 'Sai'."

_Why do I get a really bad feeling about this?_

"For now, get some rest. All the other cells are converging on this position, and I will explain the situation then.

He did, taking a small break in a secluded corner while he got some sleep. In a matter of hours a total of seven operatives had managed to gather together in the warehouse.

'Tori' just gave a small smile when she saw the other five arrive. It seemed like Danzo spared no expense for this operation, sending some of their best.

'Inu'  
'Tora'  
'Taka'  
'Ushi'  
'Sai'

_Let's see, three assault specialists along with four intelligence specialists. Up against five ANBU teams of three and a seals master. So, we are outnumbered 7:16? Good enough odds for me._

"Gentlemen and ladies, welcome to our little home for the next three days. I'm going to give you a brief run down for the next operation. It promises to be an interesting one. Please leave all questions to the end."

"Situation: we are in Kumo. If you haven't realised this I will personally kick your ass and reprogram you. We are posing as civvies until the operation is over."

"Mission: we are to extract the jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata in the seventy two hours. I say again, we are to extract the jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata in the seventy two hours. The bijuu is planned to be sealed by five ANBU teams, along with Sinobi Gashir and a seals master."

_What the hell, they are planning on a jinchuuriki?!_ This thought came from 'Rei'.

"Execution: form into two groups of two and one group of three. We will place ourselves into three points of a triangle and converge on the sealing as it is completed. One team will extract the jinchuuriki; the other two will cover the others escape will neutralising all Kumo nins, making it seem like the bijuu fought them off and got away."

"Administration and logistics: we have enough explosive notes here to take out a city block. Enough soldier pills to create a pharmacy. Remember to take them as well. I kid you not, no expense has been spared here. Even the latest ANBU protective vests are here. They have been modified by 'Karasu' as well and can stop a kunai at point blank range and still let you run at max speed if necessary. Well, that is what he says anyways. He is probably leaving something out so yeah, field test beforehand."

"Communications: latest 'Ne' mics and speakers are to be used. Remember to keep radio silence until we have to cover the asset's escape. We will use a chakra spike to disable any enemy coms so they can't radio for help."

"Ok, that's done. So, any questions?"

Rei had one. "Who is the vessel?"

"Her name is Nii Yugito. Not much information on her besides the fact that she is around eleven to twelve years of age. Has no family and is pretty much an isolated orphan. No known relatives. Was enrolled in their Academy but dropped out and was living in the streets."

"Any reason why they choose her from everyone else?" That question came from 'Inu'.

"Not that we can determine. Probably for convenience more than anyone else. No one was really going to miss her, and even if they did there wouldn't be much they could do about it anyways."

Rei's hands merely clenched together.

"In any event, I'm sure you all realise how important this op is. Somehow they must have figured out Uzumaki's secret and now want a piece of the pie. And that's just not going to happen."

"Anyways, form off into teams and we can organise the finer details of how everything is going to go down. We move out in sixty hours to prep the ground and observe the sealing. If it goes down smoothly, we go in. If everything ends up in a clusterfuck, we just get the hell out. Hopefully the bijuu will reduce the ANBU down to an even smaller number. But if not, then we prepare for at least seventeen hostiles. Maybe more if there is backup in reserve. So scout out and mark their positions. Don't let them see you, but if they do lure them into the conflict. Makes it more plausible to explain why they died."

"Any more questions?"

After everyone gave a decisive shake of their head, she smiled.

"Then let's do this."_**  
**_

* * *

_**Konoha**_  
'_**Ne' headquarters**_

"Have you ever wondered how Amegakure manages to survive when they are so, well, dammed isolated?"

"Not really, why?"

"Think about it. Their borders are closed off to all foreigners. How the hell do they trade then? How do they get missions assigned to them if they will not even let their clients into their main city?"

"It doesn't seem likely that they can possibly manufacture anything and everything without resort to something else. They need money somehow, and a closed economy is just, well, unfeasible. There can be no economic growth without injections into the circular flow."

"But the thing is that they are doing well. They are getting in money in excess of missions that could reasonable be expected of them."

"And the thing is that we have no intelligence on them since they closed their borders. I mean, we think that Hanzou is still their leader. But he never had a closed door policy in the first place. It could be entirely possible that there was a power play and that Hanzo is no longer there."

"Which brings off bigger questions of who the leader actually is in Ame."

"And I am noticing a large spike in the number of bounties being collected around the Elemental Nations. Seems to be the work of a group of nukenins powerful enough to take on A and S classed targets. It could be that Itachi has taken up on bounty hunting to support himself."

"Where the hell is he anyways?"

"Funny thing, there was a lead that he was heading to Ame. But if there is a closed door policy, why would he bother, unless he was heading further west."

"I mean, it could be nothing more than a paranoid ass in Ame being, well, paranoid. But it could be something else. We would need to invest in some particularly skilled assets to maintain a presence there."

"Hmm, 'Sai' could do it, possible someone that could remain undetected and send off reports to us. "

"Write up a proposal. Or I could just drop some hints to the ANBU and get Jiraiya on it."

"Do the latter, we have enough problems to worry about. I'm sure the op in Kumo will go off well. We might even get another jinchuuriki to our ranks."

"You think we can convert her?"

"If not me, then Naruto can. He's got a certain knack for winning people over."

And wasn't that the truth?

* * *

_**Kumo**_  
'_**Ne' safehouse**_

"Man you're pretty short. You aren't dickless are you?"

"What. The. Fuck?"

"Well are you? Dickless as well as stupid and short?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?! And how did I get stuck with you as my partner?"

"Call it karma." That came from 'Tori with an amused grin. She felt oddly vindicated.

"I agree with dickless here. Couldn't I get someone that is guaranteed to be a liability? I mean sure, he is short so he isn't as big a target. But that just makes me more vulnerable." All of that was delivered in a cheery false smile that made 'Rei' want to commit some grievous bodily harm onto something conveniently close. The fact that it just happened to be 'Sai' was just, well, convenient.

"'Rei', live with it."

"'Sai', you will work together, and why didn't you ever act that way around me?"

"You are my superior, my taichou, of course I would respect you. He is probably weaker than me, so meh, he is fair game."

"I will make you eat those words you bastard!"

"Sure you can. In your dreams, with me tied to a post. While unconscious. You're not gay as well are you by any chance?"

'Rei' just grabbed his sword and was about to strike when 'Tori' caught his arm with a glint in her eye. 'Rei' looked sufficiently embarrassed before sheathing his blade.

"Enough, the both of you. You will work together and leave this petty fighting till later. That is a direct order. Do you understand me, the both of you?"

"Yes maam. " both of them chorused at the same time.

Her disposition changed instantly to a happy one.

"That's great. 'Rei', why don't you take 'Sai' and go get some supplies. We are running out of food, so go ahead and get something., there is a list on the counter of some requests."

"Why do I have to take this porcelain faced bastard with me?"

"For some reason beyond my understanding you make him seem more human than anyone else around here. Hopefully you can get him to blend in some more. And I'm hungry and you need two people to carry it. And finally, it just amuses me to no end."

"I hate you taichou. I hope you know that."

"Aww, does little 'Rei' have a grudge against little 'ol me? Sound's dangerously like insubordination. Fu fu fu fu fu."

"Ah screw this we're leaving. Get your ass over here bastard."

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**_

Another day meant another pile of paperwork that multiplied like rabbits during mating season. It seems like everyone and everything need his approval in one way or another as the Sandaime sat down and looked forlornly at the bright blue sky beyond his window.

_Dammnit, this is getting old. When will a successor come along anytime soon?_

It wasn't like he hadn't been searching for a replacement. It was just that no one was capable enough to take over just yet. His top candidates at the moment were Tsunade and Jiraiya. And unless something serious changed them he wouldn't even think of doing it.

Jiraiya was probably the better option right now, at least he faced some responsibility for his village and was working back to establish an information network. Then again his perverted womanising ways would not make him the greatest diplomat in the world, a painfully necessary job at times.

Though at times he did wonder if it was just a coping mechanism that he had adopted to help dull the grief in his life. The betrayal by a man he once considered to be a brother, the death of his student and his unrequited and possibly one sided affection for a certain kunoichi...

Then he remembered when he was a kid and he trained the three sannin.

_Ok, I'm wrong. He was always as perverted as he was in his life. This way he just makes money from selling his smut and fending off angry bathers who had their privacy violated. _

That brought his mind back to Tsunade. That was still a bunch of problems that have yet to be resolved because he couldn't quite find her. He knew that she was somewhere in Fire Country, racking up debts, broken establishments and seemingly endless bottles of sake as she did everything possible to avoid her problems. But he could not afford to let her shirk her responsibilities.

It was her legacy that he was looking after, the faint royal lines of Senju blood flew freely and strongly in her veins than anyone else in Konoha. She was pretty much royalty in that her grandparents built Konoha with their strength and determination. He had Jiraiya look for her for the inevitable confrontation. Words had to be exchanged, and exchanged soon.

As he sighed to himself and took off the top sheet of paper for the day, there was a discrete knock on his door. Looking up he saw his secretary poke his head through.

"Excuse the interruption Hokage-sama, but Uchiha Mikoto requests a moment of your time."

"Did she say what it was about?"

"No sir, she said it was a private matter that required your attention."

Seizing on his chance to delay the inevitable, he was more than happy to speak to one of the Uchiha survivors.

Then again, when he saw her come in he had second thoughts. Never in his life had he seen such a warm and proud woman quite so changed. The best way to describe her would be brittle. Anger, self doubt and reproach had changed Mikoto into something different. A type of cold steel that was hard, but would shatter with sufficient pressure.

She merely walked in and gave a small bow. Sarutobi merely waited for her to begin as he sat back in his chair, observing her with his fine tuned skills of deduction.

"Hokage-sama, I have a request to ask of you?"

He merely raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. Seeing that no response was going to be forthcoming, he gestured for her to continue.

"I want in."

_Ok, that was vague enough_. "What exactly do you want to be in Mikoto-san."

She took a deep breathe before looking dead into the Sandaime's eyes. "I want to join the ANBU."

Now that wasn't wholly unexpected. Sarutobi had lived long enough to know how human behaviour usually worked. Mikoto wanted answers, she wanted revenge. Most of all she wanted to stop being helpless. She was defeated by her son, more than ten years her junior in a seemingly pathetically easy way. So she needed to get strong, to push herself so she could achieve her goals. And then she could pass them along to her son, so they could do it together.

Both of them were hurt by people that they loved. From that arose a common purpose. The first was to understand why Itachi did it in the first place. The second was to send the son of a bitch to hell if he didn't have a good reason. A damn good, justifiable reason that could earn him forgiveness in their hearts. And even then they might decide to kill him just because they felt like he needed to be sufficiently punished.

Sarutobi just looked at her, before closing his eyes.

"Denied."

Out of all the outcomes that she was expecting, this was not one of them.

"Hokage-sama!? Why not?"

_Because in many ways I failed a boy who had lost his entire family except for his mother. And because I didn't pay enough attention he was left alone in the darkness._

"Because Sasuke needs a mother. Plain and simple. Not a weekend parent working in a life or death role that will leave him an orphan. I shouldn't have to explain this dammit."

"But-"

"But nothing! He just lost his entire family and I will not let you endanger yourself like this! Think of your son Uchiha-san. Don't forget that he is hurting, as much as you are. And he will need love and care if he is to ever deal with what has happened. Which is all the more harder if you are not there to help him."

"Believe me, we have people looking after Itachi. He has much to answer for and I promise you that when we find him and bring him back to Konoha, you will get your chance."

Mikoto's face just hardened while her fists were tightened in rage.

"Don't lie to me! No one in ANBU could stop him, look what he did to my family, my clan!"

Sarutob's face hardened. "Do not underestimate my ANBU. Konoha does not suffer betrayal lightly and we will be prepared _when_ we confront him. "

"Then what am I suppose to do?" the question came from a seemingly lost woman. Here eyes had lost her focus, her drive. It was bereft of purpose.

"I am a kunoichi and a mother. I can't take care of finances, or anything like that. I spend my time with Sasuke-kun, spend time trying on patrol with the Military police, but I can't do what needs to be done. I can't confront my... _son_ if I can't get better..."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "So tell me Hokage-sama, what do I do?"

* * *

_**Konoha  
Village gates**_

_Have you figured out what happened to my eyes yet?_

_**I might have. Let's go to someplace first.**_

_Where?_

_**Just in the outskirts of Konoha, just near the memorial.**_

_Isn't that where...?_

_**Yes. It sure was.**_

He walked outside the gates, the chuunin guards not really giving him much apparent notice as he left onto the road nearly five hundred meters out of the main village. The terrain got progressively more wild as they finally made their way to a basalt statue nearly twenty metres in height.

It depicted a fallen nine tailed fox with the Yondaime Hokage lying triumphant over it. Chiselled from basalt, it had a raw and earthy visage. It was not a triumph enshrined in marble. It was a bitter sacrifice.

Naruto had mixed emotions when he saw the picture. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about Namikaze Minato.

On one hand he understood that someone had to be chosen to be the human sacrifice to hold the bijuu.

On the other hand he didn't quite like being the actual person that _was_ sacrificed in the first place. Not when he was a kid and had his choices taken away from him. You can't really expect the lamb to be happy when its throat was cut for the good of the village. Especially when they didn't appreciate that every day he lived he saved them from certain death.

Hell, even then he might not have minded if the villagers treated him decently, and maybe his mother was more of a parent. Hell he would have settled for being there. And didn't try to kill him in his sleep. That kinda thing messes a child up.

He always wondered if Minato actually cared about what would have happened to him after. Hell, for all he knew he saw Naruto as a means to an end that he didn't have to deal with because he would have passed on already. That thought was immeasurably depressing.

And that brought him back to the Kyuubi. The one that indirectly, or directly as the case may be, be the one responsible for his situation.

_Kyuu, why did you attack Konoha in the first place?_

_**That's a secret.**_

_Why won't you tell me?_

_**Because it's a secret. If I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret anymore would it?**_

Naruto just gave an irritated grunt before focusing on the area surrounding the monument. It was moments like this that reminded him why he didn't quite trust his zanpukuto. Something that he knew bothered Kisuke more than he let on. Apparently, the soul of his sword shouldn't be at odds with him, not in the way Kyuu was. It was moments like this that reminded him that she wasn't entirely his friend.

Allies they may be for now, but things were never certain. Hell, the notorious kitsune spirit maybe misleading him, giving her more trust than she deserved.

_**Look kit, I have my reasons for not telling you. Just know that in good time I will. It's not like you come and bare your soul to me every time I ask you. Can you understand?**_

He reluctantly gave a mental nod before focusing back to the real world.

_**I wonder how long I can hold off his answers. He isn't quite ready to know. No one really is. **_

_**Okay, tell me what you see.**_

_Err... trees, road, flowers, birds ... is that a squirrel up in that tree?_

Kyuu just sighed._ Ok, focus some of your reiatsu into your eyes. Then tell me._

He did. He formed the void in his head and immersed himself into the darkness. Feeling the connection form, he fed a stream of it to his eyes. When he opened them, he saw the world in an entirely new way.

_Holy shit!_

_**I thought so.**_

The area around him darkened exponentially, he saw ghostly shapes appear in his consciousness before they phased in and out of the world around him. Most of them looked vaguely like human beings. He couldn't really tell as the moment he tried to focus his attention to one of them, they just disappeared from his sight. It was like they were everywhere and not. Just teasing him on the peripheral vision of his sight.

_What the hell are they?_

_**Well, simply put they were the spirits of the fallen. Kinda. **_

_Woah, there are so many of them._

_**Yeah, probably about five hundred here alone. There are many more to the north. Funny, it almost forms a trail pointing the way to Konoha.**_

_So many dead... God dammit, why did you do it?!_

_**Cause I could?**_

_Kami-sama, don't lie to me!_

_**Well, that was one of the reasons. Not the primary one, but I wouldn't have paid your village a visit if I didn't have the power to back it up. **_

Knowing that he was flogging a dead horse, he decided to move onto his more immediate problem.

_Okay, I guess I really can see dead people._

_**Well, not dead people per se. It's more like spiritual energy. Talk to Kisuke about it, I am sure he can come up with a better explanation about it. Or a lie. Either way I'm sure he will make it believable.**_

_I don't think he would lie to me._

_**Oh really? Cause he looks pretty shifty eyed to me at times.**_

_I guess..._

_**Anyways, point is that it can be quite useful to us.**_

_How so?_

_**Next time you can, look at a shinobi. The darker the aura around them, the more death they have been around. Most people will never get a heavy aura, so you can pick off those nins trying to hide from you. And I am sure more interesting things will be apparent the more you use it.**_

_Hmmm_. Naruto just lost himself in thought. It was a fairly useful trick he supposed. It just gave him a headache when he had so much power running through his head.

He just realised something. He managed to see the some spiritual energy emanate from Anko _without_ even using his spiritual sight. That bothered him and he resolved to speak to her as soon as he could.

_**Let's get back to Konoha. There is not much else to do here. Oh and feel free to spit on the memorial for me.**_

_... No._

_**You're not fun at all.**_She just gave him a pout as he just laughed somewhat affectionately.

He merely gave a small smile on his face before starting the short walk back to Konoha.

* * *

_**Kumo  
South west**_

"So tell me, are we sure we can do this?"

"There are fifteen of us, all ANBU elites armed to the teeth. What more else do you want?"

"Oh I don't know, a kage level shinobi wouldn't hurt. We are about to take on a fucking bijuu here!"

"While that is true, it is the second weakest. It is also big and damned hard to miss. We are not trying to kill the damned thing, just subdue it long enough for Takashi-san to seal it."

"Err... has this ever been done before?"

"It is all theoretically possible..."

"... That's it? Theory? You have got to be shitting me?"

"Hey, there are unconfirmed sightings of jinchuuriki's around the place. They are pretty much well hidden by villages because of how damned rare they are. Think about it, only nine can exist at any one time. Makes it the rarest bloodline in the world. Well, I'm wrong, that honour goes to the Uchiha clan."

All around him the shinobi took a laugh at that. They all took bitter satisfaction in seeing Konoha laid low, though the irony that it was by one of their very own was not lost on them.

"Anyways, I have faith that Kumo ANBU are more than a match for a mindless beast such as the Nibi no Nekomata. Just force it into the circle keep it there for as long as you can. Once it activates we shatter its physical medium then force it into the vessel. You all know the plan. So let's go an do it. It has been sighted two kilometres to the west. Drive it to this location. Any questions?"

"Yeah, can we get some backup?"

"It is not needed. Fifteen is more than enough. Stop being a pussy, I really fucking wonder how you made ANBU in the first place your coward."

"What, I'm just saying..."

"Enough. Let's move out."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Rei' just looked at the aftermath.

"Well, they did it. I think."

"Sure looks like it dickless."

"... I hate you. You know that don't you?"

"I'd be scared if you could do anything to hurt me, but you are so weak it makes me ashamed to call you a man."

The two of them were concealed under a genjutsu maintained by 'Rei', a mere sixty meters away from the shinobi who had managed to seal away the bijuu into a thrashing girl. He peered into monocolars to observe the events that were unravelling in front of him. Her screams were particularly offensive to 'Rei' as he saw the men look on in indifference or fascination as the demonic chakra was forcibly integrated into the girl's body. Her pathways tired to reject the foreign energy as the Nekomata's spirit was entrapped. He saw one ANBU holding her down while saying soothing words and holding the child tightly to his chest.

That act of compassion seemed out of place in the group of hardened operators and for a moment 'Rei' felt a bit lost, having some second thoughts about what was to occur next, before ruthlessly crushing those thoughts.

Sai just looked at his partner before commenting.

"You look worried. What's wrong, this isn't your first mission is it?"

'Rei' remained silent at that.

"Fuck me; this is your first op? Ok, definitely stay away from me when this all goes down."

'Tori's' voice whispered itself over the radio net. "Ok, all teams go on my mark."

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten_

"Mark"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Fuck yeah, we did it. Your not so tough now are you, you oversized cat!"

The Kumo nins were successful in subduing their prey, who was now locked into Nii Yugito. They all looked at her, reading to restrain her if the bijuu decided to take over.

It was not an easy battle, trying to herd the Nekomata into the sealing circle. Once they got it in their, it was pretty much trapped, but that didn't stop it from tying to electrify them to death with its jutsu's. Six ANBU stationed themselves five meters away as they cast jutsu after jutsu to weaken in, while two cells of eight let loose their long range ninjutsu at a range of thirty meters. The seals master was waiting in the middle, working with the communications operator to direct the attack.

Gashir stood on the sidelines with a look of cold satisfaction on his face._Everything is falling into its right place._

The battle was not without its problems. 2 ANBU were killed on the eastern side as 3 more were applying basic healing chakra over their wounds. Everything went to plan with minimal casualties.

Of course that was before things decided to erupt around them in fire and brimstone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sealing took over one and a half hours as the ANBU spent their time trying to shatter the bijuu's physical medium. This was more than enough to let 'Tori', 'Taka' and 'Ushi' to scout around. Once the chakra flare was felt in the distance they found their targets and began to position themselves accordingly.

'Rei' and 'Sai' were placed under sixty meters on the east flank.

'Tori', 'Taka' and 'Ushi' were in the south east flank one hundred and twenty meters away.

'Inu' took point eighty meters on the north west flank.

'Tora' has his place sixty meters to the south west.

All of them were concealed under active genjutsu's and looking with interest with their monoculars.

However, they also had other preparations.

Kage bunshins were summoned and placed to the north, west, south and south east flanks. They were all around one hundred and fifty meters from the epicentre. All of them were operating a peculiar contraption that 'Karasu' had sent along with them. It was a man portable ballistae. Properly sealed away in a summoning scroll, once fully assembled they were only three meters long with a recurve composite bow arm. They fired bolts at a rate of two per minute, which was ridiculously slow because of the sheer torque required to bend the arms back.

A skilled nin could enhance their arms with chakra to fire at least eight bolts per minute. This paled in comparison to a bow where a shinobi could place four arrows in the air under _one_ second. But regular kage bunshin did not have enough chakra to do that. So what a ballistae failed in speed they made up in ease of use and sheer penetrating power. All you needed was a clear line of sight. Which they all had as they hid under a passive genjutsu.

All four teams of shadow cleans were listening carefully for the order.

"Mark."

They all grinned before they got ready. The north and south cells fired their bolts that almost made their way lazily towards their target. But the intention was never to really hit them in the first place.

The two meter bolts would have skewered and instantly killed any person in its path. They all just landed twenty meters short of the centre before the inch thick wad of explosive notes detonated, creating a large crater nearly six meters in radius.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The detonation was sudden and violent, taking all of the Kumo nins by surprise. But their training kicked in and they snapped into action. Standard procedures were to find a new defensible position in case of ambush. And when you were stuck in a rather exposed opening, then improvise.

_Doton: Doryuuheki (Earth style wall)_

Five walls were created on the north and south flank in order to ward off any other attacks. As their attention was directed to that direction 'Rei' and 'Sai' made their move. They burst open from their genjutsu and rushed forward, silent as wraiths before casting their jutsus.

_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu! (Mass shadow clone technique)_

_Choju giga (Super Beasts Imitation picture)_

A veritable army of shadow clones and tigers erupted on the eastern flank, surprising the ANBU as they hastily turned their attention to face the incoming charge.

As they were doing so 'Tori', 'Taka' and 'Ushi' moved to flank them, being hidden from sight by the doton walls created by the ANBU.

As they did so the shadow clone team on the west flank fired a bolt to their rear. One where the ballista was fully loaded and primed, travelling the distance in under a second. The blast managed to take out one ANBU while injuring three others and making the others hit the ground. Ballista were not known for being particularly accurate, especially man portable ones that were not grounded properly. Even at such a distance.

'Inu' and 'Tora' decided to join in on the fun as they rushed to their rear, to give 'Rei' and 'Sai' some time to retrieve the target.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The kage bunshin army was cut down quickly by the ANBU, but they were only there for a smokescreen. They had realised that the newly made jinchuuriki was the target and were about to secure her. Until 'Rei' burst in, snatched her away as the bolt detonated to the west. He reached into his pouch and threw a large ceramic ball to the ground. A blinding light that was as bright as the sun went off, momentarily blinding all of them as 'Rei' held onto Yuugito while 'Sai' drew off two destriers with his pen before both operatives jumped on and rode off.

"Don't let those fuckers get away!"

The ANBU were going to make chase before 'Tori', 'Taka' and 'Ushi' moved to cover their retreat.

_Katon: Karyuuendan! (Fire Dragon Projectile)  
Katon: Gouryuuka no jutsu! (Great Dragon Fire technique)  
Doton: Hari Jizou! (Underworld Guardian Spikes)_

The fire dragon took them on the defensive while the earth jutsu created spikes that made it impossible for them to walk over. Until they destroyed them or went around. It would give them twenty seconds at most. Which is all that they really needed.

Then 'Inu' and 'Tora' came in on the rear

_Katon: Housenka! (Mythical Fire Phoenix technique)  
Fuuton: Dai Kamataichi! (Great Cutting Whirlwind)_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Fuck! All teams scatter, they got us pinned. Regroup at site delta before giving pursuit."

That was before all the doton walls were annihilated thanks to delayed explosive notes, denying them any cover at all. All the Kumo nins made the handseals for _Shunshin no jutsu_.

The ballista teams were now firing madly away, directing their attacks to the centre to avoid any friendly fire.

_Shunshin no jutsu_ released the constraint of gravity on a person for approximately two to five seconds, depending on the users' proficiency. So it let them move at incredibly fast speeds, allowing them to cover about one hundred and fifty meters in a straight line. However, to gather the jutsu took at least five seconds. In battle that was a near life time.

The kage bunshin teams saw them about to complete the jutsu with their spotting scopes. So they aimed accordingly.

Three bolts were fired and but only two found its target, impaling through the chest of the ANBU before continuing cleanly through. Their position was pretty much disclosed as the passive genjutsu's on them could not hold up to close scrutiny.

Three Kumo nins body flickered to their position with hate in their eyes before they unsheathed their ninjato's and killed them all. They were surprised that they were all shadow clones.

_Kage bunshin!? Fuck, these are Konoha nin..._

Their thoughts were all rudely interrupted when the site around them exploded into columns of fire. 'Ne' had learnt to booby trap their autonomous support teams in case they were discovered. It covered their tracks, denied the enemy their ballistae and killed their enemies. A good trade off, though 'Karasu' was chronically pissed off when he heard how his creations went up in smoke like that.

The remaining Kumo nins saw the explosions before seeing red. They were tired and near exhausted from trying to seal the damned Nekomata, and now they were under attack?

They would fucking bleed to the ground before they would hand over their prize. 'Ne' was all to happy to oblige.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Raiton: Raikyuu (Lightening Ball)_

A near lightening blur of energy erupted from an ANBU's hand that struck 'Tori' in his chest. His protective vest took most of the blow but it still managed to penetrate before the lightening sent his receptors into a nightmarish spiral. He went down onto the ground, twitching as his reflexes were shot to hell.

"Fuck, we got a man down! 'Ushi', cover us!"

'Taka' just grabbed his fallen comrade as he ran one hundred meters out of the conflict zone.

"Are you ok?"

"Just fucking peachy. Kill that son of a bitch for me will you?"

"Of course"

Caught out in the open, exhausted, with no objects of equivalent mass to Kaiwamiri with, the ANBU realised that they were set up and were now desperate to get away. Finding themselves surrounded, they were confident that they still had the superior numbers. They were no longer surprised and were coordinating their responses.

"Cover our flanks, radio in for reinforcements."

"No use sir, we are too far away for anyone to get our signal! Our comms are jammed somehow, we can't communicate with our forward teams"

"Screw this, push our way out, head to the east to recapture the girl."

So they burst forward, with shinobi covering their exposed sides to face the remaining four 'Ne' operatives on the field.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Rei' and 'Sai' had managed to clear about six hundred meters in the twenty seconds that they managed to break free. 'Rei' looked back before yelling out to his partner.

"'Sai', catch."

He tossed an unconcsious Yuugito to the pale faced boy as he turned his horse back to his pursuers.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing dickless? Follow the orders." All of it was delivered in a monotone. 'Rei' look back at him incredulously.

"Screw you, you goddamned machine. We got a man down. You can carry her by herself to our rendezvous point. I'm going to help clean up this mess."

Some sort of emotion flared on 'Sai's' face as he struggled with the situation. He realised that 'Rei' would not go back with him and he was wasting time, the Kumo ANBU were cutting into their lead. So he just nodded before ridding off.

'Rei' just faced his pursuers before charging his horse forward a few hundred meters before getting off. He was not used to fighting on a horse, the constant movement was jarring his sense of balance and he didn't want to wing it just now.

His hands formed a cross shaped seal.

_Kage Bunshin no jutsu._

Twenty clones poofed into existence. They all looked to him for orders.

"Alright guys, all of you form a triangle, with a base of ten. Take my right and left flank."

"Yes boss!" they all chorused at the same time.

'Rei' just had a look at his position. There were five of them left, two actively paying him attention as the others were facing off with his teammates.

"Okay, let's do this."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Tora' found a nin to his right and decided to engage him first. He was still relatively fresh and decided to go in for the easy kill. He raised his ninjato and struck out, catching the Kumo nin on the shoulder. It dissolved into a puddle of water before he span and stabbed the other nin on his left. Giving a grunt of pain, the ANBU gave a chakra kick that pushed hin back before his hand blurred in seals.

_Raiton: wave of static!_

A web of electricity burst forward from his hand as 'Tora' dodged and dived into the ground. The other nin's eyes widened in surprise before a pair of hands burst form the ground beneath him and dragged him in.

_Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique)_

All that was exposed was his head before 'Tora' burst back out and swung his blade across his neck. Death was mercifully quick as he was decapitated.

_Ok, next target!_

He looked around and decided to go for an exposed back of the nin facing off with 'Taka' and 'Ushi'.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Inu' found himself facing off with two nins that were experienced, keeping him on his toes as both of them tried to flank him, keeping his attention focused on one as jutsu's were cast in his direction.

_Doton: Doryuudan (Earth Dragon Projectile)_

A narrow serpent of a dragon burst forward and wound around him as a guard as he focused his attention to the nin on his right. He remained stationary as he tried to figure out his next move. It was going to prove a poor choice.

_Fuuton: Daitoppa (Great Breakthrough)_

_Katon: Endan (Fireball)_

The wind element fed the fire element of the two jutsus as they exploded into something greater than the sum of the two parts. 'Inu's' eyes widened as he twisted the dragoon to wind around his body as shield before the firestorm hit. He wasn't quite so luck as the earth proved to be inadequate to shield him from all the blast. He screamed as the heat seared through the rock and nearly cooked him alive in the cocoon. He lost consciousness as his burnt body slid down into the earth.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Taka' and 'Ushi' decided to double team their target as they saw a pyramid formation of shadow clones engage the two nins on their right.

They decided to end it quickly.

'Taka' merely closed the distance and stared directly into the shinobi's eyes and concentrated about two fifths of his chakra into his ki. 'Taka' was a bona fide specialist in the use of killing intent and it showed as the pressure was nearly overwhelming, causing him to stop in shock before 'Ushi' carved him in twain with a strike that began on his shoulders and ended towards the bottom of his ribs.

They then focused their attention on the two nins that had fell 'Inu' with a growl on their face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Rei' stood back as he let his clones contact with the enemy. A great benefit of the kage bunshin is that even when they died they gave you valuable intelligence to the style of combat that the opposing shinobi had employed. He had chosen a pyramid formation as the enemy only saw the front wedge facing them. They did not realise that there was en entire line towards the rear to crash into them

Apparently scoffing at the clones he flung earthen balls at them before charging in the middle, intending the hack at the wedge formation from their backs while the dust provided some cover. The balls splintered upon contact, creating a cloud so when he rushed through and faced the clone's rear he didn't quite notice the ten blades aimed towards his own back. Needless to say he ended quite quickly.

'Rei' was surprised at how lucky he was to get such an impatient opponent. He ordered his other pyramid to engage the nin on his left. But as he saw how his comrade had fallen he knew that he would fall for that trick twice.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Taka' and 'Ushi' splintered into two as they faced off against the two nins, but not before one of them had stabbed 'Inu' in the chest, leaving him to bleed out.

'Taka' roared in outrage as he threw kunai and shuriken to get them away from his fallen companion, 'Ushi' pumping chakra into her legs to get enough speed to slide tackle the other ANBU. He jumped away and landed softly, hands forming more seals.

_Doton: Ground Spike!_

Cursing, 'Ushi' grabbed 'Inu' and rolled away as the ground beneath her erupted into spikes that manage to catch her shoulder. The protective plate only blunted the impact before it skewered through. She reached into her thigh pouch as she threw more grenades to cover her retreat.

'Taka' prepared a move he had perfected over the course of his reconnaissance duties. He reached into his pouch and threw four more kunai. They unerringly twisted in the air to reach his target as the other just knocked then away with his blade, smirking as he did so.

He charged forward, being nearly empty on chakra and decided to go hand to hand. He didn't realised that as they fell to the ground, the kunais were controlled by chakra strings that were still in place. They lined up behind him and 'Taka' locked his blade with the other.

"Rot in hell you bastard."

His left hand was wide open, before he clenched them. Sending the kunai directly into his spinal column. Paralysed, he fell back before 'Taka' stabbed him in the stomach, twisting the blade to widen to wound before kicking him off it.

'That's for 'Inu'."

He focused his attention to the other remaining nin.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**Keep his hands busy. Keep striking them with your blade so they don't have a chance to actually use a jutsu, to body flicker away, or kaiwamiri. Keep them on the defensive and find a weakness in their defence. Then strike with no mercy.**_

'Rei' was remembering the advice from his tutor as he engaged the other nin, his clones all dead but not before they inflicted a few light wounds. From their deaths he had deduced that the nin favoured his left side and his kenjutsu wasn't as strong as his. But he was definitely more experienced in other matters. So he had to deny him his advantage, he had to engage him in a sword match where he would dance around his defences. Just like he was trained to do.

He flowed around the Kumo nin, his sword a blur as he enhanced his muscles to strengthen his blows. Every time the other disengaged his blade 'Rei' knew what direction the next strike would come from and position himself against it. The ANBU was getting frustrated and was getting sloppy. His strikes were lacking precision and only had strength focused behind it now. Just like he planned.

_A few more moments, then it is all over. _

Things were going to continue before two blades burst from his back to his abdomen, the look of surprise almost comical before they were withdrawn, letting him fall to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing here 'Rei'?"

"I figured that you needed some help." 'Rei' said with a plaintive shrug.

'Taka' and 'Ushi' looked at each other before they sighed at each other.

"We can discuss this later. Let's get our wounded, leave the false trail and evidence, then go."

* * *

_**Kumo  
Check point tango**_

The mission did not quite go to plan. But then again, they never really do. There were no causalites, but 'Tori', 'Inu' and 'Ushi' had injuries that would mean that they would be out of commission for a few months. 'Rei' applied some of his healing techniques that sealed up their physical wounds. It just felt like they were being dumped into a pool of ice water as they did so. But the chakra related injuries were another thing. They just wouldn't seem to heal.

_That's odd, then again I never had to do on a chakra injury._

That meant that 'Inu' was still in semi critical position, but would not die from the chest wound he had taken. They all needed to get back to Konoha rather quickly.

But before they did so they had to clear up something.

'Taka' went up to 'Rei' who looked at him in return. He more felt than saw the fist that impacted into his stomach, driving the wind from him.

_What the fuck?!_

When 'Rei' had the capacity to speak, he yelled out "What the fuck!?"

'Taka' merely grabbed onto him and slammed him to a tree.

"What the hell do you think you were doing out there?"

"Trying to save your life dammit!"

"No, you weren't. We were more than capable to handle ourselves. Why did you disobey orders!"

"I though that – "

"Shut up, you were not thinking at all. If you were thinking then you would not have abandoned 'Sai' to play the goddamned hero. We are still in Kumo and there was no way of knowing if the route was safe yet."

"What if 'Sai' had encountered a random patrol, or anything like that? He would be dead, the girl retaken and everything we worked for wasted because of it."

"Orders are given for a reason dammit, so stick to the plan next time. If there is a next time. Do you understand me?"

"Ye- yes."

"Good." With that he let 'Rei' go, the boy seeming to slump into himself as the absorbed the words that were spat in his face.

The entire campsite was now quiet as 'Rei' got up and went off.

'Tori' looked at him leave before sighing.

"'Taka', did you have to be such a bastard about that?"

"What? It was true and you know it."

"It was the kid's first op, he saw us in danger and he reacted."

"Fuck, what the hell was Danzo thinking then, letting a bloody rookie on this op?"

"Oh, he has his reasons. Good ones in fact. He needed to know some things which was well proven today. Okay, so the kid disobeyed orders. Normally I agree, but there was no harm done here. And he took a calculated risk that paid off. Really, we scouted the area and there was no one near the place. Their arrogance will cost them."

"... I guess so." That was said begrudgingly. "It still doesn't change the fact –"

"That yes, he did go against the plan. But hell, you are not the one to go preaching about that."

"Hey, I was young then."

"Dammit, you were older than 'Rei'!"

At that he paused. The truth was right. The boy did show a lot of maturity for his age. And he was chosen because he was small and fast, to snatch and grab, not to fight off ANBU. The fact that he held his own against them was impressive in its own right. He would never expected a kid to have the skill that he displayed.

'Ushi' just sighed before getting up. The wound to her shoulder had healed quite nicely, courtesy of 'Rei' and she stretched, testing her muscles.

"Look, I'll talk to the kid alright?"

They just nodded while she walked off to find the other.

Yugito just lay on the ground unconscious with her limbs bound and a suppressant seal on her abdomen as they prepared to bring her back to Konoha. They would rather that she was out of it for most of the journey. They didn't want her to escape and scour the damned countryside to find her.

* * *

_**Fire Country  
Outskirts of Konoha**_

The trip back to Konoha was subdued. 'Rei' had seemed to retreat into a shell that not even the insults of his partner could bring him out from. An uncomfortable silence had descended on all of them as they came within sight of the village hidden in leaves.

"What's wrong with you dickless, are you going to let words make you this weak?"

"Why did you join 'Sai'?"

"What?"

"Why did you join 'Ne'?".

'Sai's' face merely got contemplative before giving a fake smile.

"Danzo-sama gave me an offer that I couldn't say no to. Before all of this, I was in an orphanage. No one liked me very much, even the care takers. They always spat at me, calling me a 'useless bastard from that traitorous son of a bitch', and said that I should die before having the chance to do what my father did." He still had a smile on his face as he explained himself.

"I never had any parents, and no one would ever want to adopt me. There was another kid like me, I think his name was Naruto, or something like that. Kids and adults would hate him as well. I didn't want the other kids to hate me anymore so I joined in and stayed away. Then he left one day and I was kicked out. At least Konoha had an orphanage. I hear other nation's just leave kids to die."

"So I was wondering alone one day when someone found me. Told me that I could get the chance to atone for my family's crimes against the village. Told me that they would make me strong and that Konoha would be proud of me."

"Who, who was your father 'Sai'? Who was your mother?."

"Funny thing, I don't know." His expression did not change. "No one really bothered to tell me, hell I'm not sure the name I had was even right. So I was given a new one. I think I stopped caring a while ago, but I have learnt to not let things affect me that much. So I accepted the offer, and my life changed for the better."

"It was painful, the training, the selection, but no more than what I was going through on the streets. And I refused to let it get to me. I would live through all of it. There was no one else really so if no one cared about me, then why should I?"

"Have you tried to find your parents, are they even alive?"

"I'm not sure." He gave another false grin. "They are probably all dead, and they probably deserve it. How about you dickless, why did you join 'Ne'?"

'Rei's' eyes just grew pensive. "I – I don't really know. I wanted to be strong, to be able to protect myself and the people that were precious to me. But I am wondering if this is the right way to do it?"

"From what I heard you manage to take out one ANBU and fought another to a standstill. You're probably not weak, but you're still dickless though."

'Rei' just looked at 'Sai' before giving a weak laugh. They saw the gates of Konoha in the moonlight and there was a 'Ne' operative on patrol, living a double life. She nodded to them as the seven of them entered into the village shrouded by shadows before heading off to headquarters.

They had a debriefing to give.

* * *

**Kusagakure**

Purpose.  
Honour.  
Duty.

Words that seemed foreign to him were given new meaning. All because of a few events he had managed to find in himself a reason to change.

He was a part of a legend. Together they had fought together (usually with each other), trained together, dreamed together, killed together. Enough that the legendary Hanzou had given them a new name on the field of battle. They hadn't exactly won, but the recognition was there.

The Dennsetsu no Sannin.

A bond that seemed stronger than steel in their youth. One that seemed totally incompatible that had defied all expectations and had scored a kill count higher than all ANBU squads combined.

Orochimaru, the cold genius that had seemingly inherited Sarutobi's love of knowledge that slowly drove him to explore the dark secrets of mortality.

Tsunade, the haunting beauty who could kill as easily as she could heal, her passion for medical ninjutsu flourishing under the guidance of the Professor.

Jiraiya, the pervert jokester who held them all together with his enthusiasm and ideals of friendship, honour and duty.

And just as a legend rises, they must fall as well. If hard pressed, all three of them could not admit, even to themselves, where the first break had occurred. The rift in the family that was cemented in over thirty years of interaction.

Could it be when Tsunade lost hope in herself after failing to save the two people in her life that she loved above all else? Retreating into herself and finding it easier to give into grief than to face the facts.

Or maybe when Jiraiya had trained the man that would become the Yondaime Hokage, seeing that as an act of betrayal that was one of the reasons that Orochimaru had turned traitor.

Or maybe when both of them tried to comfort her but she had scorned their efforts, preferring to drown her sorrows away in sake and gambling while taking away Shizune in an attempt to salve her conscience. Then again her haemophobia that developed had pretty much rendered her useless as a combat medic. Her disappearance lead Jiraiya to do some digging and finding out some secrets that he would take to the grave.

When Orochimaru found the skin of the white serpent that lead him to his fascination with life and death, coupled with the loss of Tsunade's loved ones that started his experimentations on enemy nin perhaps?

The public reason was that Orochimaru was caught playing god with shinobi and civilians alike. The fact that Sarutobi let his student go did not go down that well with his entire village, but most of them did not quite believe that the genius Sannin had turned rogue.

That was until the bodies were discovered. Some of them were mutated beyond belief and had turned his name into an anathema. Enough that even forced Danzo to reconsider genetic experimentation on his willing 'Ne' forces, and focusing back on good old fashioned physical exercise and jutsu manipulation.

The sheer amount of people that had seemingly disappeared into his laboratory had managed to top _three hundred_. Most of them were civilians, but he had decided to go for stronger subjects. Shinobi who could take the physical abuse and fluctuations of chakra into their pathways. They had died nonetheless, but giving enough data for him to ponder.

But in their own way, each had a small part to play for the sundering of the three. It's just that Orochimaru gets blamed for most of it. He didn't particularly care so that took attention off the others.

Maybe the truth of the matter that they were never whole in the first place. With the lavish attention placed on the genius and the beloved princess by their sensei, he had created an environment of neglect for the prankster. One that he laughed and joked away, hiding the pain of being overlooked by his teacher who he looked up to. Admired above all others. Even when he proved to be the most loyal of them all, the two geniuses playing the part of the prodigal children. A part of him that hated knowing that if they came back, all would be forgiven, while he worked tirelessly away, and for what?

That was partially the reason why Jiraiya had wandered for all this long. Another was not entirely selfish. It all began with a meeting with the Toad Sage sitting on the Mount. High in the mountain of the summoning realm he was guided and given something.

A prophecy that placed upon his shoulders a burden, one where he would be the one that would mentor a special child that would bring peace to the land, or utterly destroy it.

In his reflections he thought that it was Namikaze Minato. Kami knew that he was talented enough, but he had died without achieving something on a global scale.

He remembered the three children he has mentored in Amegakure, one with the Rinn'egan. The fabled doujutsu that was as old and it was revered. The one that was said to have been the beginning of all jutsus. The one brought into the Elemental Nations by the First Empire.

But he couldn't be sure. He had lost contact with them, not knowing of the prophecy that would guide the fate of nations. And when he heard it, he tried to find them, convinced that the boy, whose name he had not entirely remembered, would be the linchpin for _everything_. That was easier said that done when Ame still has a warzone that had no sense of peace, where citizens died without burial or notice. He was on a lead before he was desperately summoned by his toads.

The Kyuubi no Yoko had arrived in Fire Country and had a target in mind. Konohagakure.

Torn between two decisions, Jiraiya let his heart decide for him and summoned a toad to take him back to his home. He hadn't quite mastered the manipulation of phase space that resided in the stomach of the greater toad summons, but he made amazing time.

But at the end of it, it was too late. The Kyuubi was dead, seemingly, while the casualties had neared the thousands. Even more when the medic-nin corps was understaffed and under qualified. He had helped when he could and saw that his protégée had done the impossible. A mortal had dared defied the might of the demon lord and was triumphant. It just cost him his life and the innocence of a child.

That was before he saw Naruto and the note that he had left. It didn't seem to make any sense as it went against everything that he knew about sealing. And he had taught Minato everything, even if he took it to the next level.

So he stayed around, noticed that Kushina was acting a bit odd but he chalked it off to grief. He had his toads supervise reconstruction before the need to look for the chosen child overwhelmed his sense of duty to Konoha.

More importantly everything seemed to be a reminder of his failure. How he had failed in stopping Orochimaru form falling into darkness. In failing to stop Tsunade and get her to face her fears. How he might not have prepared Minato enough to stop the nine tailed fox without giving up his life. And how he did not want to face the responsibilities of being a godparent and take on a parental role to young Naruto.

So he had left, bidding his sensei goodbye as Sarutobi had taken on the mantle once more. He looked weary but gave him a smile as he departed, knowing that out of all of his students, he was most proud of him.

The one that stayed loyal and remembered his oath. His duty.

But things changed. The lead that he had received had disappeared into the nethering ether. And he found that he needed money to grease the wheels. So he thought about doing something that would bring in cold hard cash at the end of the day. So he had to look at what men liked.

Violence and sex seemed to be the two main things.

Violence was an everyday part of life to a shinobi, so he decided to go with sex. Having written a book about the adventures of a young boy, he thought that his skill would translate easily enough. He was wrong. All the scenes he wrote felt awkward, even to him. He was walking along pondering this question when he had a clear line of sight to the women's onsen in a nearby village.

Giving a slight chuckle at his luck, he took out his telescope and decided to have a peak. And when he did so, everything seemed to make sense. The words and scene so graphically and sometimes painfully etched into his head poured itself onto parchment. He had found it, his muse.

Ironically enough it was women bathing in a hot spring, but in some ways it beat the pants out of looking a field of daffodils. At least his masculinity wasn't in doubt. All he then needed was a name.

Icha Icha was born.

A near instant success, the money came in hard and fast. Everything wanted to own a bit of the smutty novel that they could take anywhere, even in the field. That made it quite a hit with shinobi, though the female population were not that happy. Luckily his photo was never published on the dust cover or he would get quite the cold reception during his travels. Angering kunoichi was not the smartest thing to do and Jiraiya wasn't that stupid. It was debatle to whether he was stupid at all.

And now he had two targets, along with re-establishing his network.

Tsunade was somewhere in the Fire Country, laying low from debt collectors until her obsessive need to gamble in a flashy conspicuous way resurfaced itself. With her long suffering student behind her.

Uzumaki Kushina seemed to disappear off the face of the planet after abandoning Naruto.

Now that was a piece of news that hit him by surprise. He had a close relationship with the defacto couple and could not believe that Kushina could ever do that. She was deliriously happy that she was bearing a son to a man that she had adored and loved. Hell, it even tempered her fiery altitude as motherhood was very agreeable to her. Then it all started to change.

He was just wondering why no one could pick up on it in the first place. Or maybe people did and ignored it, marginalising it off as a problem. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if most people were wilfully ignorant about it. And when he heard of the incidents at the orphanage, the constant abuse at their hero, he grew quite disgusted at the whole matter.

Worse was the feeling of guilt that he didn't even know about it all. If he did he would have ...

He didn't want to continue on with that thought. A part of him wanted to embrace Naruto and be the godparent that he needed all his life. Another part was desperately afraid that he would screw up with an already damaged child. He knew that he wasn't a great role model. And from what Sarutobi had told him, he still grew up to be admirably strong.

_Maybe things are better off like this, if I do nothing. It's not like he missed out on me being there at all..._

His inner conscience sneered at him.

_**You coward. Of course he didn't, he didn't know that you were even alive. He didn't know that he had a godfather. And if he did do you think he would forgive you for letting him be left in the darkness like that. You did nothing to acknowledge his existence. You're pathetic. Keep running away you foolish man. It is what you do best.**_

Ruthlessly quelling his rebellious thoughts, he focused on the matter at hand. His network needed to be set up and that was a task and a half. Luckily his money was invested quite wisely and the returns on it were more than enough.

He sighed. Bribery was getting too expensive these days.

* * *

_**Konoha**_  
'_**Ne' headquarters**_

The debrief was short enough. The bare facts were given and a more formal report would have been written to see how things had gone down. Each operative had to write their own review due to their unique perspective, a part of the continual management program that Danzo had insisted on. Yugito was placed into an interrogation cell until they could decide what they would do with her.

'Tatsu' had dismissed them all, giving them all month's leave unless something urgent came up, so they all gave an informal salute, using two fingers to touch their foreheads before leaving. The wounded headed off to the infirmary while the others ambled off to their quarters to change back into civvies. That is all but one.

'Rei' had stood back while the 'Ne' commander had nodded at him, a slight smile. He gave a subdued one in response before walking off into Danzo's office.

The bandaged man was just looking over some intelligence reports as the operative walked in, before standing at ease.

_Hmm, there are reports about a new skill popping up in Suna. Centred on an absolute mastery of sand. Ok, that is not that odd, considering that they live in a goddamned desert. But there might just be something there..._

He looked up and saw 'Rei'. He stopped and motioned for him to shut the door. He did so and walked over to the chair and took a seat. Danzo could tell that something was wrong and he wanted to know what it was.

"What's wrong Naruto, the mission was a complete success. Why does it look like your mother turned up into town?"

The boy looked at him before grimacing. He released the passive genjutsu that had changed every aspect of his face, reverting into the blond and blue eyed swordsmen that Konoha was familiar with.

_That is an amazing skill. One that we need to replicate somehow. It's so good that its not disrupted due to pain, chakra fluctuations, or any of the common methods that can dispel a genjutsu. Only the Sharingan or the Byakugan could possible penetrate that, and even then with difficulty._

"Why was I sent Danzo?"

That was a question that he was expecting for a while. Honestly, he didn't know himself. Naruto had been training for a bit over a year, squeezing in lessons that increased in intensity that gave the boy nightmares about the pain he had suffered.

Being cut was never a pleasant experience, but the boy had been injured in nearly every way possible. Thanks to his miraculous healing the physical wounds had closed. But he had seen how his mangled arm had straightened itself up. How his organs seemingly sealed themselves as the flesh knitted around them. And in his nightmares he remembered it all. The seeming side effect was that his pain tolerance was through the roof. No amount of physical torture could break the boy now, a claim that few shinobi could possible make.

But no amount of training could prepare a person for reality. Simulations only got you so far before the random element of chance came in and made a mess of your plans. He wanted to know if Naruto could handle the stress and strain of being an operator. Being an asset used to protect Konoha's interests.

And he was confident that he would. Which was why he was placed into a high risk mission as his crucible of fire. Naruto would make it, or break. Either event would have been beneficial, as he knew the boy could not die easily and that he would be in good hands. The team sent to Kumo were one of their best.

"I sent you there because I knew you could handle it. And now you know that you are capable of completing A class missions even before entering that pathetic Academy. How does it feel Naruto-kun?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on the boy's face. Despite the harsh words that were said to him, he realised that they were all true. Orders were given for a reason, and the comforting words by 'Ushi' softened the blow somewhat. But he was sure that he did the right thing. And he wouldn't let words affect him like that.

If he was as brittle as that he would never have survived in Konoha, not when the stares of the villagers would deny him his right to breathe the very air around him. Even when he was their protector that gave them the ability to breathe so freely.

So he let it slide. Just another thing he had to confront to get stronger.

"It feels... nice, I guess." He then frowned. "I really got to get out of the Academy though, it is such a waste of my time."

"No doubt." Danzo remarked wryly. A nine year old boy doing ANBU level missions reflected Hatake Kakashi's prodigious rise through the ranks. Being held back to study history and the correct method in holding a kunai must have been mind numbingly boring for the blond. He was a bit surprised that he hadn't burst into tears and start beating his head against his desk in despair.

Not that Naruto hadn't thought about it. He just played a game with his zanpukuto that pretty much consisted of the Kyuubi tempting Naruto with things that she could do with her chakra. Some were pretty useless and trivial, others not so much.

"Can't you do anything bout that?" he complained, a plaintive note in his voice.

"I wish I could, but since he has taken defacto guardianship over you, I can't move too much without it seeing suspicious. Then again all applications involving you would get his attention, so legally no, there isn't much you can do. He is making more of an effort to control aspects of your life."

_So are you, but at least your open with me about it._

"But, think about this."

He outlined a planned that brought a shocked look to his face.

_That... that could work. And it makes so much sense._

Seeing that he had Naruto's attention, he gave a satisfied smirk before he was asked another question.

"What do we do about Nii Yuugito?"

"Good question. We offer her the same chance that we did you."

"And if she refuses."

Danzo just remained silent, wanting the boy to drop the subject. In reality, he would have kept her continually induced into a coma if he couldn't ensure her loyalty. Killing her was out of the question if that release the bijuu back into the world, so that was the next best thing. He suddenly realised that brainwashing a jinchuuriki might not be possible if they had a spirit inhabiting them. It might give them a measure of protection and allow them to retain their identity.

_That brought an uneasy thought into his mind as he regarded the swordsman in front of him._

"Then I do what I must."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You will not kill her. Or keep her drugged up."

_Hmmm, crap. _

"Why not, if she will not work with us then she is a threat that exists in our very walls. She could even expose the two of you if she ran off to Sarutobi."

Naruto faltered a bit, before regaining his momentum.

"We knocked her out so she wouldn't struggle when we got her out. And she saw my false face when I grabbed her. But I don't care, you will not treat her like an animal dammit!"

Suddenly Danzo understood. But he wanted to make sure.

"Why should I do that at all Naruto-kun? Give me a good reason."

His blue eyes turned pensive for a few moments.

"Because I was part of the reason she was created. Gashir found out about my secret somehow and she was burdened because of me. I owe it to her, for being responsible for this."

_That's pretty admirable for kid of nine. Misplaced, but, still admirable. _

"Naruto, don't feel guilty. Gashir made the choice to do this, and probably forced his will onto her. You can't be to blame for saving Hinata's life. Would you have let him kidnap her instead?"

Naruto recoiled. "No! Of course not." In his mind's eye ran images of the timid girl who could never quite concentrate and happened to be in the oddest areas, usually when he was around, he just chalked that up to coincidence, forgetting about the sheer size of the Hyuuga complex that made it highly unlikely. But then again, it was part of his clueless charm.

"If I was stronger, maybe I would have killed him before he realised the truth about my... 'gift'". That word was nearly spat out in distaste.

"Then all of it wouldn't have happened."

Danzo just gave an impassive shrug. _Might as well drive the stake in a bit deeper._

"Who knows, maybe with the _proper_ training and instruction you could have. What's done is done. I take it Gahir is dead as well?"

That bit brought a bit of closure to Naruto. He was not quite sure who did the deed, but he clearly saw the maddened one armed nin falling after being cleaved in half. It was all too brief and quick before he made his way back to escort Yugito.

_The bastard is dead. But why don't I feel anything about it?_

His eyes softened a bit as he saw Naruto nod to himself, probably asking himself questions that really had no answers.

"Make your way back to the Hyuuga compound. If I am correct, you have classes in four hours time."

Wearily the blond gave a nod before he walked out, with many thoughts on his mind.

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hokage's office.**_

Something was happening. Something big and probably under his very nose. He just needed to find out what.

Internal Security had brought some evidence that there was possible a well organised cell operating out of Konoha. Who might have been responsible for a few acts that had plagued his mind. His commander was somewhat sceptical, saying that it was a pathetic attempt to minimise their failure.

_**Sure, blame the phantom third party who is just operating in our best interests as well. Honestly...**_

But he wasn't too sure about that. Things were just not adding up, and if, theoretically IS was correct, then who the hell was doing it?

Another hidden village?  
Another wannabe hidden village?  
Some trade consortium that wanted Konoha to be peaceful and profitable?  
Hell, maybe it was even Danzo, though the once raving warhawk had calmed down in the last few years. Besides the repeating proposals that Sarutobi secretly thought he put in as a matter of principal and tradition than anything else.

If only Sarutobi knew the reason why...

Within the ANBU divisions was one that did not quite formally exist. They were known to be the Black Guard and did all sorts of duties that the reigning Hokage required. He used them to investigate his own ANBU who might be misusing their position and access to information, to rooting out traitors. If IS were claiming that the cell was as well organised as they said they were, then they _must_ have penetrated ANBU.

That was the only explanation he had for the ignorance during the last few years. It was something that warranted investigation. The Black Guard were actually drawn from all ANBU divisions and had no formal office or designation. They were the secret of their entire secretive corps. And when he needed something done, he would call on them.

He had sent them to find Kushina with no luck, though Jiraiya had reported sightings of her near Kusagakure during the last two years. There were no fresh leads though.

He buzzed his secretary who came in.

"Bring me Uzuki Yuugao."

* * *

_**Konoha  
Training ground thirty three**_

_**Aww, my little boy became a man! Completing his first mission and all. I'm so proud!**_

_Thanks, I guess._

_**My kit is all grown up now. He will leave home to find bigger and better things to do, leaving poor old me to sit alone in this house. And one day he might even knock up a girl, hell, multiply girls and give me lots of grandchildren!**_ It was all said too dramatically to be taken seriously.

_What are you talking about!? I can't get you out of my head, so it's like you are just freeloading off me for the ride. Every where I go. Even when I'm in the bathroom. Oh, my, god! You are there with me for all of those things aren't you!?_

_**Errr... maybe? I mean no! Hey, what did you just call me!**_

_I said you were a freeloadin –_

**This is the song that never ends - **

_Okay, okay, sorry! I'm sorry! Never, never sing that again for the love of kami!_

_**Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu. Man, Anko is rubbing off me. **_

Naruto just shuddered. While he may understand and hell, even like the disturbed snake mistress, some of her mannerisms just freaked him out. Her fetish for licking bloody weapons was one of them. He knew that one well enough.

Speaking of the devil, a certain violet haired kunoichi was stalking her favourite dango provider as he seemed to be in a foetal position, shuddering about something. Smirking at this, she decided to approach him silently before scaring the crap out of him. Hopefully he would even wet his pants.

As soon as she got within five meters of him Naruto's hyperaware senses kicked in. He drew his sword in a flash and had it drawn across her neck in under two seconds. Anko was shocked at the sheer reaction time of a kid that was not yet a genin. Granted he had some training under Yuugao and Hayate, but still, this shouldn't be possible.

Naruto had just realised it was Anko before he dropped his blade like it was hot and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Gaki, did you just try to kill me?"

"Err... no?"

"You did, didn't you? You just tried to kill little 'ol me!"

"No, I didn't! I swear, you just scared me and I reacted!"

"Oh really?" A dangerous glint appeared on her eyes as she drew a kunai from her thigh pouch.

_Why does this always seem to happen when I meet her?_

_**Like I said, animal magnetism. It ends with you screaming like a fangirl before being chased by her, dodging snakes and katon jutsus before you both end up tired on the floor. And you end up buying her dango anyways.**_

_... why must you be right?_

_**Cause I'm always right kit. And don't you forget that.**_

True to form, it happened just as the zanpukuto had predicted. Except of katon jutsu's, Anko decided to spice things up with doton techniques that had him cursing her before an hour had passed.

"Man, all that running around made me hungry, lets get some lunch!"

Naruto just shrugged. He hated eating alone anyways.

"You're paying though!"

"What, no! You are! Think of it as payback for trying to kill me. I was just trying to sneak up on you and try to scare you. And get you to wet your pants. But no, you had to ruin that for me. All that planning, small steps to avoid anything that would give me away. But no, you had to ruin my fun. You had to go and hurt my feelings." Anko them proceeded to cry. Or at least pretend to.

Naruto wasn't buying it for a bit. He did for the first few times, but he had learnt that Anko liked to screw around with him.

"Oh come on, you're a tokubetsu jounin for crying out loud. Does it look like I have a job?"

_Hmm, gaki has a point._

"Fine, but dango it is."

Naruto's eye just developed a twitch. Anko just dared him to say otherwise. There was no way a boy aged eight to eighteen that wouldn't accept that dare.

"R.A.M.E.N."

Giving of a laugh, Anko just glomped Naruto while whispering in his ear.

"But Naruto, ramen is so hot and salty it just doesn't go down my throat very well. Dango is so much better."

_Err Kyu, is she trying to say something?_

_**Oh, nothing at all.**_

Naruto wasn't convinced, but he decided that it was easier to get Hanabi off his shoulders than to stop Anko when she was craving dango.

"Fine..." He sounded just like a condemned man.

"Fu fu fu fu fu fu!"

As they made their order, he looked around him and saw how most of the customers were outright ignoring them or giving glares to Anko.

_Hell, it looks like they hate the both of us. But what did Anko do to them?_

_**Who is to say that she did anything? You were entirely innocent of anything and they still decided to blame you anyways. Even if you are the only thing keeping them alive at any moment in time.**_

His eyes narrowed as the thought made an awful amount of sense. As their food arrived, the concentrated stares got to him as he was on edge for it. He stood up, grabbed the plates with one hand and Anko's hand with the other.

"What the hell gaki?! What are you doing?!"

He gave a foxy grin before replying. "To the best place in Konoha!"

True to form he brought her to the top of the Hokage monument. It was the middle of the day and the sun had reached its apex, casting wide shadows over a large part of the village. Anko couldn't quite remember ever being here, but she appreciated the view as much as Hanabi did.

"Hmm, pretty."

"Peaceful too." Leaning back, Naruto broke a pair of disposable chopsticks in two before digging in to his take away ramen.

Anko's eyes merely widened. _When did he get that?_

"When did you get the ramen gaki?"

_Oh shit, how do I explain that I used a kage bunshin?_

"Err... you have to promise me that you wont tell anyone."

Hell, someone trusting her enough to divulge a secret got her attention well enough.

"You see, Hayate-sempai was training me and taught me kage bunshin no jutsu. It's so awesome!"

Slightly disappointed that the explanation was not quite as spectacular as Naruto had intimated, she was nevertheless impressed that a nine year old boy could actually master that technique.

As the two of them ate in silence, as Naruto noisily slurped away at his bowl while Anko munched contentedly. Both of them were in their respective Nirvanas.

Then the swordsman decided to broach the sensitive question.

"Why do they hate you so much Anko-san?"

"What do you mean gaki?"

"Those stares, like they wanted you to die. It's like how they stare at me. I know why they do it, to me at least. And I'm sure you know why as well. I was wandering..."

"Why do they hate you so much. Is it because of the same thing... or is it something different? I just want to understand."

"I mean sure, you're slightly crazy and seem to get off on hurting me, but I know that you are not a bad person. Besides the whole hurting me thing, and leaching of me for food... and the whole blood licking thing. I don't think you ever did anything to deserve it."

"Am I right?"

Anko was just silent as he considered his words. Looking in his face she saw nothing but heart breaking sincerity in his eyes. She hesitated for a moment. She had only known him for about eight months, most times involving some sort of violent physical confrontation on her part. She wasn't quite sure if she was ready to share her secrets to the boy.

Because that was what he was still. He had enough problems with being a jinchuuriki and she spent enough time around him to know about his sense of responsibility. How it was an integral part of him that took on obligations at times that most would have found to be absurd. But that was a part of his charm that made him ever so endearing.

Still, the hesitation was there. But the more she looked at him, the more comfortable she became.

"It all began when..."

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga household.**_

Death was a constant companion for a shinobi. It came in many ways, most of them painful and unexpected. But sometimes it came in a sudden and rather gentle way that minimised suffering as much as possible.

Hyuuga Takeshi lay as still as a soldier standing to attention on the funeral table. The juin jutsu had activated upon his death, sealing up the Byakugan in his eyes as the manji on his forehead had twisted into a cross. The only odd thing was that he was thirty three years of age and had ostensibly died from a heart attack.

Such a thing was not that uncommon, especially for a soldier who had trained for so under dangerous and risky conditions. But two people knew that there was quite a different reason for his condition. Quite simply it was the most convenient thing to do. Which was now a matter of debate between two brothers.

"How could you do that!"

"You knew that I had to dammit!"

"No you didn't! It was the chance to finally prove our point!"

"It would have destroyed our family, our entire clan. Ripped them into pieces beyond repair. Do you want every single Branch member to be proscribed by the council?"

"Of course not, but how is murder a solution to anything! Sweeping away the problem like it doesn't exist. It solves nothing at the end. It has happened once and will happen again!"

"THEN WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO!"

That seemingly out of character shout took Hizashi back a step. Luckily the entire room was surrounded in privacy seals used whenever sensitive information was discussed in the household.

"Tell me then, what should I have done after you told me? Go to the council and said that their supposedly loyal Branch member had just committed high treason against them and the village? That he did so because of the inequality that _they_ had fostered in the name of tradition and custom? You know how _they_ would have reacted. They would have struck out blindly and without reason."

"Takeshi's family would be disgraced for the rest of their lives. His son, wife and parents would inherit his shame, doomed to be remembered as being part of an incident where he helped give up a child to be raped and used as a brood mare."

Hiashi calmed down. "I am not proud of what I did. But I could not see another way to do this without more people suffering so damned needlessly."

"And remember, he did give up _my daughter_, your niece, as a piece of flesh against every single one of us. I had the right, a father's right, to do what I did. If someone were to take Neji away from you like that, what would you do?"

"You forget brother, that you have already taken him away from me. This seal should have made that obvious years ago."

Hiashi flinched at the vehemence in his twin's tone. "I would never enforce my will over his. You must know that."

Hizashi just sighed and looked away. "I know you do brother, I know you do. But others will not, merely seeing him as a disposable tool that they can order around like it is their kami given right."

His voice started to tear up. "I- is this the world that we want to leave for our children? Because if it is, then I would gladly kill myself before having my choices taken away from me."

Both brothers looked at themselves before they left with a profound sense of sadness. Bound by blood they may be but an impossibly wide gulf was forever between them. One which seemed fated to act as a perpetual divide that neither could quite bridge by themselves.

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hokage's office**_

Another day had passed, creating another pile of paperwork that needed to be complete. But for the first time there were daily reports coming in from Jiraiya's network. Sure there was nothing too noteworthy to report, but at last they were no longer deaf, dumb and blind to the workings of the other villages. It would take more time before it could be restored to its former level of efficacy, but things had to begin somewhere.

Some new news was that Tsunade was still lying low from her creditors and was not seen for the last six months. There were rumours that she had skipped off to another country, but it could not quite be confirmed yet.

Just as he was about to take a puff on his pipe his erstwhile secretary had poked his head in again.

"Hokage-sama, Hiashi-sama is here to see you for that appointment."

"Bring him in."

With a nod the door closed and a few moments later Hyuuga Hiashi strode into the room, looking much more lordly than Sarutobi could ever manage.

_How does he manage to look so dammed graceful. Must be some kind of training at birth. Or I'm getting too old for this shit._

"Hokage-sama, you wished to see me?" Hiashi asked in a deferential tone.

"Yes, take a seat."

He complied and lowered himself smoothly into the chair that faced his desk. The Hokage had agonised over this choice before realising that there was no real other alternative.

"Hiashi, are you aware about the state of our military police service?"

He nodded. "After Itachi's little... massacre, the service has been pretty much staffed by off duty ANBU members, plus jounin and chuunin nin's as necessary."

"And you must be aware that I can no longer spare having so many ANBU do a duty that they are overqualified for. And they are much better at their primary jobs than keeping the peace. As a result, replacements need to be found. However, the policemen need a certain edge if they are to stand up to criminal shinobi. A certain something that the Uchiha once had, and which Konoha requires again..."

Hiashi felt his blood chill for a moment. _Surely he wasn't asking them to mutate the ..._

"I wish to delegate the entire Military Police service over to the Hyuuga clan."

Hiashi relaxed, though one could not see the sheer shock he had taken as a result of the Hokage's word. Sarutobi seemed oblivious to his discomfort, but he wasn't too sure that the wily old man knew more about the Hyuuga than he let on.

"I am not sure that we can take on that responsibility Hokage-sama."

"Oh please, don't give me that. You have as many branch members to make up half the original numbers of the Uchiha's in the first place. Along with some chuunin and tokubetsu jounin you can operate just as well as the original."

"Not all the Branch members are trained shinobi Hokage-sama. Sure they have the Byakugan and some Jyuuken training, but they are not well prepared to – "

"That may be true, but the fact remains that you are the most qualified clan to take on this position. It is more of a matter of necessity than anything else."

Hiashi seriously considered it. He realised that it could fit in with his future plans. The council would approve of it if only to spite the name of their errant blood cousins. It would also raise their considerable standing to even higher levels.

_Hmm, the Hyuuga Military Police force. I must admit that it has a certain ring to it._

"If I agree, I will need some help. Numbers need to be maintained, but skill is also required if we are to achieve our goals effectively."

Sarutobi smiled inwardly as he knew that he had sold the idea to the Hyuuga patriarch.

"What do you suggest?"

"A functional K-9 unit for one would be useful. The Inuzuka clan would be a welcome addition to the force."

"Consider it done."

"Also, having some instructors go through the basics effecting an arrest would be necessary. Therefore training in a harder style of combat is required. As much as it pains me to do so, the assistance of Maito Gai would be... necessary."

The Hokage just gave a smile before taking another puff of his pipe. The Lovely Green Beast of Konoha was just one of the many seemingly eccentric shinobi that called the village their home. The thought of him shouting out his proclamation of youthfulness in the Hyuuga compound brought a smile to his lips.

"I will assign him to you when it is all done. Anything else?"

"Nothing off the top of my head. But be assured that if any do come into my head, I will let you know as soon as it does. I expect the tender and commission that the Uchiha received will be forthcoming to us as well?"

He grimaced at that. Hopefully the price of paying and maintain a force would pay off after any initial teething problems.

Hiashi just gave a small unnoticed grin. It seems like the gods were smiling upon him today.

* * *

_**Konoha**_  
'_**Ne' Headquarters  
Holding cell seven**_

She woke up to darkness. And being tied down to a bed. Neither were particularly good things in her mind, but at leas she was in a bed. Even though it was hard and uncomfortable, it brought back relatively more pleasant memories to her.

Nii Yugito was an orphan, which was a rather common situation to be in for most kids in the Elemental Nations. Wars and domestic strife was just a fact of life that left many parents dead and children abandoned. Konoha was one of the few villages that actually had an orphanage that took in lost kids and tried to look after them until they reached a level of independence.

Kumo was not so lucky. If you had no one to care for you, the streets were your home and those who were strong and ruthlessness enough could live the see the next sunrise. Those that didn't would either find themselves sold of into slavery and victims of crime. And when the economy took a desperate dive during the last few years things had truly become vicious.

But above all, she was a survivor. She had to be and had developed a reputation for being resilient. Enough that she was accepted into the Kumo Academy where she knew a measure of happiness in having a routine, even if afterwards it was a struggle to find a decent meal. But the problem was that she was nothing exceptional, displaying no great skill that caught the eye of the teachers. And given that she was not paying any fees whatsoever she was quickly dropped.

Instantly jaded, she swore that she would be a kunoichi, one way or another. She had tried to sneak into classes but was quickly discovered and kicked out. When she had persisted one of the more sadistic teachers took their time in beating the attitude out of her. Dropping her battered body in a dumpster, she crawled out in agony to find a place to recover, swearing revenge on that laughing man who took so much pleasure in hurting her.

And then the found her. Kumo ANBU wearing porcelain masks who were trawling for children. When they found out she had basic Academy training and no guardians, they offered to help her. She quickly accepted. And for the first few weeks it was good. She was clothed, fed and was given training. All of it seemed centred on getting her chakra control to extremely high levels. Not that she had complained. She figured that she had no right to complain.

Then the day came when they told her that she was going to be shown something special. And that they did, how five cells had confronted the Nibi no Nekomata and had fought it to a standstill. Even now she could remember and seemingly feel the sheer power released in that battle.

While trapped in the sealing circle the bijuu had unleashed wave and wave of fire and lightening on the nins who danced around them and countered. Pinned down by eight nins who alternated in assaulting and healing, the damage was done by the long range specialises over thirty meters away who took their time in gathering their chakra before letting loose jutsu's that nearly left them all exhausted afterwards.

Dragons of earth and fire had crashed into the demon, causing it to shout in pain before the seals master had given the order. A simultaneous burst of concentrated lightening was summoned from the clouds, powered by the efforts of nine nins into a strike that had taken the form of a shrieking phoenix that had absolutely shattered the physical medium of the cat.

And then it had happened. Yugito had long learnt that betrayal was a part of her life. Street kids were not known for their loyalty, selling information on rivals and even friends for a few coins, sometimes a decent meal. And when those kids had disappeared very few even batted an eye before continuing on the process of surviving. They had grabbed her, kicking and screaming, before pushing her into the circle.

Then the master had started chanting and stabbed his palm to the ground, shadow script erupting from the impact and gathered at the cardinal points of the inscribed circle. It had then collapsed, focusing the spirit of the cat into a single black globe, which then was send directly into her abdomen.

She had experienced pain before. Pain from hunger as her shriven stomach tried to digest food that simply wasn't there. The beatings by the chuunin instructor that mocked her as she had tried to get away before he had his fun. Even in the fights that she had started to make sure that no one messed with her without paying some sort of price.

But this was an entirely new dimension of pain. This was having every since square centimetre of her body erupt in anguish. It was experiencing liquid fire coursing into her chakra pathways as a weird and foreign energy forcibly integrate itself into a place that it didn't belong. She was on the cusp of passing out but oblivion was denied to her as she was awake and aware of the violation of her body.

She vaguely remembered one ANBU who had the decency to hold her hand and tried to whisper comforting words to her as she trashed around. He also held her down so she wouldn't hurt herself. It also allowed the seals master to graft a blood seal with a knife between her breasts. The icy cold kiss of the iron brought the contrasting feelings of ice and fire to complete the circle of agony.

Then it had happened. The world around her had exploded and then he came. A boy who took her away from the ANBU. He had blond hair and the most remarkable blue eyes as the sheer compassion and anger in his eyes gave her a level of comfort she had not experienced before. She then lost consciousness as the adrenaline that kept her body running had depleted itself, letting oblivion embrace her.

And then she was not so aware of what happened. In truth she was unconscious for the entire trip back to Konoha, her body forcing her to rest after the trauma that she had experienced. The seal placed on her was crude but effective. It kept the demonic chakra in her body while trapping the bijuu inside of her. She now had a tenant that was wholly unwelcome and lay dormant.

The door to the cell opened and in stepped a man. The sudden light caused her iris to contract before she looked painfully away. The man just chuckled before closing the door. He walked over to the bed before staring at her.

She looked defiantly at her, getting increasingly uncomfortable at the way he was staring at her. She felt incredible vulnerable as she could not move and was at his mercy.

Outside Naruto was standing with 'Karasu' as he scowled.

"What the hell is he doing to her?"

"Beats me. You operatives do all sorts of weird shit. I just supply you guys with your equipment every now and again."

The swordsman just looked over at him before giving a wry grin.

"I must say, those ballistae came in for use. Great for distractions, even though they cant really kill any shinobi."

"Bah, that's just because your kage bunshin's are useless. They have an effective range of three hundred meters and you placed them at one hundred. That is like spitting distance! What the hell were they doing?"

"Hey, don't look at me, it wasn't my shadow clones in the first place."

"Well, then, now you know who to blame."

He gave a laugh at that. "I'll remember to tell 'Inu', 'Tora', 'Tori' and 'Rei' that."

The procurement officer just gave an amused grin at his pseudonym. He had to admit that the layered passive genjutsu was a dammed fine achievement. One that was powered by a seal alone, that being the 'Ne' tattoo. He had crowed on for days after learning of it.

Suddenly Naruto grew serious. "How is her seal?"

'Karasu' grimaced. "It was done... inelegantly."

The blond just scowled before asking again. "I know that the teme cut her up and used blood and chakra to do it. But did it work?"

"Well, sure. It's like trying to kill a person. I can cut his throat or stuff him full of exploding notes before running away. It gets the job done, but this way was not so nice."

Naruto's face just darkened. "Being a jinchuuriki is never nice. How can it be?"

Knowing that he was treading on dangerous ground, he tried to keep his voice neutral lest he set of the boy. Crossing his legs for good measure he continued, "Well, blood seals are very effective, because the body itself forms part of the anchor and medium. The iron in the blood and blade combined with the chakra to keep the Nekomata in her body. You can feel bits of its chakra floating around. It is nowhere near your levels, so it should mean her control over it should be better."

"Why does everyone give me crap about my control? You see how its like being bloated full of chakra you can't even use!"

"Most people wouldn't think that would be a problem kid. Regardless, it all seems to be working. But I would need his notes on the matter, and those things are jealously guarded by any seals expert. It looks as good as yours, except it must have hurt like an absolute bitch when it happened. Think the 'Ne' tattoo but twenty times worse."

Naruto grimaced. No one should have to go through that kind of pain. Especially when they were blameless. A small measure of guilt wormed its way into his chest again.

He turned his attention back to the one way window. The other operator was just standing there, observing her.

"Oh fuck this."

He opened the door and pointed to the operator.

"Get out. 'Tatsu' wishes to speak to you."

Giving no indication that he heard the blond, he just cracked his neck before moving out, a whistle coming on his mouth.

Closing the door he made his way over to the restrained girl. He gave a tentative smile before sitting down on a chair next to the bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Besides having that creep molest me with his eyes, I'm just fine." The sarcasm was just rolling off her tongue. Naruto just winced before rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that. He's normally like that." Then Naruto realised that he had no idea of who that man was. 'Ne' had many operatives that he didn't have much contact with. "Actually, I don't even know his name. Maybe he is just a voyeuristic dick." He rubbed his chin in contemplation.

Yugito just looked at him incredulously. _Who the hell is this boy?!_ Then comprehension dawned on her face.

"You! You were the one that grabbed me!"

"Err... I prefer the term rescued. And – wait, how did you recognise me?"

"What do you mean, I saw you when you things started exploding around me. I wouldn't forget that hair and those eyes..." realising that she had said a bit too much, she quickly shut up with a bit of a blush. Luckily for her Naruto was caught up in his thoughts.

_What the hell?! She saw through the genjutsu? I thought you said that it wasn't possible Kyuu!_

_**Well, I might have exaggerated a bit.**_

_... How much are we talking here?_

_**Not a lot. I figure that she can see it because of the Nekomata being placed into her.**_

_But doesn't the seal change your chakra into a human one? So it shouldn't matter._

_**Yeah, usually. The seal works as it loops through your pathways, converting mine into yours. Kinda, it's more complicated than that. But remember that it is a bijuu technique, so even if it is powered by a different source, it still can be seen by my brothers and sisters.**_

_Wait, is the Nekomata a boy or a girl?_

_**Fu fu fu fu fu . That's a surprise.**_

As Naruto was speaking to his zanpukuto, Yugito just watched the expressions on his face change from surprise, to understanding and then to frustration.

_Does he hear voices or something? Dammit, why are all the cute ones crazy or trying to kill you?_

Remembering that he was speaking to the girl, he re-concentrated on her.

"Umm, yeah, sorry about that. Funny how you recognised me, I had a genjutsu up but it seems like you are one of the few that can see right through it."

That got her interest. "Really, what does it do normally?"

"Makes me look like a boy with brown hair and eyes. Gets rid of the whiskers, pretty much makes me look like any normal person on the street."

_Oh, my, god. He does have whiskers! And why do I feel the need to touch them?_ Luckily, or unfortunately, her arms were bound and she couldn't indulge in that sudden whim. Naruto noticed that she was trying to get free, and his compassion overwhelmed his good sense. Or the little that he had possessed in the first place.

"Here, let me help you with that."

With great care he had unstrapped the bindings and removed the buckles that held her in place. As she was moving her limbs to get the blood circulating back to her extremities, she turned to Naruto and employed the much vaunted and dreaded puppy eyed no jutsu on him.

"Could you get me some food please?"

Naruto couldn't really find it in himself to say no. Not that he looked very hard. He nodded and turned his back on her. Bad move.

Yugito took her chance and jumped on the blond, pushing him down and viciously grabbed his head before slamming it onto the ground, repeatedly. While doing this she used her free arm to grab at his thigh pouch and pulled out a kunai. She lifted his head up from the ground before placing the blade to his throat.

In her eyes the people that rescued her were suspicious enough. Though she was thankful that they had saved her from the Kumo ANBU, these strangers were obviously planning something, and she was sick and tired of being used. Though she did feel bad about nearly killing the only boy that had shown her any measure of kindness in her short life, she wasn't going to take any chances with her freedom. She figured that she could apologise to him sometime later. Preferably through a letter.

_Oh fuck, I think she broke my nose. Why am I a sucker when it comes to girls?_

_**It's beca- **_

_Just shut up._

Fin

* * *

_And now for something different. Many thanks to I am the Bane of my Sword for this omake_

Naruto couldn't really find it in himself to say no. Not that he looked very hard. He nodded and turned his back on her. Bad move.

Yugito took her chance and jumped on the blond, pushing him down and viciously grabbed his head before slamming it onto the ground, repeatedly. While doing this she used her free arm to rub against his face.

"They are whiskers!"_  
_

* * *

A/N 

Oh yeah, I forgot about Ten Ten. Had to realised that I had to give her a last name somehow. And I clocked 20,000 words and thought that was a good place to stop. My chapters are getting out of control.

So, how did you like the fight scene? Need some comment because I am still refining my style here. If it doesnt quite flow in the right way let me know.

I hate the canon Naruto timeline. It is just full of holes of things yet to be revealed, or Kishimoto has just added things ad hoc to the story. I'm leaning towards the latter as I'm desperately trying to do things through correlating ages and events. It's not working so screw it; I'm going to do things my way.

I'll explain in my end notes the events that deviate from canon. Most of them are necessary as I true to give an accurate portrayal of canon events, but some things are just not possible.

Oh well, I can also say now with absolute certainty that updates will not be the once a week some of you may be accustomed to. First week uni is just so slack with introductory lessons that I was able to write this chapter in near record time. As things heat up I will have to cut down on writing.

So you should all know the drill by now. Read and review or suffer some nameless terror to be delivered by a yet to be determined proxy. Be afraid.

Ja ne.


	9. Cracks in the ceiling, crooked pictures

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N.

Ok, I am back and am alive. I have also edited the first three chapters so it follows the format that I am now comfortable with, so hopefully it is easier to follow. 

One assignment hit the dust and I can expect the fallout in two weeks time. Now to catch up with the rest of my units and get some vacation work organized.

First thing first, never have I ever been more disappointed in reading any manga chapter than I just did for the latest Naruto installments. It was possibly the worst thing I had seen this damned year. And I get the terrible feeling that I have nine more months to have myself proven wrong.

Anyways, momentum has seemed to slowed for my story, judging that I got the lowest amount of reviews for my latest chapter, something I was quite proud of. Oh well, it seems I am destined to be disappointed.

Sorry, I'm just so damned angry at the waste of nearly ten chapters for a conclusion that was just wasteful, senseless and mind numbingly frustrating. Dammit, words fail me. If you read it you would understand.

Meanwhile in my own AU world that I'm playing around with, things can finally get somewhere. While this back history is all and good, the true heart of the story will be touched on now. And I can pay respect to what Naruto was before it all went so terribly wrong.

To my faithful readers get ready for an epic chapter that spans weeks of procrastination, head scratching and avoiding the issue of unjust enrichment. Make no mistake, this is big.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me. Sadly. So sad. Tears of rage fall from my eyes here. Does anyone disagree?

Chapter started: 10Mar08  
Chapter completed: 22Mar08

**_Previously on BB_**

"Could you get me some food please?"

Naruto couldn't really find it in himself to say no. Not that he looked very hard. He nodded and turned his back on her. Bad move.

Yugito took her chance and jumped on the blond, pushing him down and viciously grabbed his head before slamming it onto the ground, repeatedly. While doing this she used her free arm to grab at his thigh pouch and pulled out a kunai. She lifted his head up from the ground before placing the blade to his throat.

* * *

**Chapter nine_  
Cracks in the ceiling, crooked pictures in the hollow _**

**_Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
Residential quarters_**

_Ok. Let's look at the damage done. _

Leaving his _gigai_ unsupervised for the last fortnight was a large risk that Naruto had taken so he could masquerade as 'Rei', but he was fairly confident that he wouldn't have been noticed. And in matters such as these, he was wrong.

_Kami… _

His room was an absolute mess. Now he wasn't the most fastidious of people around, but having dirty clothing, empty bowls of ramen and cans strewn all over the floor was beyond even him. Seeing his clone sprawled across the futon, Naruto just developed a tick before walking up to the sleeping figure.

His hands blurred into seals and a large orb of water appeared above the _gigai's_ head. Not any water, but the remains of week old soup from the ramen bowls. Just looking at it made him reconsider his choice of eating it in the future. For ten seconds anyways. He then let it go.

The clone just spluttered and woke up.

"Wha… what happened?! It wasn't me! Oh, it just you."

"What the hell did you do to my room?!"

"Oh this?" pointing to the rubbish. "Well, I couldn't be bothered cleaning so I just ditched everything on the floor. Meh, somebody will clean it up. Just use your shadow clones or something."

Naruto just stopped in the middle of his rant. He was so caught up in his anger he didn't quite remember that. His hands formed the cross shaped seal.

_Kage Bunshin no jutsu! _

Twenty clones formed into existence and looked at him for directions.

"Ok guys, clean this mess up."

"But boss, we don't want to do that!"

"Don't make us, come on, we will fight for you, but clean? No!"

"Dammit, don't make me dispel you! Afterwards you can beat up the idiot here for making it in the first place."

"Hey! Is this the thanks I get for covering for you?!"

"That depends, at least we can talk freely now. If anyone walks in or uses the Byakugan won't notice anything too odd. Now, what happened while I was away?"

"Err, nothing, nothing at all."

Naruto just stared at the _gigai_ as it was chuckling nervously.

"Nothing, I wouldn't do anything like vandalise the Hokage monument. Nothing at all."

**_Flashback _**

"Get back here Naruto!"

"Catch me if you can suckers!"

Naruto was just running across rooftops before making seemingly impossible jumps for a kid his age.

"Hey Genma, how can a kid jump five meters into the damned air like that?!"

"Damned if I know. This is embarrassing. How can an Academy student evade us for so damned long?"

"You do know that the Hokage will literally kill us if we use a jutsu on him. And it's not like the ANBU will be deployed to get him back."

"So it's stuck on us chuunin's to catch the damned gaki?"

"Pretty much."

"How about ninja wire? It shouldn't hurt him, not too badly. "

"I wouldn't take the risk of explaining it to the Hokage."

_**End Flashback** _

"Shit, did they catch you?"

"Of course not, I am Uzumaki Naruto!"

"No your not. That's me."

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry, force of habit. Why don't you give me a name already?"

"Meh, think of something. Then let me know. Well, at least did you take pictures?"

"Sure did. Here they are!"

The results were interesting to say the least. There was some creative use of colour.

"And I paid particular attention to the Yondaime. May that fucker rot in whatever place he is at now."

Scrawled across the face of the Fourth Hokage was script in neon orange that proclaimed:

**I am a child abuser. **

"Well, seeing that it's all clean now, did you have to speak to the Hokage about it?"

"Yeah, he wasn't too happy. Especially about the whole Yondaime thing. But it all kinda blew over."

"Are you telling me that he didn't notice a difference between the two of us?"

"Well, more luck than anything else. I had another prank pulled so I could get out of there before he noticed the whole lack of chakra thing. But I don't think he would really check that deeply."

"Hmm, let's just play it be ear for now."

With that said he popped the _kaizo konpaku_ out of the _gigai_ and sat back. The clones had finished cleaning and were looking at him with disappointment.

"What?"

"You didn't let us beat him at all."

"Oh yeah, sorry. Umm, next time?"

"Better be." They muttered before popping out of existence. The true magnitude of the mess in the room came rushing to Naruto.

He just sighed and stretched back.

_Fuck. What a crazy day. _

**_Flashback _**

**_Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters_**

Just as Naruto's head was making friends with the floor Sai was walking off to the cell to find his erstwhile partner. He had no luck till he saw 'Tatsu' with a concerned look on his face. He saw Sai and gestured for him to come over to him. Seeing that he didn't find the brown haired boy anywhere, he shrugged to himself before coming over.

"I think your partner needs some help." Pointing inside through the one way mirror.

Sai peered and shook his head. "My partner is a brown haired dickless wonder. That is just a blond haired boy getting straddled by a girl. With a kunai in her hands. He might be into kinky intercourse. I'm not going to interfere."

_Oh shit. Should I tell him or not? _

"But seeing that she should be restrained and now she is not, something must be done."

He opened the door which got Yugito's attention. She snarled at him before pulling Naruto to his feet, keeping the kunai pressed against his throat.

"'bout time you bastard."

Sai looked confused. "Do I know you?"

_Shit, I keep forgetting about that genjutsu. _

Sai looked confused before realising that the voice sounded awfully familiar. Recognition showed on his face as he gave a large false grin.

"So it is you. I never thought you would get your ass handed to you by a girl with no formal ninja training. Are you sure that you have a penis between your legs?"

Naruto just looked at him in surprise. _I'm taken hostage and he gives me crap about that!?_

With that said Sai just smiled and walked off.

"Prove to me that you're a man, then maybe your worth something as my partner. Have fun." He closed the door and faced an incredulous 'Karasu'.

The two blondes in the room developed a sweat drop behind their heads before Naruto decided to open his mouth.

"So, do you like knifes? I do as well, just not so close to my neck. So could you kinda move it away? Please?"

"No, I like it here just fine."

Naruto just sighed. He didn't think that she would kill him, but even if she did decide to slit his throat it would be healed quickly enough. So he tried to be reasonable.

"Look, you're not going to just walk out of here holding me like that. Unlike that son of a bitch, other people actually like me. _And think I have a penis_." That last bit was muttered.

"But you don't know where you are and even when you get out, you are nowhere near Kumo. So come on, let go of me and we can talk."

Yugito wasn't convinced. "Why don't I just make you tell me where I am?" She pushed the blade closer, breaking into his skin. Naruto just gave a hollow laugh.

"Sorry, doesn't work like that. I have been cut up and healed over so many times that it doesn't really affect me anymore." Looking into his gimlet eyes, she realised that he wasn't kidding. "Really, if you go out there holding me hostage, they won't be kind to you. They are ninja and you won't see the attack coming until it is too late." With slow, careful movements Naruto took the blade from his neck and out of her hand. Yugito just hanged her head as she sat back on the bed, seemingly defeated.

Naruto just gave anther sigh before taking his nose between two fingers and re-broke it. Blood filled his sinuses and he cursed loudly, letting Kyuu heal him before spitting out blood that had travelled down his airways during the first assault. He felt around and was satisfied that it wasn't crooked anymore. Yugito looked guilty at his acts and he gave her a foxy grin to show her that there were no hard feelings.

Well, that was a lie. He figured that she owed him one and he would collect later on.

"Anyways, before you tried to kill me I was going to get you something to eat. What would you like?"

Surprised that he was still polite to her even after she had tried to take him hostage, she was not sure how to react to that.

"How about ramen? Everyone likes ramen! And if you don't... you can always learn to!"

"... Right. Sure, whatever."

Inwardly he wondered why everyone did not share his sheer love for the noodles and soup that he had on a near daily basis.

**_Kit, if I wasn't in you the sheer amount of carbohydrates, fat, sodium and cholesterol would make you bedridden and unable to walk without assistance _**

_Oh come on, ramen can't do that to you. _

**_We could always do an experiment. Just kidnap someone that annoys you, chain them up and force feed them ramen three times a day. Keep it up for a month. _**

_... No. _

**_What, it's in the name of science and progress! Nothing evil or devious about it. He gets to eat free ramen for a month! If you're right, then I must be wrong. Not that that could ever happen of course. But you never know until you... _**

_I am not experimenting on people Kyuu. I am not Orochimaru. _

That shut her up quick enough. He just gave a grin to the girl before going out the door.

"Thanks for the help 'Karasu'." He said sarcastically.

"What can I say; I'm not really a fighter. I figured that nothing could really happen to you anyways. And even if she got out of the room you could kawaimiri out of the situation anyways. It's good that you didn't leave the building because she would have been killed on sight if other operators saw you being held hostage."

"True. Anyways, make sure no one else goes in there. I'm going to get some ramen. And don't you start about that as well!"

Giving a chuckle, he watched the blond walk off and come back half an hour later. He was whistling as he had four plastic bowls on a tray with wooden chopsticks. He was more security conscious this time. And he would be aware that she didn't seem to have anything to hold her back from hurting in.

He opened the door and placed the tray down on a nearby table. Yugito just looked at the tray hungrily. While she was unconscious she was fed through IV and missed the feeling of solid food being in her stomach. The smells alone were driving her crazy as she tried very hard to contain herself.

Naruto just dragged two chairs to the other ends and gesture for her to join him. She sat down eagerly and snagged a pair of chopsticks. Giving a quick itadakimasu she tried to scoff down the noodles as quickly as she could. Naruto gave an amused snort before digging in himself. He took his time to savour the treat though. And for the first time in his life he was nearly out eaten, when it came to ramen.

Yugito had finished three bowls as Naruto had finished his first. He just looked at her in surprise before asking.

"I know ramen is tasty, but damn, not that much. You eat it quicker than me!"

The blonde gave a slight blush as she patted her stomach. It felt nice, the feeling of being full and leaned back as the blood rushed to her stomach after a heavy meal. She frowned to herself. _I can't remember ever being this hungry before. What happened to...? _

Then she remembered. Her eyes darkened as she remembered the pain, the feeling of being violated as they held her down. Something was inside of her, and she didn't know what it was.

"What's wrong Yugito-san? Do you have a cramp or something?"

She wanted answers and figured that she could get them off him.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you take me here?"

"Don't tell me that you wanted to stay at Kumo?! They treated you like dirt there and used you! Don't tell me that you agreed to be a jinchuuriki?!"

"Jinchuuriki?"

"Yes. The power of a human sacrifice." Naruto's whole composure just darkened at the word. "It is what people call those who are vessels that hold the tailed beasts."

"That, that thing is inside of me?! Those, those bastards! They said they would take care of me, they said that they –"

"They lied to you." That cut her off as she saw the sad smile on his face. "They told you lies when you were vulnerable and took advantage of you. That is part of the reason why we took you here."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, you will find out in time. I'm not really suppose to be here and talking to you. Bu – But I just had to know."

"Know what?"

"That you were okay."

Yugito just stared at him before he looked away with a blush. "I was there and watched them do what they did. I wish I could have gone in earlier, but orders were orders... And you were unconscious the entire time on the journey back."

"Who are you, why do you care so much?"

He gave her a brittle smile before answering. "Because I am like you. In some ways I feel... responsible for you. I think I owe you something."

She just looked at him quizzically. "I don't remember ever seeing you before. Or you doing anything to me."

A hollow laugh answered her statement. "Maybe, not sometimes our actions have a habit of biting us in the ass. Anyways, get some rest; my boss will come along soon enough. Please try to get along."

The blonde was now at a loss. She would have sworn to the Kami themselves that she had never met this boy before. And she was a bit leery with just how nicely he was treating her. On the streets you looked out for yourself. 'Friends' were there only for mutual benefit. Nobody had given away anything without expecting or demanding something else in return. Yet here there was a boy who was genuinely sincere with his acts of kindness. Sure he said it because he felt obligated to her in some way, but she couldn't figure out anything that he could have done against her. Tears began forming at the edges of her eyes. Wiping them away hastily, she nodded.

Naruto gave one last smile as he took the tray and left her to her thoughts. As he was about to leave, she asked on final question.

"Wh – What is your name?"

"Hmm... call me 'Rei' for now."

* * *

**_Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters  
_**

Danzo was taking a well earned smoke as he gazed at the ceiling of his secretive headquarters.

_Hmm, I wonder if I should get some art commissioned, or maybe a rendition of the open sky? This grey is just so damned boring. _

He just got up and stretched his muscles that had stiffened up after sitting for so damned long.

He scowled at that. Ever since the operation with Hatake Sakumo had effectively destroyed his chances of being an active shinobi, he could feel is body loosing the physical edge he enjoyed at his prime. And as he was stuck directing and operating, he had less time to keep in shape, if only for his own benefit.

_Things… are strange now. When I was younger I never would have thought it would come down to this. And if I had a chance to do it all over again, I am not sure if I would change a thing. _

His near grievous injuries had taken away his ability to fight, but he refused to give in. He wanted revenge, to make them pay in the longest most painful measure possible. But he couldn't, not at the state that he was in now. He was lucky to be able to walk and eat properly. And as his painful rehabilitation had begun, his bitterness just grew.

Seeing his teammates find fame and glory on the field while he was held back on the sidelines.

Finding his skills that had came so easily to him before was now beyond the reach of his fingertips, no matter how many times he tried to train.

Realising that his dreams that he had since a boy were crushed beyond all hope.

So he lost himself in his pity, blaming the world and the enemy ANBU that had taken one of the most precious things to him. His autonomy.

And it all came to a vicious climax in the most unlikely of events.

It was Hatake Sakumo's suicide that shook him out of his stupor. While he did not regard the White Fang as a friend, his competence in the field made him respect the man, something that was mutual. Honourable and principled, he was yet another genius ninja that had surpassed many others who seemed more gifted than him. But with determination and the will that burned like an inferno he had managed to climb the ranks, each mission he undertook earning him recognition throughout the Elemental Nations.

At first Danzo was jealous of him, intensely so. He saw what he could have had, if not for a fateful meeting with some Iwa nins. And when he heard that Sakumo had abandoned a mission to save his comrades, he had joined with the others in scorning him, taking cold comfort that if he was in the same position, he would have done the _proper_ thing. The _right_ thing.

But when he took his life, Danzo ate his words. He saw how… wrong the situation really was. He was a loyal comrade who treasured his companions over the dictates of a mission. One where even his teammates derided and blamed him for. Something that drove the poor man to end it all.

The loss of his former rival had hit him hard. And he realised that he was at an impasse. It was possibly the greatest waste he had seen in his life. He could do nothing and watch from the outside. Or he could do what he could to help the village he called home. It wasn't perfect, but that did not mean that every one of them deserved to die. They were decent people, generally, and he was determined to make Sakumo's death mean something, if only to him.

Sarutobi managed to introduce a rather peculiar document called the Shinobi Code, an informal list of rules and principals that lay at the heart of Konoha's Academy training, realigning the values that ninja had forsaken in the pursuit of money; ultimately forgetting the reason why Konoha was strong. It wasn't mindless obedience to orders. It was that they fought for something beyond themselves. They fought for others, for the man or woman to his left and right, because at the end of the day they were the ones that helped and supported you. They were the ones that you came back with at the conclusion of a mission. And they were the ones that you had to explain to their loved ones why they didn't make it back.

The whole explanation that you abandoned them to complete an operation for money left a bitter taste in his mouth. But the Code worked too well, or at least it did in Danzo's mind. He believed firmly that there needed to be a balance between professional ethics and efficacy. Sarutobi had placed too much emphasis on the _individual_ that he had forgotten the _whole_. Sometimes there had to be… acceptable losses, where teammates had to be abandoned so the mission could continue. Sometimes the mission held more at stake than a three man cell, such that if it prevented the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, then was that not justified?

But the more he strode the blurred line that separated utilitarianism from barbarism and senseless sacrifice, the more he realised how unclear it became. He questioned his motives more often and had lost the fanatic hardness that had characterised the immediate moments he had decided to fight, in his own way. That involved developing a new arsenal of weapons. His mind and political acumen was one of them. It was fighting battles on a mental landscape with gains and losses that sometimes decided the fate of nations.

'Ne' was born from these rather humble beginnings. It took a while for it to become something that could be deployed with success, but with care, caution and resolve the Root division was now fully operational. And they were making changes all from the shadows.

'Tatsu' knocked on the door before letting himself in.

"How is our guest?" He asked.

"Well, she had a rather violent confrontation with Uzumaki, but he seemed to have calmed her down somewhat. That kid has got a knack for this kinda thing. Makes me wonder if he shouldn't have become a diplomat instead of a shinobi. Could do much more good that way."

That was something that Danzo had been pondering for a while. If he could sway nations with his tongue alone, it would more than make up for his presence in the field.

"That's… feasible. We just need someone to teach him the realities of realpolitik. Then again his training has pretty much ended. 'Mi' has conceded that anything else he can do is just putting gloss on a diamond. The rest is a matter of time for him to develop his reserves, body and strength. I will look into it."

'Tatsu' nodded his acquiescence. "Besides that, the operation went well. Tentative intelligence suggests that Kumo is none the wiser about what actually happened. And even if they do figure it out, there is no proof of wrongdoing. Not that that is strictly necessary, but they have learnt the hard way that Konoha is not be trifled with without paying the butchers bill."

"Isn't that right." This was uttered softly by Danzo.

"Another thing Danzo-sama, there have been suggestions from the ranks that we try to recruit the last Uchiha's."

Danzo just sighed at that. "I have given that much thought, but it would not be possible."

"Why not?"

"Believe it or not, Mikoto was rejected from joining the ANBU. Normally I would be more than happy to let her in after our own 'Ne' Sharingan wielders were all neutralised… but she and Sasuke are under constant IS surveillance. We couldn't train them and get them on operations if their lives depended on it. And 'Karasu' is still nowhere near close to replicating the _gigai_ that Naruto uses."

"That is unfortunate; they would be rather useful for the future."

"Which reminds me, any news on Itachi?"

"No." that was delivered with a frown. "He seems to have dropped from the radar, last known location were some confused reports that he was heading to Amekagure."

"Well, I have to convince Yugito to join us. Now won't that be fun…"

'Tatsu' just gave a mirthless smile as he gave a two finger salute to his forehead, glad that he wasn't the one to convinced a teenage and possibly hostile alien to fight for them now.

* * *

**_Konoha  
Residential sector  
Uzuki Yuugao's apartment_**

Yuugao just sighed as she was lying around in her apartment.

Eight months, that was how long it all lasted. _Geez, I didn't even get much time enjoy it all,_ she thought morosely.

ANBU had been her dream for so long and it was now suspended. But her eyes hardened as she realised that she was given a more important duty.

**_Flashback _**

"Yuugao, from this moment on your are to stand down from your ANBU duties."

Shock appeared on the violet haired kunoichi's face.

"But Hokage-sama! Why?!"

A small smile had appeared on Sarutobi's face as he tossed her something. Out of reflex she caught it and saw what it was. It was the Konoha leaf made from obsidian. Just be touching it she could feel the seals that were inscribed onto the crystalline matrix. Her eyes widened.

_This, this cannot be! _

"I am sure you know what this means?"

"But, but… really?"

It was a myth that stalked the halls of the ANBU corps, the obsidian leaf that marked each and every member of the Black Guard. A unique identifier that could not be replicated without extreme effort and was tied into the unique charka signature of its operative. Forcible removal or death would lead it to crumble into dust. Or explode, given the right circumstances.

She was brought back to reality by a slight cough by the Hokage.

"This is a mission that I need you for. You are going to go deep undercover, non official cover (NOC) to find out a few things."

Sarutobi just walked up and faced the window.

"We have leaks in the ANBU corp."

That was surprising, as the ANBU were carefully screened and required to undergo psychological testing every six months to ensure their sanity and loyalty.

"But isn't that a matter for IS?"

"Usually, but usually they handle the mainstream nins and the civilian factions… But when our very own ANBU have turned rogue or otherwise, then the Black take care of it."

"You are probably not aware of this, but there are indications that there is a cell operating out of Konoha. Their goals seemed to be interrelated to ours, but we cannot be sure. They have possibly done things which would explain why our ANBU have been frustrated in their efforts. More importantly, they seem to use information available to no one but the corps."

"And if this is the case, we have traitors. Traitors from our special forces. By discharging you, I am fairly sure that they will approach you in one way or another to get your assistance. If not, then I will just reinstate you after an appropriate period of time."

"But if they do approach, then infiltrate deep. Find out who they are, how many of them are there, and what they want. Keep the token well hidden and report through proxies. They will probably keep a very close eye on you from now one."

"But why me Hokage-sama?"

"I trust you, as much as I trusted Uzumaki Naruto's care into your hands as well. I am certain you are loyal to Konoha and to me. Anyone else, I can't be so sure. Anyone else would be too well entrenched in their respective divisions for me to remove without suspicion."

"How will you explain my… absence then?"

"On the grounds of maturity and your sex."

Yuugao nearly exploded at that.

"Which are all lies. There are no distinctions between kunoichi and shinobi that makes one better than the other. But the sad fact is that it does happen, and is a plausible excuse. Plus if gives them reason to go and recruit you. They will use it as a method to get your acceptance, to show me that I made a poor decision. Do you understand?"

"Hai…"

"Good, now get some rest, the offer probably won't come for the next week, if it comes at all. I am not so convinced that there is a leak, but we cannot let this go without investigation. Any questions Yuugao?"

"No."

"Then you are dismissed."

_**End flashback** _

She sighed again. She had missed being in her division, even the monotonous paperwork that seemed to leave a paper trail that could be used to expose highly secretive missions. But hey, they had to be accountable to someone, even if they were a secretive organisation.

Suddenly her doorbell rang. She stood up alert and ready. She got up and by second nature stood to the left of the door as she peeked through a screen that was linked to a CCTV camera down the hallway.

_Naruto? What is he doing here? _

She opened the door and was suddenly glomped by a gleeful boy, the sudden impact knocking her to her back.

"Yuugao-chan! How have you been?"

She gave a small laugh before grabbing him on the shoulders and pushing him up in the air. As she did that she leaped of the ground onto her feet. She saw Naruto twist midair and land in a crouch with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Damn gaki, you have grown heavier since the last time I saw you."

"Hahahaha." He rubbed the back of his head subconsciously as she made that comment. Remembering something, he went back out and grabbed the shopping bags that he left outside before he commenced his assault.

"I got something for you."

"What is it?"

"Quadruple chocolate surprise ice-cream with brownies."

Her mouth was salivating at the pure death by chocolate that he held in had hands. Her arms subconsciously stretched out towards the bag as her taste buds demanded a taste. Naruto just wagged his finger at her.

"No no no. Get some bowls first, we are not eating out of a container."

_Screw that! _

With a pounce she knocked Naruto and grabbed the bag with her left hand. Naruto decided to fight back, ending up with an impromptu wrestling match that ended when she had Naruto in a headlock.

"Do you give up Naru-chan?"

Struggling to breathe, he refused to give in. "N-n-never. Not to you!"

With a playful growl she suddenly got up with the container in her hands as she walked off to her kitchen for some spoons, whistling as she went.

Naruto was just happy that he managed to make his adoptive sister's day better. He cracked his neck before following her.

They both sat down on the counter as they both tasted the ice-cream.

_Oh. My. God_. Yuugao was just lost in the sensual delights of a chocolate overload on her taste buds. There was no such thing as too much chocolate, she decided on the spot.

Naruto just looked at her with a smile on his face.

"So what brings you here Naru-kun?"

"Well, since you don't come to visit me, I decided to come over here."

That comment, no matter how offhand it sounded brought some guilt to her. Even with all the time off she didn't really go and visit the jinchuuriki.

"But yeah, Anko was trying to chase me and, err, what was it, 'hog tie me to a tree and show me how much she loved me' before she mentioned the whole ANBU thing. So I wanted to see how you were doing and all."

Touched by his concern, she just ate some more ice-cream before responding.

"I don't think it is such a big deal. They will realise what a mistake they have made and reinstate me. Anyway, I like this time off where I can relax without filing off reports that goes to kami knows where. And now I can spend more time with you!"

"Treat me to ramen?"

"Ahahhah, anything but that Naruto, anything but that."

"Wait… is that a yes or a no?"

"Hmmm, this ice-cream is sooo good, so I might make an exception."

"Yatta!"

* * *

**_Konoha  
Uchiha complex_**

_Can you hear their screams Sasuke? _

SMACK! SMACK! CRUNCH!

_What have you been doing all this time my foolish otoutou? So weak, you are not even worth killing… _

Uchiha Sasuke continued to pound away at the training post, not caring that his knuckles were bloody and bleeding, leaving his nerve endings exposed to the air as he worked methodically on the wooden board, visualising his brother's face with blow after blow. After a while his breath became haggard as he stopped. He realised that his hand was messed up beyond simple first aid, so he rather painfully wrapped them up in bandages before going to the hospital.

Mikoto just looked at her son sadly. He understood why he continued to push, if not outright punish, himself as he spent day after day doing nothing but train. In some ways it reminded her of the regime her clan had put Itachi through…

That thought brought up a cold chill in her spine. _I can't let Sasuke be lost to his anger and vengeance. He cannot end up becoming what he hates… Kami, what am I to do? _

She remembered the conversation she had with the Hokage where he had refused her entrance. And loathe as she was to admit it, it was for the best. She could see that Sasuke was not taking the loss well, if anyone could take such a loss well at all. So he settled on chasing after his brother's shadow, so that one day they could stand each other down and beat an explanation out of him.

To that extent she had helped him as much as he could, to awaken his Sharingan so that the true clan arts could be imparted onto him. Mikoto was a registered Jounin with some field experience and possessed the three tomoed Sharingan. There was much she could help him through; both of them could eventually enhance their training against each other, doujutsu user against doujutsu user.

But that involved _actually_ awakening his bloodline, and there were only a few options. One was through intense physical and mental training, coming to a near state of Nirvana so the inherent limit would awaken through will alone.

The next was to be thrown in a near death situation where the body recognises the necessity of activating the cognitive abilities of the Copy Eye. It would also need to be protracted and sufficiently deadly for it to come forth. And she was absolutely against any action that would put Sasuke in danger, no matter how much he wanted to.

So she stayed silent on the issue, saying that his eyes would manifest when he was sufficiently mature. He took that more or less as being true. Though she knew that a plan needed to be put in place. And to that end she was given something that was an S level secret. Something tied into her chakra signature and would destroy itself if someone tried to copy or view it.

The Black Guard had many functions that were unknown to any except the Hokage and its members. One of them was updating a rather useful book compiled by over four successive fire shadows that was essentially a profile.

A profile of all skills developed or utilised by Konohagakure, and more importantly ways of defeating them. All the clan's served the village, not the other way around and this point was made adamantly clear by the Senju brothers when they established the Hidden Leaf. Uchiha Madara and the Hyuuga were none to happy about that decision, but realised the military power inherent in such a union. They would give their loyalty to the strongest, one who could enforce their will over the others. And if they could not, then they did not deserve the title.

And over time each bloodlimit and skill was examined and listed. Their potential abilities and uses. And more importantly, how they could be defeated in case a clan decided to defect, or if individuals went rogue. The listing on the Sharingan was extensive, and realised that it could have only came from clan members. How they could have been compelled to divulge clan secrets was a bit beyond her. But she forgot that the world was a far more brutal place during the founding, and they were not likely to have been fully consenting to what they did.

Most of it was pure speculation as it was unconceivable that the Uchiha's would ever betray Konoha. But as a fail safe, many observations were made. And in the last one gave her pause. She wasn't certain, but it looked liked the Nidaime's handwriting.

_The Sharingan is truly a fearful weapon, one that seems to be able to evolve and grow. It first starts off with a tomoe in each eye before reaching a limit of three. Then, it takes on a new appearance after some circumstances that were never clear. However, I noticed that Madara had one very unique Sharingan, which was beyond any of his clan members. It also felt unbelievably dark and had powers that seemed more suited to a god than anything else. All attempts to find out about this development were futile after Madara lost during the battle at the Valley of the End. It still seems that even with this rather fearsome power, the progenitor of the new clan still fell to the Shodaime. How my brother did so still remains a mystery, something he refused to speak off after his victory. It appears that this new Sharingan is an abnormality, with insufficient data to support any other conclusion. _

And it was at that point that the memory came back to her at full force. Itachi's Sharingan was not normal… it went beyond the three tomoes into something else. Something that allowed him to kill his clan. Something that both of them might need if they were to stand him down. She had a gut feeling that the answer was somewhere in the clan archives, buried deep somewhere to hide their 'shame'. Or possibly it was a secret that was too dangerous. Because if the Sharingan did exist beyond the three levels she knew now, then why didn't the clan ever acknowledge its existence? It would have placed them on levels beyond the Hyuuga and beyond. Unless there was something more sinister in place.

She resolved to dig deeper. There was a reason and Itachi was at the heart of it. She knew it.

* * *

**_Konoha  
Hyuuga complex  
Military police tenement_**

While Hiashi had accepted the new responsibilities entrusted onto him as the Hyuuga head, he had some difficulty to actually form the damned police force together. First of all he had to draw on a pool of Branch members to actually start the patrols and so forth. Most of them did have the Byakugan but this wasn't as great as it sounded. Most of them did not/could not access the higher level perceptive powers to actually fully utilise the Jyuuken to its highest pinnacle.

But that didn't mean that it wasn't useful at all. In an urban context the ability to see potential enemies behind doors, rooms or even while in pursuit was not something to be taken lightly. They just needed to actually learn some actual policing skills.

The first one was a non lethal takedown. The Jyuuken could be used to disable limbs and incapacitate, but it relied a lot on precision and skill, not something that usually happened in close quarters battle. There reaction time and rate of fire made up for accuracy and skill. So he had to introduce some sort of new style of combat to be learnt for any Hyuuga member.

That nearly brought an apoplectic fit to the elders who were against any new martial arts style being adopted by any Hyuuga. But he had managed to convince them that it would be compartmentalised and shielded off from the Main branch that it wouldn't matter. They still grumbled about it, but since they didn't see the actual Branch members actually practising, they let the matter go.

Hizashi was appointed the commander of the Hyuuga Military Police and had the rather invigorating job of introducing new techniques and styles into the clan. Ok, so it was just the Branch members but they would be doing something worthwhile and it was a start to something better. Hopefully. To facilitate the transition they had access to two 'assets'.

The first was Uchiha Mikoto who spent much time serving with the Uchiha MP's

The second was Maito Gai, though Hizashi wasn't quite sure if it was some fast ironic game that his brother was playing on him.

Mikoto brought to them a wealth of knowledge of procedural and institutional steps to actually set up a police force. The administrative documents and infrastructure she had generously donated to him helped as he set up offices and rosters.

Maito Gai was overly enthusiastic, loud with eyebrows that dominated his face. In short his loud shouts and games on one upmanship with himself was perfect for annoying the Main branch. He tolerated his presence for that reason alone. And his methods of training were novel if not excruciatingly painful to anyone who wasn't obsessed with physical fitness.

But he could see the results. Six months of full training, runs and intensive hard style taijutsu was paying off. In particular there was a weird fusion towards a flexible style of martial arts he had developed with Hizashi. One that focuses all of the attacks on the vital points of the human body using a penetrating technique dependant on strength, not chakra. One guaranteed to actually to put down most shinobi in a matter of seconds.

"Come on now my beautiful students! Let us all run and express our youthfulness around the circuit of Konoha. And if we cannot do it in under an hour we will all do four hundred pushups!"

"And if we cannot do that then we will have to swim fifty laps of the pool!"

"And if …"

Such shouts were common and put the fear of Kami into the recruits who were seriously reconsidering their career choices.

After the morning workout that would have killed lesser men and women, they paired up and spared using common situations. Such as confronting a drunken shinobi who decided to get a bit violent. Gai came along and corrected them if need be, but they were turning out quite nicely.

The actual police work was something that they would get as a matter of experience. Mikoto had offered classes involving basic fieldwork, such as tailing a suspect, recognising suspicious things etc. But with the Byakugan, such things were near second nature. The Hokage had made a good choice, in theory anyways. They still had to be tested.

And this gave Naruto much time to learn a new method of taijutsu that he shared with Hinata. Kurenai had moved on from ki to actually making illusions to immobilise enemies. He quickly found that genjutsu wasn't all that effective against him. He discovered the answer one day when he was lazing around in his mind with his zanpukuto.

_Why is it that genjutsu just doesn't seem to work against me? _

**_Well, lower level ones won't. Think of it as a gift. _**

_From who? _

**_Me of course. As a kitsune, our abilities to deceive are only seconded to… err… something marginally less sneaky. It's odd, almost a passive skill that comes from me and affects your senses. I guess a sufficiently powerful genjutsu could trick you, but if I focus my attention onto it, I doubt that I couldn't piece past it. _**

**_Though there are some notable exceptions. Like Tsukiyomi… _**

_Err, what should I do then? _

**_Thank me for giving you such a wonderful gift. _**

_Well, thanks. But should I hide this and pretend I actually see something that is not there, or reveal the truth? _

**_Up to you. Both have its advantages and whatever. The thing is that the Hokage still thinks I'm dormant or something. Kisuke apparently doesn't believe in explanations. He might make a connection that your 'immunity' is the result of me. _**

_Why would that be so bad? _

**_Because he would do anything he could to seal me away. To be fair, I guess he had good reason. But I had a better one. It's not going to help you if I can't use my chakra to keep on healing you and maintain that genjutsu as well. _**

_True. _

**_Anyways, just keep it quite otherwise we don't know what will happen. He likes you kit, but if he sees you as a threat, then he wouldn't hesitate to put you down. _**

_Oji-san wouldn't do that! _

**_Are you sure? If it came down to it, the village against you, who would he choose? _**

_He, he would… _

**_Exactly. Let's not give him the choice okay? _**

_Sure. _

**_Great. Now give me another massage. _**

_Do I have to? _

_Yes. Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu . _

_Arrghhhh stop that. Stupid Anko with her crazy laugh. Stupid Kyuu for doing it all the time. _

**_What did you just say? _**

_Ah nothing, nothing at all. _

And furthermore it brought him to contact with the two remaining Uchiha's. His first impressions were that:

Sasuke was a cold and emotionally stunted kid that had an unhealthy fascination over his brother.

Mikoto was kind enough, but also had that aura of coldness around them.

Using his spiritual sight, he could see their souls tinged with darkness. When he asked Danzo about them, he got the more informative version of what actually happened that night. And he really did feel for them. It must have hurt being betrayed like that.

The more he learnt about family, the more he hated it. He didn't know if it was a Konoha thing, but he was surprised by the amount of broken individuals around the place that could be blamed solely on others directly related to them by blood.

So he had tried to get close to Sasuke, he really did. But he got blown off to many times for him to maintain the damned effort. He seemed to be concentrated on a few things, where making friends was not particularly high on that list. Training himself to the bone was his primary occupation.

Mikoto was actually a very nice lady he decided. Almost as nice as the Hyuuga ladies, but she had a certain sense of elegance and warmth around her that he was comfortable with. Of course there were times that it all fell apart, but for the most part she treated him with kindness that was thoroughly unique.

Sasuke thought Naruto was a loud mouthed idiot who probably couldn't even use the sword that he had slung over his shoulder. But besides that, he actually did enjoy the attempts Naruto took to befriend him, frustrating as it may have been. At times he just gave up just to shut him up, but he couldn't say that it was refreshing to actually relax and be a kid for a few moments. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone, especially Naruto. Though those overtures were coming less often and often, which bothered him but he didn't know how to express it.

Mikoto saw in Naruto a relatively happy boy that reminded her of Sasuke before the massacre occurred. Ok, she was stretching things a bit, but his attempts to find happiness around himself was a nice distraction from the more morbid thoughts she had entertained over the last year.

Kyuu just saw how Hyuuga Setsuna and Uchiha Mikoto acted around Naruto and took notes. She never really had children before and wanted to take on a motherly like role to "influence" her kit. Thankfully she could perceive what worked and what didn't. It was interesting to say the very least.

"Oi teme, lets go get some ramen."

"Hn."

"Geez, what's wrong, cant you speak at all? Sometimes I don't know why I bother…"

"Now now Naruto-kun, you know that is just how Sasuke-kun is. And Sasuke, why can't you play nice with Naruto?"

Sasuke just huffed before answering in a dark tone. "I have other more important things to do kaa-san, than play with this blond haired idiot."

"All he wants to do is laugh and play with those Hyuuga girls. I can't do that. I won't do that. Not while he is still alive and drawing breath. If I cant keep up to him...". He faced Naruto and spat.

"You don't know, he can't understand what it was like to lose everybody, to know how painful it is for us..."

The air and atmosphere suddenly became so frigid that even the emotionally obtuse Uchiha noticed it. That the blue in Naruto's eyes had hardened into glaciers and his fists had tightened into a knotted ball where his knuckles were clearly visible.

"… Fuck you Uchiha. Beat your hands against a wooden post. See if I care teme."

With that Naruto gave into his frustration and walked off. Both Uchiha looked at him in surprise.

_Bloody ungrateful bastard. He still has his mother who loves him. Who the fuck does he think he is, acting like that, like he lost everything… He knows nothing. _

He managed to find himself in a rather secluded spot where he decided to let of some steam. And he decided to dance. It was his preferred method of stress relief. Well that and sparing with Mi-sensei. This was a safer option and easier on his clothes.

He unsheathed his sword and flowed from the various forms as his muscles remembered every single movement he had made during the last three years. He decided to try something new and decided to actually use the walls as a platform to jump around. He kicked off one wall before rebounding off the next, gaining momentum before leaping into the air, clearing six meters with his chakra before coming into a controlled fall, rolling at the last minute and striking out with his blade, before bringing it back into a guard position.

He then thrust it forward and thrust his left leg backwards, forming a T shape as he lifted his leg further and further until it curved behind his head. He bent his left knee before jumping upwards again and managed to do the splits, then rotate his torso while keeping his legs grounded, spinning his blade in seemingly random patterns before bending backwards and rest his spine on the ground, lifting his legs into the air before getting up.

He decided to step it up.

The Eagle Stalks.  
Parting the River.  
The Heron Flies.

And for some reason Kyuu had to name one Fox Triumphant over Toad Riding Bastards. Which was just a ridiculous pose that had no real value, but he did it because it amused his zanpukuto.

Which unfortunate was the scene that Mikoto walked into as she followed the blond after he had stormed off. She just stared as Naruto had his arms stretched out in a superhero pose as some words just came forth without her control

"What the hell…?"

Naruto gave a start as he realised that he had an audience, which was quite a common occurrence these days as he spent more time shifting through his forms. Suitably mortified he gave an embarrassed chuckle, hoping that they would all ignore what had happened just then. Luck wasn't on his side unfortunately.

She had ran to find him after scolding Sasuke, telling him rather obliquely that Naruto in some ways could empathise with their suffering more than anyone. That left him confused and he stormed off, to work off his frustration in training. Mikoto sighed and hoped that she wouldn't lose two sons to the dark. She also then felt compelled to at least try to explain to Naruto why Sasuke was that way.

While he wouldn't have won the happiest kid of Konoha award, the past Sasuke at least enjoyed life and gave the occasional smile. At least he interacted with others and had some friendships outside of the clan. But that all changed, and she didn't know what she could do about it. Then Uzumaki Naruto had came along and started to get her son to actually feel something again. And she did not want to see that be torn apart when he needed it the most.

When she had seen him, a kid go through abandonment and hate and still turn up relatively well adjusted (if only she knew), she saw some hope for Sasuke. So much that she had actively encouraged a friendship between them, in the hopes that he could teach Sasuke that it was possible to find happiness even after such hardship. Needless to say that it didn't quite work out in the way that she had hoped.

And she watched the swordsman flow gracefully from one stance to the next, his kata seamlessly transitioning to the next like poetry in motion. She was no expert, but even to her eyes she realised that Naruto had something in his movement that spoke of expert control and coordination. That if he had to use his skills in combat, they would come quickly and easily.

But he still retained pieces of his innocence. Which reminded her of the hollow place she had in her heart. Even before the massacre her connection to her children was always… tenuous. The clan heaped responsibility upon responsibility upon Itachi; her attempts to mollify such expectations were brushed aside. That led to some rather frosty confrontations with Fugaku but clan concerns override her matronly concerns.

And then she saw Sasuke chase after the shadow of his brother, ambling along the same path to gain some sense of recognition from his father, something that he received when Itachi had seemingly lost favour in the Uchiha clan.

Did he know something? Was there a cover-up with Sishui? Too many questions.

Seeing Naruto interact with Hanabi and Hinata showed her the difference between the two boys. And his relations with the Branch members was astounding as many of them, particularly the women took him on as a defacto son or brother. And for that she was jealous. Just once she wanted to show her love for her child/ren in an open way without being scorned as being too soft. Even worse was when they struggled and seemingly wanted nothing to do with the concept of love and affection.

But Naruto was different. It was like he was starved for it. All this time she was staring at him with her thoughts running rampant, and this made Naruto nervous.

_Damn, is she spacing out? If I'm lucky I can creep away… _

No such luck. The sudden movement broke Mikoto out of her reflections with a light blush on her face. Remembering why she was there, she gave a low bow.

"Ah sorry Naruto-kun. Sasuke-kun can be… difficult at times. I'm sure you heard of what happened."

Naruto first had a scowl as he heard the first part of the sentence, but it softened into solemn understanding.

"That might be true, but still, doesn't he realise that he hasn't lost everything. He still has you."

Giving a smile, Mikoto ventured a question, "How about you, where is Kushina?"

That turned out to be the wrong question to ask. The blond's face just locked up into an expressionless mask.

"She… _left_ one day. Said she would be coming back. She didn't, it's been three years…"

While she had heard rumours of Kushina abandoning her son, she wanted to confirm it. And now she cursed herself for being so insensitive.

"I'm sorry to bring up - " she was interrupted by Naruto.

"Don't. Don't apologise for her. She knew what she was doing. And she did it."

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, he made a move to leave. As he was passing by her shoulder, he stopped and said something last parting words.

"Don't apologise for that teme as well. We all choose our own paths and our choices. Or at least we can try to…" That last bit was said somewhat wistfully and with loathing.

Mikoto couldn't help herself. Confronted with a maturity that did not belong to any child, she acted on her impulses. She gave Naruto a hug right there and then.

_Wha – what? _

He felt her arms wrap around his body and her chin rest on the crown of his head. Shocked into paralysis, he just stood as stiff as a board as he wondered on what was going on. He slowly felt the heat being transferred between their bodies and for the few times in his life he felt at ease. He couldn't detect any malice or dishonesty and he relaxed slightly.

It formed a rather odd sight, at least till Hyuuga Setsuna came up with a frown on her face.

"Ah Uchiha-san, here you are… Your presence is requested by Hizashi, regarding the training lessons for the afternoon. Would you please come with me to see him?"

Slightly embarrassed to be caught hugging a boy that was of no relation to her, she tried to act nonchalant about it as she disengaged her arms from Naruto's torso.

"Of course, please lead the way."

Naruto didn't quite understand the look on Setsuna's face for the split second before it was back into the stoic mask the Hyuuga usually presented to the world. But he got a feeling it wouldn't be that great to him. He could almost feel phantom pains on his cheeks.

_I got a real bad feeling about tonight… _

_Hmm. If a stranger can hug him, then dammit we earnt it twelve times over. He is ours Uchiha-san, and we won't let you forget that anytime soon. _An evil chuckle manifested itself in Setsuna's consciousness as she escorted Mikoto to the lecture halls.

_After all, why should Hanabi have all the fun?_

* * *

**_Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters_**

"I will not be used by you."

"Don't think of it in that way. It's more of a partnership than anything else."

"Bullshit, you just want to use me as your weapon!"

"Of course not. Weapons are tools that work mindlessly. We do not take away your will from you."

"So says _you_!"

"Think of it this way. You are now a very valuable person. There can only be _nine_ of you at any one time. When people find out about your tenant they will want to use you for your own end. And I don't think that they would be as kind as we are in giving you a choice."

"What choice, you would kill me or brainwash me if I didn't accept."

_She's on the ball that one. But I couldn't do so without pissing of Naruto. And I don't think it would be smart to do that to the most powerful jinchuuriki. Just yet anyways... _

"That will not happen. You can thank Naruto for that. I honour my promises and I made one to him. But you see, you leave us in a very difficult position. We can't just let you go, you know too much about us and it can always be forced from you one way or another."

"What do you mean? I don't know your name, or where I am at the moment!"

"That might be so, but our faces and identity are not so well hidden. Well, not Naruto's anyways. And understand that he is a secret that we will protect at all costs."

He paused and prepared his lure.

"No one in this world can really say they are free. But we make our choices where we can. I doubt that Kumo told you what they were planning before they stuck the seal on you. Because if you are a glutton for pain we might have to reconsider our offer..."

That managed to redirect her anger back to the ANBU that lied to her. That was one thing that she would not forgive lightly, or at all. And there was the problem. Despite everything, Kumo remained her home. Sure it might be a hole that forced her to survive, but at least she was familiar with everything.

Danzo had made an offer that would change her life forever. Even the comfort of routine would be stripped away from her. But the more she thought about it, it didn't seem to be such a bad thing, per se. Konoha did have a rather benevolent reputation, more so that Kumo in any event.

And if she could spend more time with Naruto, hell, he was the closest thing to a friend she had ever had. Or ever would. Funny for a boy that she had only really seen twice and spoken to for less than half an hour.

_And guess what, I just broke his nose several times before threatening his life. Some kind of friend that I am_, she thought morosely.

Danzo just smirked on the inside. In his mind her choices were rather limited for the moment. And he just had something to sweeten the deal.

"If you accept I will assign Naruto to be your trainer for the more basic parts of training. He might be able to be your future partner, if you are good enough."

A fire seemed to light up in her eyes.

_Ah, nothing like the competitiveness of youth. I hope he doesn't figure out that I said this, but then again, I'm sure he will thank me when they are both older. _

Sure, that might have been manipulative, but Danzo took his fun when he could. Plotting death and destruction got awfully tiring and playing matchmaker was a surprising and refreshing change from the whole vigilante thing.

_Hmm, maybe I can go around and set everyone else with a partner. Create that lovey dovey bullshit that Sarutobi keeps harping on about. Like some sort of live experiment. Hmm…. _

All 'Ne' operatives suddenly had a shiver down their spine. The last time that had happened was when 'Karasu' had developed a cadre of small furry dolls that sang a rather creepy song and developed a dance routine that made 'Mi' itch towards his blade. They had all then decide to do a facehugging routine and when they went to destroy them they were tackled by 'Karasu', screaming out "Run my pretties, run away!" It was only through the wonders of modern medic-nin technology that allowed him to regain the use of his testicles, after a two month convalescence period.

In particular, Naruto felt like someone was trodding on his grave and then urinating all over it.

_Woah, I feel so… cold for some reason. _

**_Maybe someone there, somewhere, is plotting your death? _**

_I guess… what's the worst that could happen? _

He should have known that was a terrible question to ask.

Danzo just sat down and took a deep drink from the sake saucer. He had managed to secure the services of two jinchuuriki, which was not bad for three years worth of work. He figured that he had a right to relax.

* * *

**_Konoha  
Playgrounds_**

"Hahahha, look at that forehead! What happened, did your parents drop you too often when you were a baby?"

"No kidding, it looks like I could use it as a chopping board."

"Is pink even a natural shade for hair? Its like she was rolling around in bubblegum."

Genetics had given Haruno Sakura some remarkable physical features that appeared on no one else. Pink hair was the most obvious one, though the forehead bit was probably a wide exaggeration.

She sat there, huddling her arms to herself as she tried to ignore the kids around her, laughing and pointing their fingers at her. Kids could be unintentionally cruel; especially to people that were different to them. They probably didn't know any better, but that didn't make Sakura feel any better about herself or her situation as tears began to accumulate in the corners of her eyes.

"Stop it you guys, she did nothing to you! Leave her alone!"

Coming to her rescue was a girl with blonde hair and a scowl on her face. Yamanka Ino strode confidently to face Sakura's tormentors.

"What's it to you? We will do what we want, hah, it's not like you could stop us."

"Yeah, whatcha gonna do blondie?"

The four boys just approached the two girls menacingly to the extent that even Ino was intimidated by them. They were larger than her and she wasn't really that good in fighting. Sure she may have come from a shinobi family, but that didn't mean she could take on four opponents at the same time and win. She wasn't sure that they were going to hurt a girl, but she didn't want to get the bruises to find out. And she wasn't sure that Sakura would be much help to her either.

Luckily for her Naruto was walking along, furtively eating a stick of dango that he had managed to hide from Anko after he had treated her. Again.

_Hmm, this is actually pretty nice. I can see why she likes it so much now. _

**_Wow. What happened to the whole ramen thing? _**

_Oh, I still like ramen. It's just that I like sweet things now and again. Dango is pretty awesome. _

**_Hey kit, ever tried something called Pocky? _**

_Nani? What's that? _

**_Oh a little something that you might like. I never got the chance to try it, you know, being a nine tailed fox the size of a mountain and all. Have one and tell me if it is as good as they say it is. _**

_Who says that it is good? _

**_Just people I overhear when you walk around. _**

Pondering on her words and the concept of pocky, he heard some shouts to his right and he twisted his head around, his mouth munching on the last sweet dumpling as he saw four boys approach the two girls. One was on the floor, clearly afraid while one was glaring at them and trying to stand her ground. He looked at the scene before swallowing.

**_Kit, what are you thinking? _**

_To help them of course. _

**_Why, you don't know those two girls at all. Who knows, they might have done something to deserve it. _**

_Only one way to find out. _

**_Ah Naru-chan, just stop. Do you want to blow your cover? _**

He stopped at that. Maintain his mask was getting on his nerves and he really wanted to get his _gigai_ to actually be, well more sensible. And stop spouting about cars, mobile phones and the internet. He had no idea to what they hell they were, and honestly he didn't want to.

**_Why are you doing this? _**

_... Because I know what it feels like to be bullied. And no one helped me before. _

**_This won't end well kit. You know this. _**

**_No, everything will be fine. _**

He just confidently went up to the boys before standing in front of the girls. The bullies just scowled at him and tried to look menacingly at him.

After facing down Chuunin, Jounin and ANBU and a sadistic torturer who trained him for over two years, they barely had any effect.

_Geez, I remember the days when I was so afraid of them. What others would think. Why was I ever scared of these … punks? _

**_You're special kit. Don't forget that. They are just kids. Stupid and don't know any better. Why don't you teach them? _**

"Oi, what the hell do you think you are doing?! Get out of the way or we will hurt you?"

"Oh really? You are going to do that?"

"Yeah, me and my friends here." The others just tried to look intimidating by cracking their knuckles, which surprisingly enough they managed to do.

_Woah, they must practice that. Idiots. _

Naruto just pointed to the sword on his back.

"You see that. It's a sword. It cuts people. Into pieces." He unsheathed it in one motion and pressed it to the floor while resting his palms on the top of the hilt.

"So, still think you can hurt me?"

They just looked at each other before running off in a hurry. Naruto just gave a dark chuckle. _Man, I wish I knew to stand up for myself when I was smaller. _

**_I guess the moral of the story is to tread softly and carry a big knife? _**

_Sword... it's a sword. Hmm I wonder if I had a large butcher's knife when I was a kid, would they have left me alone? _

**_You shouldn't have had to, your mother should have done that for you. Sarutobi should have done that for you as well. But they left you all alone… _**

His face nearly ripped into a snarl before he composed himself.

_Don't ever mention her again. I don't want to think about it. _

**_Sure. _**

**_Fu fu fu fu. Everything is proceeding nicely. _**

Ino and Sakura just looked at the boy in amazement. They had exactly the same thoughts on their mind.

_That. Was. So. Cool. _

Naruto turned to face them and he gave them a gentle smile.

"Are you two okay?"

_Oh. My. God. Are those whiskers?! _

Ino was the first to answer. "Y – Yes. Thanks to you." Her answer was surprisingly shy considering the rather aggressive way she had acted earlier.

Sakura was just staring at his bright blue eyes, calm expression and felt a blush on her face_. So cute as well_.

Then Naruto's alarm on his watch went off.

"Dammit, I'm late!" Mi-sensei is going to kill me.

He ran off into the distance, giving a wave behind him and he sprinted like his life depended on it. And it probably did.

* * *

**_Konoha_**  
**_Shinobi_****_ Academy_**

"Naruto, I'm sorry but you failed the test. I'm afraid that you have to repeat the next year."

Instead of seeing disappointment or tears, a seemingly bored and disinterested blond just sighed before moving back to his seat.

Which in itself didn't make any sense to Iruka. He knew that the kid could have easily passed the tests to be awarded the hitai-ate, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why, or even how, he could have done so.

Not when he was tutored by Uzuki Yuugao and Gekkou Hayate.

Naruto wasn't a bad student either. He was just … overqualified. His skills outstripped any of his teammates and could have easily taken out the rookie of the year award if he even applied one tenth of the effort into it.

He slept in, came late and just stood back on the sidelines with a look bordering on contempt and pity on his classmates. Almost as if they were just pretending to be ninja and that was something beneath him.

If only he knew the truth.

But Iruka tried. He had tried being nice but was blown off. So he tried to get Naruto angry, to motivate him by insulting him and daring him to prove his taunts wrong. And it wasn't that hard as he wasn't too particularly fond of the blond jinchuuriki. While he didn't outright hate him like the civilians, he didn't feel particularly close to the honorary son of the Hyuuga clan.

It just didn't make any sense how a kid that managed to stall an elite Jounin could not even pass the preliminary test to become a genin.

_Damn, it's something I have to speak to Hokage-sama about. _

Naruto just left before giving Neji a grin as he left, leaving a somewhat perplexed Hyuuga trying to figure out what was going on in the swordsman's head.

* * *

**_Konoha  
Hyuuga complex  
Main courtyard  
Two months later_**

Ten Ten saw him. The blond boy who had a sword as long as his body strapped to his back. He had saw Naruto in classes before but they had never really talked. And he never drew that sword at the Academy either. She was shocked to find out that he was the honorary son of the Hyuuga clan and lived with Neiji. That must have meant something. And she was dying to touch his blade now that she saw it in person.

_Kyuu, why is she looking at me like that? It's like she is hungry, wait, is she going to eat me? _

**_Eh, sure, why not. _**

_Dammit, this is not funny. It's like Anko-chan all over again. _

**_Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu _**

_Ahh, stop that! _Naruto had developed a subconscious shiver whenever he heard that laugh, which his zanpukuto took full advantage off.

Ten Ten rather timidly came up to him with a strange glint in her eye. Naruto just made sure he had an easy avenue of escape if things got dicey. He wasn't too sure if his _gigai_ didn't do something to the bun haired girl, and we wouldn't have put it past it.

"Ah- excuse me, but can I ask you for a favour?"

"Err, you can ask me. What do you want?" Suspicion laced Naruto's tone.

"Could I, could I pleaseseeyoursword?"

_What, she wants to see my sword? _

Inside Kyuu was just laughing. Double entendre anyone?

Faced with that odd request, he scratched his head and asked why.

"I have never seen something like that before. And no real ninja's seem to use swords outside of the ANBU anyways."

He figured that the worst she could do was try and run off with his sword. Which wasn't going to happen as he could recall the blade if worst came to worst.

He reached over with his right hand and unsheathed his zanpukuto in one motion, before holding it horizontal to the ground, his palms wide open as he balanced it on the flat of his hand.

With a sound that suspiciously sounded like a squeal, Ten Ten reached over and grabbed it with two hands.

She had to marvel at the sheer balance the blade seemed to exude. The hilt was long enough for two hands, and wrapped in sharkskin that provided a sense of tactile feeling that cloth just didn't have. She peered at the blade and found it to be perfectly straight, with an exquisite curve and large cutting head.

"This isn't like any sword I have ever seen before."

Naruto just laughed. "Yeah, Hayate-sempai said it resembles a kilij, crossed with a tachi. Sort of."

"W – wait, you know Gekkou Hayate?!"

"Oh, he was my teacher when I was younger." Naruto said casually.

This just raised her estimation of the blond right up. One of the few recognised kensai had taught kenjutsu to Naruto._Goddamn…_

She then focused her attention back to the sword. She could see no forge marks on the blade, like it was seemingly crafted from a block of steel, though she could see the ripples that must showed the steel must have been folded over many times over.

"Who made this?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortable. "It was a gift… more like a family heirloom."

**_Real smooth kit. _**

_Oh shut up. _

"Right." Ten Ten wasn't convinced but she figured she could get it out of him once she got closer. Whoever had forged this piece of art was a master, no doubts about it. And she now was lusting to something similar.

She was particularly caught by how well polished the blade was. It was literally looking into a mirror, and she instinctively knew that if the blade was tested on flesh, blood would just flow right off it. But she couldn't even smell a hint of polish on it.

_Just what is this sword? _

Naruto was just amused at how entranced she was over his zanpukuto. Just like Hayate-sempai.

**_She has good taste kit. _**

_What do you mean by that? _

**_That blade is a physical manifestation of your soul. _**

_Really?! _

**_Yep, and – wait, is she nuzzling the blade?! _**

And Naruto was treated to the rather odd sight of a girl cradling his sword like a new born while rubbing her cheeks against the flat of the blade.

_Man, that's just weird. I like the sword, but not that much. _

**_You better get it back before she decides to do something, more extreme to it. _**

Naruto just shuddered at the implications before holding out his hand expectantly. Ten Ten managed to break out of her weapons induced stupor before blushing and reluctantly handing the blade back. And even then it took a great deal of tugging and firm looks before he managed to snatch it out of her hand so he could resheath it.

Then Naruto realised something.

"Err, what is your name again?"

"Ah, how rude of me. It's Hayabusa Ten Ten. I am Neji-san's teammate. Gai- sensei told us to wait here for some training while he gave some instruction to the Military Police."

And carrying on the wind was the shout of something that sounded suspiciously like _youthfulness_.

"Right, how about I show you around while you wait?"

Seeing that she had nothing to do, she agreed while he gave a quick tour on the Hyuuga complex. She was sufficiently impressed, but was surprised when a blur jumped from a room and collided with Naruto.

The boy fell with a grunt and looked at the girl straddling his chest.

"Hahah, I got you this time Naru-chan!"

"Ow, that hurt Hana-chan." He gave a mock pout. "What would your father say if he saw you like this?"

"Oh, I told him that we play games like this all the time." She said matter of factly. "He doesn't seem to mind." Now that was a blatant lie. Hiashi's response to her off hand comment was beyond description.

"Err, right. Oh yeah, Hanabi, meet Hayabusa Ten Ten. She is Neji-san's teammate."

Hanabi just looked at Ten Ten before giving a slight nod, ignoring her in favour of Naruto.

"Oni-san, I'm so bored. Entertain me!"

With a playful scowl on his face, he stood up and grabbed her around her stomach before lifting her onto his shoulder.

_Damn, she is getting a bit big for this. _

"I will later, we have a guest here and we shouldn't be rude."

"I guess so." She gave Ten Ten a glare for cutting into her Naruto time. Which to be fair was actually quite limited. His nominal visits to the Academy along with his frequent missions and training with 'Ne' meant that he spent little time at home. And that made him feel slightly guilty for neglecting Hanabi. And Hinata as well, though he did spend more time with the elder sister because of Kurenai.

Ten Ten just gave an amused smile before Naruto headed off to show her the rest of the compound. The conversation quickly turned to why Ten Ten had wanted to become a kunoichi in the first place.

"I like weapons and stuff like that. Not much else to do in the world really and I'm not going to be someone that stays at home to have children. I want to show people what I can do, maybe one day they I will be as famous as Tsunade-sama."

"So, you want to become like Tsunade right?"

"Of course, she is my idol!"

"Why is she so special?"

Ten Ten had her mouth wide open in shock. How could he not know one of the legendary Sannin? Deciding to remedy it she started to speak in a lecturing tone.

"Tsunade is one of the strongest kunoichi in the world! She single handedly developed medical science and started the med-nin program! She can summon slugs and punch craters into the ground! Her grandparents founded Konoha and are the closest thing we have to royalty!"

"Right, so are your training to be a med-nin?"

"Err, not exactly."

"How about the punching thing?"

"Not that either…"

"Ah… I see. Where is she now, then, this heroine?"

Now that was a question that she didn't know. She had a vague impression that she left the village for some reason that was never really explained, but she figured it was the same reasons that Jiraiya was missing.

Giving a rather embarrassed shrug, Naruto just gave a small laugh.

"Well, if you're not into medicine or punching things, why is she your idol?"

She growled at him. "She shows everyone that kunoichi can make good ninja's that we can do the job and do it better. That you don't look down on a woman just because we are women."

Naruto just blinked. In his life he knew some seriously strong women who wouldn't hesitate to beat his ass down if he even insinuated that they were weak because of their gender. He hastily tried to assure her of that.

"Ahh, I didn't mean anything like that! It's just people try to be like their idols, and you don't seem to do anything like that. Please don't hurt me!" He braced himself for the blow that he thought was incoming. Hanabi just gave a chuckle before giving Ten Ten a look, daring her to hit Naruto.

Funnily enough it didn't, and he carefully opened his eyes. Ten Ten just had a wide and somewhat smug smile on her face. Thinking that he had dodged an explosive tagged kunai, he calmed down and seriously asked her a question.

"So, what then are you good at?"

This seemed to open the floodgates.

"I will be Konoha's weapon mistress!" With that said she had grabbed three kunai from her pouches in each hand and three them all into the training dummy located twenty meters away. All of them hit, penetrating to the hilt.

_Not bad. With some work she could be a real threat, but I hope she has something more than that. _

"Cool! What else can you do?"

Ten Ten just gave an embarrassed laugh before admitting that was it.

Naruto wasn't impressed. _Crap, if she can only throw things what happens when an enemy gets close enough to melee with her? Ninja's are good at dodging, in fact it's what we seem to do most of the time… _

"How can you call yourself a weapon's mistress if all you can do its throw knives at people?"

"Hey, take that back!"

Naruto just ignored that. "What happens if I dodge your blades and get real close to you? What will you do then?"

"Well that just won't happen! I will hit them before they get anywhere near me." That was all delivered in a confident smirk.

Naruto just sighed. _Man, I wonder if I was that confident when I was young. _

**_Naru-chan, hate to break it to you, but you're still a kid. And you were worse. _**

_No I wasn't. _

**_Yes, you were. I know, I was here looking at you. I have the t shirt to prove it as well. _**

"Well. Lets test that then!" Putting a protesting Hanabi down, Naruto then dashed thirty meters away and started stretching. Ten Ten just looked at him incredulously.

"What, you want me to throw real kunai at you?! No, I'm not going to kill you over this!"

"Relax. Get the training kunai and run it over a flame. It will blacken the steel and if you do manage to hit me, then it will leave a mark. What, are you scared that you are all talk Ten ten-chan?" Naruto said teasingly.

"Like you could even touch oni-san with your kunai!" Hanabi decided to add her opinion to the matter.

Her face darkened in anger before she stormed off to get twenty dull kunai. She dutifully ran them over a candle flame, watching a layer of dark ash form.

_Odd how I never thought of doing this before. _

With a confident smirk on her face, she faced the blond swordsman who had drawn his sword and was swinging it lazily in a figure of eight.

"You ready?"

"Start throwing already. Hit me if you can."

With that taunt ringing in her ears, she grabbed one kunai in each hand, calculated the trajectory and wind direction before letting loose. They travel in a flat path before Naruto lazily swung his sword to bat them out of the air.

"Is that it?"

Scowling, she decided to step up her game. _No more taking it easy on you._

She grabbed three in each hand and dashed to her left before jerking her left hand forward, sending them in an arc that Naruto sidestepped, only to find himself in the scatter pattern of the other half. Once again his blade flashed in the sunlight to deflect them all away.

"Mah, you better take this seriously Ten Ten-chan. I'm coming for you."

_Crap _

She grabbed the remaining kunai as Naruto dashed towards her. His speed was quite impressive for a kid his age, his body hunched to prevent a smaller profile against her. She had to predict where he was going to be before throwing.

One. Miss.  
Two. Miss  
Three. Miss.  
Four and five. Miss.  
Six, seven, eight, nine and ten. Miss.

Now she was concerned. He was only ten meters away from her so she decided to wait till he was too close to dodge and let loose all ten in one go. Naruto just blurred to her left before she threw the remainder.

Naruto sped up so that he was a black streak before he dove forward into a roll and gracefully got onto his feet before lightly placing his zanpukuto across her torso.

_Woah, he is as fast as Gai-sensei is with his weights on! _

"Not bad, not bad at all. If they were explosive tagged kunai then I wouldn't have deflected them away, but no one has that many to waste on one enemy."

"But can you see my point."

Dumbstruck, she just nodded numbly. He withdrew his blade before facing her.

"Hurrah!" Hanabi just smiled and jumped onto his back, her arms wrapped possessively around his neck. The blond just chuckled before throwing her up in the air with a devious grin. She squawked at that before swatting him lightly on the head as he caught her. He then realised that Ten Ten was awfully silent.

Naruto sighed, realising that he had just pointed out her weakness in an obvious and possibly condescending manner.

"Look, you need to at least learn to use a close combat weapon before you can call yourself a weapon's mistress. Learn about all weapons and how to use them, not just the throwing ones."

Giving her a warm look, he just gripped her shoulder before walking off.

"W- wait up!"

Naruto stopped and turned his head.

"Why?"

_What is it with everyone and their cryptic questions? _

"What?"

"Why haven't you graduated yet? You have the skills to be a genin easily, so why are you still stuck in the Academy?"

The jinchuuriki just gave a small smile before responding.

"Why does everyone think I want to be a shinobi?"

This confused both girls as he left to spend some time with Hanabi.

* * *

**_Konoha_**  
**_Shinobi_****_ Academy_**  
**_One year later_**

"Naruto, YOU FAIL!!"

Normally those words spoken to an eleven year old child would normally be enough to put them to tears. But Naruto was truly earning his reputation as being one of the most unpredictable and possibly schizophrenic ninja in the whole of Konoha.

"Yatta! See you next year Iruka-sensei." With a wide shit eating grin he just rushed out of his seat and left a gob smacked Chuunin pondering on what the hell just happened.

What the hell? It's like he wants to fail, each and every damned time. It's not possible, he is skilled enough beyond all reasonable doubt. So why the hell is he failing all the time?

Last year he had spoken to Sarutobi…

_**Flashback** _

"Hokage-sama, I do no understand why Naruto did not pass. He definitely has the skills for it, but he just doesn't try at all."

"Relax Iruka." Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe before exhaling.

"Have you ever thought that maybe he wants to wait a few years and actually graduate with some kids his own age?"

Iruka hesitated. "No, not really, but he is clearly skilled - "

"Skills have nothing to do with it. How well does he get with the kids around him?"

"Well, he is not particularly close to anyone really." With that he gave a frown. "Well, maybe Hyuuga Neji, but besides that, he doesn't seem to care for most of the kids around him."

"Well, he is younger than them…"

"But not that much. Actually, there really isn't any difference anymore. I don't think that is the real reason."

"I do admit, it is a tad suspicious. I will have a chat with Naruto about it a bit later."

_**End flashback** _

He wasn't made privy to that discussion, but Naruto had turned up the next year and had seemingly repeated the same cycle. Periods of bored dissatisfaction, then manic pranks and instability and rants about nonsense (what_ the hell is Viagra, and why the hell do I need it?_), then back to placid indifference.

He just couldn't figure it all out and Naruto was actually older than most of the kids that entered the Academy anyways.

The blond just whistled as he waltzed past Iruka, humming something that sounded suspiciously like ramen as he did so.

* * *

**_Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
South Eastern Training Grounds_**

"Come on Hina-chan, you can do this, just a little bit more."

Said girl was panting lightly as Naruto seemed to be bored and looking disappointed in her. That hurt her more than she ever could think.

The two of them were sparring together in the new style deployed Military Police style that was still unnamed. Naruto had grasped the fundamentals of it and was collaborating with Hinata to change it to something more deadly.

It was envisioned as a fast but essentially non lethal system augmented by the Byakugan. Naruto wasn't satisfied with that though. He was torn with integrating his sword style into taijutsu form, but decided that he wanted something else to give him an unpredictable edge. The answer lay in raw power.

He thought that he could just channel chakra into his fists and legs and go for strikes to all the lethal points on an opponent's body. Unfortunately he didn't have the requisite control to keep that up for more than twelve seconds, so he decided to get some help.

Hinata was only too happy to help her idol and had managed to actually act a bit more normally around her crush. The fainting spells had gone away, while any physical contact, accidental or otherwise, still brought bright blushes to her face.

The Hyuuga heiress had tentatively suggested a solution. That only at the point of impact would he actually gather chakra up. She could do it quite easily, but Naruto failed it or couldn't keep a constant amount before everything went a bit crazy. The new style seem suited to Hinata though, and made her quite formidable. Most people going against the Jyuuken would not suspect the inclusion of some harder strikes to batter away at a persons defence before finishing off with the precision chakra strikes to the heart. Or other vitals.

Naruto decided to ditch it and concentrate on grappling. He always won against Hinata, but that wasn't because he was particularly skilled at it. It was just being in such a compromising position was messing with her head for her to actually want to fight back.

"Come on, just try it again. Release the chakra on impact so it spikes like a splinter."

"Ano, how do you know how it works Naruto-kun?"

The blond just shrugged. "I read some books on Tsunade after Ten Ten-san lent them to me. Apparently part of her strength comes from the forced fission of chakra that she releases at the point of impact." He then shrugged and scratched his head. "Or at least that is how I think it works, the book got a bit confusing on that point. Anyways, I'm sure you can do it Hina-chan. I believe in you."

Those simple words brought back confidence into her heart. _I can't let him down, never again_. With that, she gathered chakra into her fist and approached the training dummy with determination. She exhaled and stepped forward, a punch leading. In the mere moments before impact, she tried to do what Naruto described.

She pushed the chakra outward, trying to flood her tenketsu points and get them to spike into 'splinters'. It didn't work quite like that, the chakra oozing outwards more than anything else; she did manage to crack the dummy in half though.

"Ah, not bad. Not bad at all. Someday soon then."

Blushing at the praise, she looked at him oddly, before asking a question on her mind.

"Naruto-kun, why haven't you passed the Academy exam yet?"

Kurenai had been on the sidelines letting the two of them train together under her supervision. She believed in having her students try to teach each other things, understanding that to teach someone something required a greater understanding in the actual material. It usually clarified the points so that they were usually better off in the end. Everybody wins.

But even this point was troubling her. She knew that Naruto should be passing and was curious to hear the answer.

_Crap, what do I say? _

**_Easy. Just lie to them. _**

_Err… I'm not so comfortable in doing that. _

**_Ok, distract her or something. I suggest a nice long wet kiss. Preferable with a lot of tongue. _**

_Nani!? _

**_What? Oh relax, if anyone is going to take your innocence, its me… _**

**_What I meant to say is, you're on your own kit. _**

_Okay, ill start off with the truth, then slowly lie. _

"Well, it's so boring and I guess I don't really pay attention." He laughed uncomfortable at the end, hoping she would buy the lie.

While Hinata might have because of her deference to the jinchuuriki, Kurenai wasn't so dumb. "All you need to do is pass the final exams, so you could just not turn up to class or do any assessments. You would barely pass, but you would still get assigned a team."

_Hmm. Okay, time to start lying. Hey Kyuu, pump some chakra into that 'trust' genjutsu. _

"Well, maybe. But maybe, you know, I'm not saying anything, but maybe, I'm just waiting for the right people to graduate with."

Hinata took that as him waiting for her. That led to him waiting for her so they could be in the same team together. That led to another fantasy in her head that finished with Naruto pantless and possibly tied up…

Kurenai just thought that he meant he was waiting for people close to him to actually join the Academy. And that would be in a few years time. And who knows, maybe by that time she would be a Jounin-sensei and she would be assigned to the two of them, plus another third wheel. She enjoyed the time she spent with the two.

More importantly she knew that there was something about Naruto that intrigued her. She knew that her genjutsu's were not particularly effective against him. Hell, she had the sneaking suspicion that he was faking most of the fear he put on. But this didn't translate to him actually having great skill in the area. But when she had subtly engaged him in conversations, she found that he had all sorts of ideas about potentially useful genjutsu's.

A lot of it came from his pranking ideas, or so she thought, but there was some absolute gems that had came through. And when he talked he showed a level of maturity and thoughtfulness that was foreign to a boy of ten. And that was all part of the enigma that was Uzumaki Naruto.

_Whew. They bought it, for now. How long do you think I can keep this up for? _

**_Who knows, I'm sure Sarutobi will get the point, sooner or later. You got time on your side; at the very worst he will die of old age before you can cave. _**

_I guess… _

"Oh, Hinata, where is Hanabi?"

That was a rather sore issue for Hinata.

"Ah… she is receiving training from tou-san, to help her Jyuuken…"

"Really! That's great, I should take her out to celebrate then. She must be so happy!"

"Yes…" Oblivious, oblivious Naruto did not pick up on the dark undertones of resentment in her voice. Kurenai did and looked at her student in a concerned manner. She understood that the Jyuuken style came easily to Hanabi and she had showed more skill than her sister. But Hinata had her strength in other areas, and as she was incorporating other skills into her set then she would be a deadly opponent in the future.

Because Naruto had given her an idea. A way to actually seamlessly incorporate genjutsu with taijutsu, to get in close and manipulate all the emotions and the perception of the enemy while keeping them on their toes with constant attacks to deny them the chance to recover. To make them feel attacks that were never coming, to telegraph movements that didn't exist… all the while keeping up deadly attacks with Jyuuken. And add to that variation of Tsunade's signature style…

Current genjutsu was too passive to be used in that manner, indicative of the control that was necessary. But Hinata was blessed with a bloodline so she could direct chakra and genjutsu into the pathways to royally mess up her opponents. Give her some time, then she would spread her wings and truly soar…

But she wondered, _how the hell did Naruto know about the chakra fission technique?_ She herself had read books on Tsunade and they only had the briefest and most cursory explanation of her style. It was a closely guarded secret. She didn't think that the Hokage had told him. It could just be one of his crazy intuitive guesses, but really.

What if it wasn't?

* * *

**_Amekagure  
Four kilometres from the city gates_**

_Well, this is just odd. _

Jiraiya had heard some tentative reports that Ame was in lockdown. He had scoffed at the notion that any village could isolate themselves from the rest of the Elemental Nations. And yet again he was proven wrong.

_How in hell are they surviving? No trade, no commerce means no money. Stagnation and all sorts of economic terrors await. Then again, there is finally peace to Ame. _

And that made him uneasy, as cold as that sounded to even himself. Ame had the rather unfortunate position of being positioned right at the centre of _six_ countries. And whenever there was a dispute, Ame would be the chosen stomping ground.

And this meant generations upon generations of dispossession, shattered homes, dreams and hollowed eye orphans.

Hell, that was where he had found the three who became his first students. Ones that might have been the ones in his prophecy. Ones that had disappeared and were now untraceable. After doing an initial reconnaissance, he realised that he wouldn't get any answers until he could actually penetrate the dammed walls. And for that, he needed to get some more training in.

His toad summons could traverse space and essentially teleport from one location to another. But he hadn't quite been able to master it quote yet. And he didn't want to mess around with dimensional jutsus until he was damned certain that he knew it, intimately.

He was just contemplating on what to do when he felt a familiar chakra signature approach from the north.

_Him! It can't be, why is he here, out of all places?! _

His hands blurred as he bit into his thumb and let the blood flow freely as his hands formed seals.

_Kuchiyose no Jutsu! _

He slammed his fingers down onto the ground and watch the sealing script form a barrier before opening a gate to the Summoning Realm. Out came a toad with brown skin with the consistency of wood.

Normally summons spiked chakra like you wouldn't believe, but this summon was different. It was made purely for stealth and unless you were within twenty metres, you couldn't detect it.

"What… oh its you Jiraiya. Whaddya want?" the toad drawled.

"Hide me."

"Oh hell no, I'm not shielding you from angry women. For fuck sakes, can't you get a hooker instead of peeping on women? It's probably more satisfying, you know, with touching instead of just looking."

"Does it look like I'm near a bloody hot springs?!"

"Hmm, no, but its raining quite heavily. Wet t-shirt or something?"

"Look, I have no time, hide me quick. Somebody is coming."

"Fine, but you me one summoner."

The toad them opened his mouth and Jiraiya quickly jumped in. When the toad closed his mouth, he leant against a tree and then began to morph and form part of the wood, merging his chakra into the ambient life energy of the tree. Jiraiya just sat inside and stared at the transparent walls of the toad's body. Its skin had camouflaged itself to look like bark, but he could see everything. He just couldn't hear anything.

And then he came. There was no mistaking that pale skin, those golden serpentine eyes that analysed and dissected everything in his sight.

The Snake Sannin had finally made his appearance after years of going underground.

Next to him was a large hooded figure, who looked like a middle aged man with spiky hair. They were both wearing large black cloaks with read clouds floating on the ebony sea. They looked like they were waiting for someone. At least Orochimaru did. His partner looked unhappy and glared at him every once in a while.

And then they came.

Uchiha Itachi strode forward, still clad in his bloodstained ANBU uniform and his deeply gouged hitai-ate on his forehead. He stood alone as he saw the two men in front of him. A cold and slight smile graced his face as he walked past them, not seeming to acknowledge their presence beyond a terse and near imperceptible nod.

He walked alone and that image struck Jiraiya as being more poignant than anything else he had seen lately.

_A lone wolf. One that walks alone on the path set for himself. One that had led to darkness, fated to never see the light ever again. _

Shaking those philosophical musings from his head, he focused on his former teammate.

A large and predatory grin had appeared on his face. It wasn't something he had every seen personally, but he remembered the stories told by Sarutobi on days he questioned him about Orochimaru's defection. The twisted and perverse happiness he was showing… it sent shivers down his spine.

The two figures finally moved and formed the rear party to the lone Uchiha, an escort back to Ame.

After thirty minutes, the toad detached itself from the tree and spat out Jiraiya. He landed badly and groaned.

"Damn, we came close to dying then."

"No shit, never, ever call me out for that again, unless you got a shit load of sake to compensate me."

"What the hell are two, possibly three, S classed criminals doing together? They usually stay away of kill each other on general principle of establishing their hierarchy. This doesn't seem to make sense."

"If you ask me, you better find a safe place to hide and think this through. This can only mean bad news."

Jiraiya merely nodded. He would have to return to Konoha.

* * *

**_Konoha  
Hyuuga household  
Branch Member's quarters_**

"So, are we all in agreement?"

The assembled women gave a nod in affirmation. Setsuna merely smiled with anticipation.

"That's great. Everyone knows their part, and before you know it…" A slightly twisted laugh came from her mouth that was mirrored by all the females around her.

_Soon, Naruto-kun. Soon. It is all a matter of time… _

Said boy was in the training grounds doing some crunches counting them off in his head subconsciously as he wondered how the hell we was going to deal with another soul numbing year in the Academy.

**_Kit, just use the gigai full time. At least 'Ne' does interesting things. _**

_I would, except for one little, tiny thing… _

**_Which is? _**

_… Yugito. _

**_Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu. Is my kit afraid of that girl? _**

_Girl?! She is anything but that. Actually … I don't know how I feel about her. She is so similar to me that it's so sad. If anything she has had it worse than me. I just don't know how to deal with her… now that I got screwed into becoming her teacher. _

**_Flashback _**

"You want me to what?"

"Train her."

"Rooooight. Are you high?"

"Trust me; I haven't been as painfully sober about anything as I have in my life."

"I'm not qualified to teach anyone anything."

"What about your 'sessions' with the Hyuuga Heiress?" Placing emphasis on the word 'sessions' and added a bit of a leer.

"That is not training! Its just sparring Mi-sensei!"

"Well, you sure brought it up a step when you asked me about Tsunade's technique."

"I just thought it would be helpful," he said defensively, "Anyways, I thought it was fairly common knowledge, you could have warned me that it was a secret. How did you figure it out anyways?"

"Observation, then trial and error. You need a ridiculous amount of control to pull it off as well as the Slug Sannin can. She could consecutively punch out an entire forest if she wanted to. I can pull off maybe two, possibly three before my control gets shot. It's nice as a surprise though, but probably not meant for you. I have something else along similar lines though…"

That got his attention. "Really?! What is it?"

_Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin_ (Shadow clone explosion)

Naruto's eyes widened exponentially as his mind nearly exploded with the possibilities of that technique. He could summon up to one hundred and fifty clones that would exhaust about half his chakra supplies. And if they could all explode with the force of a low level explosive note…

He started to salivate and his eyes just glazed over.

"Hey kid, yo, yo gaki, you there?" he waved his hands in front of the blond's eyes before giving an amused grin. His foot then lashed out towards Naruto's groin. Years of instinct saved the jinchuuriki from mind numbing pain as he twisted his body sideways to avoid the kick.

_Damn, his reflexes really are top notch. _

Snapping out of it, he gave an infectious grin. "Sugoi! So when can you teach me it?"

"As soon as you teach Yugito."

_Dammit, I knew there must have been a catch. _

"I guess I could, but what do you want me to do?"

"Damned if I know. If you want to bitch to someone, bitch to Danzo-sama about it. I heard that she only agreed to join 'Ne' if you were one of her trainers."

"Really?"

"Well, no, I lie." Naruto just face faulted at that. "I was just stroking your ego there. But really, what's so difficult about it? Basic chakra control, some jutsu's here and there, how hard could it be?"

"Maybe because I don't subscribe to your school of teaching, but that is all I really know??"

"Hmm… true. And I guess you are afraid of her as well - "

"What!? No. I'm not afraid of her!"

"Whatever. I heard 'Sai' and how you were absolutely pussy whipped. I didn't know that you liked it rough, you know, having your face rearranged and all. You must need to replace the sheets a lot."

That subtext flew over his head.

Naruto just sighed. "So, you won't teach me if I don't do what you say then?"

"Pretty much. Your train her, I teach you this."

"I can make your life a living hell, you do know that don't you?"

"Oh please, your pranks might be annoying, but I'm not afraid to cut you down to size every now and again. Have you forgotten the tender caress of my axe?"

"… fine."

_**End flashback** _

**_Just treat her the same way as Hinata and you will be fine. Or you could also brainwash her into your absolutely loyal servant. _**

_… No. _

**_Hey, just an idea. Don't knock it until you have tried it. They can be really handy at times. _**

Ignoring his zanpukuto, he concentrated on his last set of crunches before he called it quits for the rest of the day.

_One hundred and ninety eight, one hundred and ninety nine, two hundred. _

He collapsed backwards as he felt the strain of his abdominal muscles burn unpleasantly as he tried to control his breathing. He slowly came up and stripped off his shirt, towelled off and threw the towel over his shoulders.

"Ok, shower time."

He started to make his way back to his quarters to get a change of clothing before he found someone barring his way.

"Ah Setsuna-san, how's everything doing?"

The Hyuuga just smiled pleasantly before placing her hands on Naruto's shoulders.

"Ah, everything is just fine. Training has been quieting down so we have some free time to spend. Which reminds me, we have all missed you Naruto, you haven't been ignoring us have you?"

"Ah, no, no, nothing like that! I swear, I have just been busy, you know, with training and the Academy, stuff like that."

_Can't really say that I have been on illegal covert operations with a non existent paramilitary group can I? _

"Well, nonetheless we have all missed you Naruto-kun. So why don't you come and spend some time with us?"

"Err sure; let me grab a shower first."

"No, that will not be necessary. Just come with me right now."

_Ok, like that is not suspicious. _

**_Well, I doubt that they will hurt you right here in the Hyuuga complex. You could always shout out for help. _**

_That won't do much help since it is the Branch members that patrol the whole estate. _

**_True… but do you really think that they have it out for you? _**

_I hope not. I like Setsuna-san and the others. _

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he nevertheless agreed. They walked into an oft used part of the Hyuuga estate and came into a room with ten Branch member women with their daughters.

He heard the door close behind him with a sense of finality, and he knew that the next few hours would not be very pleasant.

_Kami help me…_

* * *

**_Konoha  
Hokage's Office_**

"Well old man, how are you enjoying my latest masterpiece?"

"It wasn't bad until I got to the part about the 'lecherous old fart that sends the fair and gallant hero of into a pointless and vexatious quest'. I mean really?"

Jiraiya just gave a laugh. "What can I say? Art imitates life."

"Well, since you are here in person instead of sending a message, I'm guessing that you have something interesting and important to report back."

Jiraiya turned deadly serious in an instant which prompted Sarutobi to do likewise. While they had a fairly easy going relationship, there was an underlying tension between the two of them. He knew that Jiraiya was still bitter about the seeming lack of attention he had given him when he was their Jounin sensei, which was one of the many regrets that he still had to this day. And he tried to make up for it by giving the unfailingly loyal Sannin time to grieve. But he had tramped on him suddenly and without enough forethought. He had hoped that he wasn't too harsh in threatening to take Naruto from him.

"I found Uchiha Itachi."

Now that was the first genuine bona fide piece of good news he had heard in the last six months.

"Where is he? I will get the Black Guard on it, if not the entire ANBU."

"There's the problem. It seems likely that he is in league with Orochimaru."

"What?!"

"I saw the two of them with my eyes. And they did not attack each other, it was almost like Orochimaru was expecting the Uchiha's appearance."

"That's troubling… to say the least. Two of our greatest traitors working together."

Jiraiya looked uneasy. "That's not the only thing. I saw them wear something odd. Basically it was a black cape with red clouds. There have been rumours of other men like that, going around the Elemental Nations in bounty hunts. Nothing concrete, but we would have known if Orochimaru was traipsing around the place collecting kills. It points to- "

"Some sort of organisation. Which makes sense; someone had to hide him for so long since he had fled Konoha, such that you and the ANBU have been unable to find him for so long. And if Itachi has now joined, then we do have a formidable enemy on our hands."

"Well, assuming they are after Konoha. No matter how strong they may be, we are not an easy target. Granted we are not at full capacity, but even then, we would make it very costly for any full frontal assault."

Sarutobi just sighed. "Never underestimate your enemies. If they have shinobi of Itachi and Orochimaru's calibre, then we can only assume that the rest are at the same level. The only question is what happens now..."

"Some other news, Amekagure is actually under lockdown as suspected. And I saw the trio outside the gates."

"That could be bad. With the backing of a nation, and some of our more sensitive information in Itachi and Orochimaru's hands, then…"

"Yes."

"Okay, I will petition our Daimyo to open up some dialogue with Hanzo."

"Again more rumours. That Hanzo is dead. Along with his entire family and his supporters. And their families as well."

"That sounds too brutal to be true."

"Sarutobi-sensei, this is Ame we are talking about. They have lived harder lives than anyone else that we know. It doesn't make for a nice environment."

"True. Then there is nothing else to do then, but to put you on long term assignment."

"What!?"

"I am assigning you an S classed mission, to keep intelligence on both of them and whatever organisation that they have joined. You will report back via ANBU proxies, but you need to be in the field."

"Are you serious! That's a waste of my time- "

"But nothing. Not with Ame on our borders housing two of our missing nin who know things that are better off being hidden. And if Itachi really did kill off his entire clan, then he could be siring a new one in Ame. That is not something that we can really allow."

"But, but, I wont be able to see Naruto then!"

Sarutobi sighed. "That is unfortunate, but this is more important. You want your godson to be safe don't you?"

"OF course I do! But I want to see him as well, it has been years since you have called me back and I haven't spoken to him once since then!"

"Alright, estimate the threat level that they pose to us and then come back. We need more info, so unless you find some way to keep an eye on them, then we have no choice but to keep you in the field."

Jiraiya had to suppress a lot of anger and disappointment. "Fine." He made a move to leave.

"Before you go, have you had any leads on Kushina?"

Jiraiya stopped. "There were some vague sightings near Cha no Kuni. Beyond that, nothing concrete. She doesn't want to be found, which makes things that much harder." He then leapt out of the window.

The Hokage just sighed.

_I only hope Naruto will be happy to see you at all. He has changed so much it's like I don't even recognise who he is anymore._

* * *

**_Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters_**

**_My kit is so manly. _**That was delivered with such a smirk he could literally feel it oozing through their bond.****

_How the hell did I get nine marriage offers?! I'm only ten for crying out loud. _

**_Apparently arranged marriages are quite common in the Hyuuga clan, and children get promised at even younger ages. _**

Naruto's face just darkened.

_No one is taking that choice away from me. _

**_Hell I would be more worried about Setsuna and her offer. _**

_But, but she's like ten years older than me! _

**_Well, she did say that she was willing to wait. _**

**_But not of that is going to matter. You are mine Naru-kun, and I wasn't kidding when I said that I will be the first to taste your innocence. Minato, you and Kisuke might have taken my freedom and my power, but its not like I cant take something in return. _**

"Ahh, Naruto-san, or should I call you Naruto-sensei from now on?"

Naruto just groaned.

_Why are all my friends' girls who feel the need to tease me or chase me around in circles? _

**_Narrative imperative I guess. _**

"Err I'm not really comfortable with that. How about you just call me Naruto?"

"Hmmm, nah, that would be appropriate of me Naruto-sensei. I wouldn't want to show any disrespect to my sensei would I? It would awfully rude of me to do anything but address you as sensei. Have I said the word sensei enough times? How about once more for good measure?" Yugito took an odd pleasure on teasing the younger blond boy, who was developing a nervous tick about his right eye and was subconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword.

_Ok, maybe I should lay it off for a bit. _

But she couldn't really help herself. Naruto was one of the most genuine people that she had ever met. The streets of Kumo were not kind places, where kindness was sacrificed for survival. No one really every acted like themselves for fear of showing weakness and having it used against them. But she had to admit her life was much better since coming to Konoha.

_Decent food, a roof over my head, the chance to become stronger, yep, definitely got the better end of that deal. _

But what was bugging her was the somewhat vague conversation she had with the jinchuuriki when he said he felt responsible for her. She knew why and thought that it was all patched up, but at times she wasn't so sure. She had thought to irritate him enough so he would be more pliable, but he showed some awfully restraint, especially for an eleven year old kid, particularly over the last few years.

_Urge to kill rising, rising, rising… _

**_Hahahhahaha. Just punish her with some 'training'. _**

A semi malicious grin appeared on Naruto's face that immediately brought Yugito on her guard.

_Oh oh. This doesn't look good. _

Naruto just took out two kunai and spun then on the two rings. The increased the speed until they were a blur while starring down the other blonde in her eyes. His grin merely increased and Yugito felt some fear. Though she was older than him, Naruto had spent much more time training than she had, but the gap was being closed ever so quickly. And that was all thanks to Naruto. He seemed to know what she needed to improve in and gave helpful advice.

At first she was a bit dubious to whether he could actually be a teacher, merely wanting his presence as reassurance. But those reservations fell away when his tuition yielded results. And along the way she had made her first real friend. But she was not too comfortable with actually verbalising that quite yet. She was still somewhat emotionally scarred after her oppressive childhood and did not want to expose herself to more hurt. It could be that Naruto felt a debt of honour towards to her, nothing more, and nothing less.

And if she was only an obligation to her, instead of actual friendship… then she didn't really want to know the answer. It was probably better not to know the truth.

The spinning kunai by this stage had developed a whinnying sound as they approached speeds that were too fast for the human eye to differentiate.

"Oh Yugito-chan," Naruto sang, "Try your best to dodge this!"

He flung them to her while reaching for more, moving as he was doing so. Yugito just sped out of the way as she saw the two kunai imbed themselves into the wall. She was impressed; normally they would penetrate a few centimetres before the tips broke off. _The penetrate concrete like that…_

Getting her mind back on task, she tried to cover the distance to engage him in hand to hand. It was his weakest area and something that she was quite good at thanks to her youth. It was by unspoken agreement that they refrained from jutsu use, as Naruto would just wipe the floor with her if that limitation was breached.

And they sparred, well, more correctly they brawled. Naruto let loose with his amalgamated style of Jyuuken, the new Jyuuken (inexplicably it had no formalised name, beyond Gai's suggestions which were promptly ignored) and some close quarter submission holds. Yugito favoured a kicking style that focused on speed, strength and mobility. Her speed was greater than Naruto's and was able to avoid his hard hitting and potentially painful blows before raining kicks on his torso. Naruto had taught her where most of the vitals were that were useful in battle. At first she was a bit hesitant but the blond had just shrugged it off, casually mentioning that he had nearly lost limbs when sparring with his other sensei. Which made her glad that she had insisted on Naruto on teaching her, if only for the company.

And she made great progress, her taijutsu being refined into a more formal system taught by another 'Ne' member before these bouts with Naruto. She spun for a roundhouse kick that Naruto dodged under before he came up under her guard. He grabbed her forearm and locked it into place, putting pressure on her joints before pivoting on his hip, causing her arm to bend in ways it was not suppose to. She gave a jab to his kidneys, hoping to dislodge his grip but that didn't work. Naruto finished it off by throwing her to the ground and applying his elbow to her diaphragm.

The wind knocked out of her, she lay there dazed as Naruto sat on her chest with a wide, shit eating grin on his face.

Once she regained her breath, she scowled at him.

"Stop sitting on me you bastard."

"Why Yugito-chan, I'm shocked. Shocked. Can't believe you are saying those filthy words to my innocent ears. You're _older_ than me, you _should_ know better."

She growled before giving him an upwards blow to his chin with the heel of her palm. She then kicked him to the wall. Only the find out that it was a Kage bunshin.

"Nice, you held off for, ten minutes. A personal best."

"Bah, enough with the taijutsu. It's something that I can do by myself. Why don't we go into the jutsus?"

"Have you finished those chakra control exercises yet?"

"No, they are sooo boring. Cant I learn some first, as you know, some sort of incentive?"

_Man, I never thought I would be the one to give this lecture. Must be Kami's way of punishing me. Damn celestial sense of irony… _

"Trust me, I wouldn't do this unless it was useful. Basically, I could teach you some ninjutsu, but it wouldn't be at its potential unless you have decent control."

"But, but, you have terrible control!"

"I do not! Who said that?!"

"Err… 'Sai'?"

"Goddamned pasty faced bastard… anyways, ignoring him, it might be, just might, that my control isn't as great as a med-nin's, but it isn't as terrible as yours."

"Anyways, good control is the foundation for true strength in chakra manipulation. Things become faster and more efficient when it flows and weaves properly."

"But isn't that just a function of your hand seal speed?"

"Well, part of it is, I think." Naruto then took on a lecturing pose that Yugito found to be irresistibly cute. "But Mi-sensei did mention that sometimes your hand seal speed could actually outdo your chakra manipulation speed that the seal and matrix is formed, but you are just waiting for the chakra to power it. That could leave you open in battle for seconds. That's way too long."

"How long will I have to do this? It has been nearly two years since I have come here."

"It took me the same time before I learnt some of the harder jutsus. Anyway, we can't really use the higher level ones until our chakra supplies are large enough. Apparently. Well, I'm not sure if that applies to us."

"Because of our 'tenants'."

"Yeah, those freeloading furbags have some advantages. The healing factor is just one benefit. How is the meditation going?"

"Ok, kinda. The Nekomata isn't really that responsive beyond growling and hissing about how it will render my flesh into soup and drink it with sake."

Naruto gave a sweat drop.

"Right…"

"Yeah, odd. Then again, the way you describe things are not quite the same when I do it."

"Meh, what can I say, I'm special." That normally would be taken as arrogance, but not when it was delivered with a self deprecating and despondent smile.

**_Flashback _**

She vividly remembered the time that Naruto had revealed to her why he felt so responsible to her. How he had attacked Gashir to save a little girl that revealed his existence to Kumo. And how that led to Gashir and the Raikage to develop their own jinchuuriki program.

At first she was angry, angry at Kumo, its kage, and because he was there, Naruto. The blond took all of her abuse in silence, in some ways believing that her words were all justified. She left him in anger, vicious words lingering in the air.

But as time went on, she realised that Naruto wasn't really responsible for what happened to her. That lay solely on Kumo's feet, and Naruto was there to clean up a mess because he felt responsible to her, a girl he had never met, but had indirectly affected by his heroism. And how he faced down five ANBU teams to extract her from becoming a living weapon to be used and discarded when her worth had depreciated.

She was about to make her way to apologise to Naruto when she found a letter outside her room, a kunai piecing it to the adjacent wall. She opened it and read the contents. Basically it was Naruto saying that he understood why she was angry with him and did not expect her to want him as her instructor anymore, and that he would organise someone else to take his place.

Fearing that, she left her room in a hurry to find the swordsman. She found him in a secluded training room in one of his Dances. And it was one of the first time that she was able to see something so deadly and beautiful act in seeming harmony and opposition to each other.

As the movements coalesced into a crescendo, she focused on his blue eyes. They were full of sadness, hate and guilt as his mental equilibrium was shot and he finally gave up, throwing his sword down in disgust, before realising what he did. He swore loudly before getting a piece of silk and ran it over the blade several times before sheathing it, lying against a wall as he gave a deep sigh.

Yugito rather cautiously approached the sitting boy and made her presence known to him. His eyes opened up and made a threat assessment. They softened when he saw her, but then hardened to protect himself form the further abuse he believed would come from her mouth. And seeing that made Yugito feel like a wretched being. She didn't mean any of her words, but now realised that things might not ever be the same again.

So she got on her knees and slowly made her way to him, focusing on his eyes at all given times. Naruto's face showed some curiosity but made no movement to get closer to her. She reached the three metre gap before stopping. Words were failing her, the notion of an apology harder than anything she had ever done in her life.

"Na – Naruto-kun, I'm – I'm sorry."

"What for? You were quite clear about what you said. And I never ever wanted to hurt you, in any way. And if you cant bear to see my face, then just say the word."

Tears were forming on her eyes as the cold words were thrown back into her face.

"P-Please, I was angry ok. I didn't mean any of it."

"Didn't you?" came his whispered response.

"Never, none of it.""

"I – I'm not sure if I can believe that."

Seeing how things were not going in the way she wanted them to, more tears developed. And if Naruto ever had one weakness, it was that he hated to see women cry. It made him feel so damned helpless just standing there watching it, not knowing what he could do to make it better, or to give some comfort. He would gladly stand down an ANBU division before dealing with emotional problems.

"Please… please… believe me. Don't leave me…"

**_Hmm kit, it does look like she means it. _**

_Maybe, but what do I do now? What happens after this? _

**_Your guess is as good as mine. Sometimes you just have to take things one day at a time and let things develop incrementally. _**

_Alright. How do I stop her crying then? _

**_Well, you could always apply your lips to her and possibly slip in some tongue. It's great for distractions and all that. _**

_… No. Don't you have any other ideas that doesn't require me swapping spit?! _

**_Fine. Just hug her then. Imagine that she is Hanabi or something. _**

Tentatively, he reached out his arms to her. Yugito took that on like a lifeline, drawing the blond in a bone crushing hug as she let her tears wet his shirt. Naruto awkwardly patted her back while struggling to find something to say. He decided to settle on the truth.

"Okay, I believe you this time. Next time, if something like this ever happens, how about we try to talk about it. Or better yet, I let you fight me, to get it out of your system, alright?"

He felt her nod on his chest more than anything else.

And for the rare times in her life she felt completely safe, in the embrace of a boy younger than her. But with an indomitable spirit and sense of honour she could never find anywhere else. She vowed that she would never intentionally hurt him again. More than anything else, she owed him a debt for bringing her away from near certain slavery to a better future. One that she vowed to repay.

So the two of them just lay there, giving comfort to each other as the minutes slowly counted their way downwards.

_**End flashback** _

"Ok, well I'm bored as well. Let's go through some basic jutsu to get you started before we go on to the flashier things."

The blonde gave a smile, knowing about Naruto's fascination with flashy jutsu's. Seeing the enthusiasm in her eyes, Naruto gave a playful smirk before making some hand seals.

'This is the Shunshin no jutsu and it allows …"

* * *

**_Konoha_**  
**_Shinobi_****_ Academy_**

_Another year, another stupid class about a henge. For crying out loud, its not that damned hard, and they don't even encourage the kids to go beyond the basics. Such a goddamned waste. _

**_Well, at least you have some familiar faces in this year. _**

_True _

And there they all were

Uchiha Sasuke with his developing fanclub that just swooned at his perpetually angsty, angry presence.

Hyuuga Hinata displaying confidence that would have surprised people who knew her two years ago. And giving a small scowl at the girls eyeing her Naruto-kun.

Yamanka Ino.

Haruno Sakura.

Those last two brought a grimace to his face. He remembered seeing them for the first time after the whole bullying incident.

**_Flashback _**

"Hello there."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" that came from Ino who pretended that she could not remember the blond who saved them all those years ago.

"Bah, get away from us you loser, we don't want to be seen with someone like you. How did you fail the Academy three times in a row? Nothing like Sasuke-kun over there…" But even as she said those words, she felt immediately bad.

It wasn't like she had genuinely held those beliefs to her heart, but she was unduly influence by her parents. When she had excitedly mentioned that she was rescued by the mysterious blond, her parents were happy and overjoyed and demanded to know who it was so that they could thank him. When she had described his appearance, they quickly did a 180 reversal, growing angry and telling her to never speak to that 'demon' again.

She was flustered and confused. She asked why he was a 'demon' when he had _saved_ her. They refused to answer the issue and threatened to beat her if she was seen with Naruto ever again. She had reluctantly agreed and left the room confused.

She had met Ino the next day and she described to her what her parent's reactions were like. Coming from a shinobi family, the Yamanka's were rather neutral on the point, trusting that the Fourth and the Third Hokage's were correct in their judgment. They didn't discourage her from making friends with the jinchuuriki, but were content to let their daughter form her own relationships.

As the two of them grew up, they never really say Naruto again, except when a particularly large scale prank was unveiled. But whenever that happened the vicious slurs against Naruto ran rampant from her mother and father, which just poisoned her mind towards Naruto. But that was countered by the memoires of the kindness in his eyes when he had seen her being bullied and stepped in to stop it.

But up against her parents and a boy she didn't really know, there really wasn't ever any contest.

Naruto's face hardened. "Don't compare me to Sasuke. At least I have direction in my life…"

"By failing all the time? Stop wasting our time you 'demon'."

That was the straw that broke the camels back. Even Ino knew that was going too far, going by the white knuckles he was sporting on his fist. Knowing that things were going way too far, she had to diffuse the situation.

"Hey Forehead girl, get to class already. I need to speak to Naruto alone"

"What?! Why do you -"

"Just go and I will tell you about it later."

She gave a huff and stormed off. Naruto just watched the exchange with enigmatic eyes. He turned to the other blonde and spoke flatly.

"You remember me, both of you do. I can see it in your eyes. Why are you lying to me and pretending that you don't?"

Ino was torn. She didn't know how to answer that one.

"Sakura's parents don't… really like you. And have told her to stay away from you."

"And that involves all those hateful words as well then, I'm sure."

She winced. "I'm not sure where that comes from."

Naruto wasn't having any of it. "Fine, she has chosen her path then. Let her walk down it and see what happens at the end of it all. Where do you stand?"

She was now placed in a tight spot. To continue her friendship with the pink haired girl, or to pursue something different with the jinchuuriki. It was a hard choice, pitting familiarity with the unknown. She hesitated and in that moment made her choice.

"I'm sorry Naruto."

"… I see. So am I." With a sad smile he turned away from her and walked away.

Ino didn't know if she made the right choice and felt like she had lost something immeasurably precious. She shoved those feelings down towards her chest and moved off to rejoin Sakura. She just hoped that they could at least be polite to each other.

_I should have known better, but somehow I hoped that… _

**_That what? People can change, become better somehow? Oh please kit, some people are beyond help. She chose her path and decided to hate you even after all that you have done. Ungrateful bitch… Just don't let them _**_ever** hurt you again. They made their choice… **_

He sighed internally. _I feel like messing something up._

**_Hokage monument? _**

That brought a slight movement to his lips._Maybe, maybe we should aim higher_.

**_What else is more public than that? _**

_I was thinking of … _

_**End flashback** _

And so there were the days he had spent in class. He was coldly polite to both Ino and Sakura, ignored the pink haired girls taunts and Ino's apologetic looks as much as he ignored Iruka's droning voice.

_Come on oji-san, fold already. I'm sure it is as painful for me as it is for you. _

"Alright, class dismissed."

_Finally. _

Naruto went up to Hinata, gave her his hand which she happily took and walked back the Hyuuga compound. He had gotten better with physical contact and was most comfortable among Hanabi and Hinata. He didn't see the angry looks focused on Hinata, thinking they were angry at him but shrugged it off.

_I wonder, is this what being like a brother feels like? This warm, protective feeling… _

Deciding that he quite liked it, they managed to make their way back home without any incidents and smiled politely at the Branch member on duty. That was returned and he said goodbye to Hinata, who looked disappointed with the end of the walk but carefully hid it and said that she would see him for dinner.

As he made his way back to his room, he noticed how quite everything was. There was at least some sound, but it was too quiet.

_Wait, silent hallway on the way back to my room. It is after school as well… Could it be another Hanabi ambus – _

With a devious smile, Hanabi dropped from the sealing in a pounce, intending to 'accidentally' fall all over Naruto. The blond knew what was coming, but didn't really want to spoil both of their fun, so he braced himself for impact.

OOFF

He didn't expect her to land with he knees against his back, pushing him forward and into the ground. Hanabi then landed hard on his ribs, knocking his breath out and he groaned in pain. Hanabi just gave a laugh before realising that the boy was lying very, very still. Panicking, she shook the prostrate swordsman.

"Naruto! Naruto! What's wrong, come on, answer me."

He just lay inert with a glazed look on his eyes.

"Oni-san?" She prodded him a bit more before feeling fear creep up.

_Oh my god, I, I didn't hurt him, did I?! _

Starting to panic, she was about to shout for some help before a loud laugh erupted from Naruto, who had to hold onto his ribs as his eyes were tearing up. Hanabi just looked cross, crossed her arms and gave a humph. She gave him a vicious kick to his ribs to shut him up again.

That stopped his laughter, replacing it with a yelp before he jumped onto his feet again.

"Okay Hana-chan, why did you decide to ambush me today?"

He just received another glare in return, one foot stamping the ground as he realised that she was really angry at him.

She stopped and then gave him a tight hug.

_What the? _

"Don't, ever, EVER, scare me like that again! Don't trick me and make me feel like I had killed you."

_Woah, I never thought she would take it that badly. It was just a joke. _

"Alright, I'm sorry ok. I might have gone a bit too far, but you started it by jumping on me in the first place!"

"Hey, I just wanted to surprise you!"

"So did I! Call it even?"

"Oh no you don't! you scared me, and for that you have to spend the rest of the day with me."

"But- "

"What, oni-san doesn't want to spend time with Hanabi? But – but why?" she started to sob into his chest and grab at him.

_Damn manipulative women… I'm sure those tears are fake now, but I can't seem to say no. _

"Fine, what do you want to do then?"

She looked up with a grin, tears gone and grabbed onto his left arm. "I heard that there is a new restaurant opening up at Central, we could go and…"

"Let me guess, you want me to pay as well?"

She gave a slight pout. "You know that otou-san doesn't give us money. We might be from a rich clan, but things are bought for us, _not by us_."

"You do know that I don't really have a job right?"

"Then how do you keep on eating all that ramen that you do? Sure it's cheap, and … nice" That admission took more out of her than she could have believed. Naruto was just happy that he had another convert to his religion. "But that must still put a dent on your wallet."

"Don't forget all the dango I have to buy as 'apologies'."

"So yeah, where do you get your money from?"

_Well, I get paid from both 'Ne' and oji-san, but I don't think that would go down well. Time for another lie. _

"Well, I get paid an allowance from the Hokage. I guess it's because I'm an orphan or something. Hell, all I know is that I get some money every fortnight, and I spend it as I want. Ok, enough talking, lets go to that new place."

Hanabi was too happy to continue to question Naruto and his finances, but that just made him aware of a loose end that needed tidying up.

* * *

**_Konoha  
Hokage's office_**

A one way coded missive lay on his desk, and he knew it was a report from Yuugao. Taking the cipher, he quickly decrypted the message and read it for the second time.

_Hokage-sama _

_It has been two years since my official detachment from the ANBU. Eight months later I was approached by a man who offered me some work for a group called 'Ne'. He would contact me every week but nothing really happened besides him testing me on my skills. The man was fairly ordinary looking, with brown hair and eyes with no special features to give him away. Find attached a picture. _

_'Ne' seems to be a group of ill trained paramilitary forces with an undetermined number. All seem to be Academy dropouts, ex shinobi and some retired members of the ANBU. The latter are quite few in number and are approaching middle age. They are poorly funded and do little but talk of what the Hokage should have done in the past, and how Konoha will face a reckoning if such softness was to continue. They engage in some training at an abandoned warehouse and spend much time drinking and discussing military science. _

_This might just be a front for something larger, and I will investigate further. I have suspicions that they are secretly testing my loyalty before divulging anything more important. I am awaiting further instructions. _

_Signed _

_'Neko' _

Sarutobi gave that a thoughtful read. IS had not turned up any other leads, so he was happy to let Yuugao keep on digging. His finely tuned senses was detecting something about this, and he wanted to cut to the heart of the truth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_'Ne' Headquarters _**

"How is our double agent going?" asked Danzo.

"Well, we sniffed her out and replaced her initial meetings using genjutsu. We really should not have let her go on like this, probably best to kill her."

"There is no helping it. He is onto us now, and will just insert more agents if this one is deterred. And Naruto would kill us if he found out we ordered a hit on his 'sister'. It was bad enough when he found that bastard intending to rape her while she was unconscious."

"There wasn't enough of him to burry, if I was correct."

**_Flashback _**

Yuugao wasn't too sure if going solo on this one was a good idea. She had some idea that 'Ne' was well trained and equipped, but to this extent, it was mind boggling.

_How the hell have they operated for so long in Konoha without anyone noticing? _

She was escorted into a room where a blank faced man was look on. She wondered why they were not hiding their faces behind masks. She soon got her answer.

"Before joining us, we must know if you are… genuine in your attempts to be part of our group. We need to ask you some further questions. Is that ok?"

Knowing that he was more polite than anything else, she mentally prepared herself for it. She gave a nod. Her ANBU training prepared her for giving false information under duress, to calm her heart rate to fool the interrogator to believe what she was saying was the actual truth. To a certain extent she could defeat certain genjutsus designed as lie detectors.

_Jigyaku no Jutsu!_ (Time Reversal Technique)

Her eyes widened. That was an ANBU only technique that had little to no effective counters. _Oh shit!_

She only hoped that they wouldn't ask the appropriate questions. She wasn't to be that lucky.

"Goddamit, another mole. What do we do with her now?"

"She is one of the Hokage's own as well, we can't just kill her. Best thing to do would be to mindwipe her with genjutsu."

"Fuck that bitch. Who the hell does she think she is, trying to infiltrate us? We do more useful work than the ANBU and they want to sabotage us!? I'm going to teach her a lesson she is not going to forget." He started to undo his pants.

"What the fuck! Stop it. She isn't an enemy combatant you bastard, she is a kunoichi of the leaf! What are you, an animal?"

"Oh relax, look at her! It's not like anyone will know after we wipe her memories anyways. What's wrong, you queer or something?"

"I'm not a filthy rapist. I have sisters, a mother and a girlfriend. And if they ever got assaulted like that…" The threat was left unspoken in the air.

"Oh don't act so high and mighty on me, your self righteous prick. I'm sure you've done it in the field before."

"See, you're nothing more than a hypocrite. Fuck it, if you don't want to have a taste, then I will."

"I'm having no part of this." With that he left the door.

As he walked out he saw Naruto along with Yugito._Fuck, the kid needs to know. _

"Hey Naruto, you better hurry up and stop my partner. Something real bad is going to happen."

"Nani?"

The two blondes walked over and say the other man removing Yuugao's pants. What happened next was a story repeated over drinks for many nights after the incident.

Naruto kicked down the door with a snarl on his face. He dropped kicked the other man who let Yuugao go. The older man swore and tried to get his pants up so he could face the jinchuuriki. The place was too close for him to use his blade properly and jutsus would cause too much collateral damage, so he decided to engage in melee.

And he pulled out his vast arsenal of attacks, especially the New Jyuuken with mass chakra enhanced blows that crushed the other's left arm. Giving a yell, the operator grabbed a kunai and parried the other furiously. The element of surprise exhausted, he showed the skill expected of a 'Ne' member. He managed to avoid several lethal strikes before kicking out at Naruto's knees, bringing him down. He then unleashed a three hit combo, starting with his chin, working to the chest then the floating ribs. The then put him into a submission hold with the kunai next to his throat.

"What the hell do you think you are doing you little prick?! That hurt, fucking- "

Naruto didn't care as his mind thought of different ways to get out of the situation.

He concentrated on his reiatsu, to get that rush of speed he ever so slightly remembered all those years ago. He remembered that he only had one concern on his mind, to get to Gashir before he killed Hinata.

Kawamiri was out of the picture as the only thing of equivalent mass was Yugito or Yuugao. Shunshin was just too slow to start up. So he prayed that what he was doing was going to work. He imagined the void once more into his mind and pushed it all into this muscles, to make him move faster than ever before. And it worked, kinda.

Things began to slow down and he used his elbows to strike out at the injured limb before ducking out and faced the other. The ice blue eyes he drew out his sword. Clumsy it may be a close quarters, he would take a lot of fun in messing up this bastard who dared to violate his sister in all but blood.

He started off by taking of his limbs, one part at a time. The first to go was his hands and feet. As the blood began to spurt, and he fell, he quickly moved onto the shoulder and hip joints. The body fell in pieces as Naruto looked over the top like a vengeful god.

From Yugito and Yuugao's perspective, it was much different. They saw that Naruto was still held hostage while another came out in front and sliced through the operative like he was nothing.

Yuugao was just shocked at the skill level he had showed. And why he was here at the 'Ne' headquarters in the first place.

_That wasn't a kage bunshin that he kawarimi'd with. There was no hand seals involved at all. And how can you still be failing in class Naruto, why are you holding back? _

For Yugito, it just showed to her the true strength of the blond. His movements were sharp and to the point, beyond anything he had ever used against her in spars.

_Has, has be been going easy on me all this time? _

As the torso fell to the floor, the image of Naruto had a cut across his throat as the final move as the operator had tried to kill what was in his grasp. The image just faded away, reaffirming that it wasn't a shadow clone. Or maybe it just wasn't one that they had ever seen before.

Then the screaming happened.

"FUCK!! AAARRGGHHH, you stupid motherfucker. I'm going to kill you! You hear me! You and your stupid fucking girlfriend!"

Naruto was going to finish the dying man off when 'Mi' arrived.

"That's enough Naruto. Stand down."

"No, its not."

"That's an order shinobi. STAND DOWN NOW!"

He had trouble controlling himself. His arms were still trembling with rage as he relaxed the grip on his blade.

"Better. You know that we do not assault fellow operators, no matter how much of a bastard they are. Danzo takes care of them. Do you understand me?"

"Do you understand me Naruto?"

"Yes… sensei."

"Good, now get a medic before he bleeds out. And don't take your time as well. There are worst things than death."

"It's nothing more than what he deserves."

"Maybe, but you can't be the one that decides that."

"I don't agree."

With that he grabbed the two girls and stormed off.

'Mi' just sighed and looked at the sorry sight on the floor.

"You stupid asshole. You just had to go and do this to yourself didn't you?"

"Fuck you too 'Mi'." Came the weak reply.

"Just to let you know, I only stopped him because I didn't want the blood of a teammate to be on his hands. You deserve nothing less you… you… fuck. There are no words to describe it. She was one of the Leaf's own. It's not her fault that she is loyal to the Hokage. She walks in the light, while we walk in the shadows. The fact that you can't understand that makes you unfit for 'Ne'."

"Enough already, I need a medic. Get me a goddamned medic!"

"Oh no you don't. We are not going to waste valuable time and supplies on your carcass." He reached into his vest and pulled out a vial, and then some cord. He tied off his appendages to stem to blood loss, before forcing the liquid into this mouth.

"What was that?!"

"Just a little something. It will prevent your blood from clotting. It will all seem to be a tragic, provoked accident. We tried our best to save you, but you lost too much blood and no amount of transfusions would have helped. And this is not really even a poison, so no trace will be found. I'm sure no one will really miss you. You were never well loved, not like Naruto is."

"Go to hell, I – AARGG fuck you all!"

"Say hello to the Shinigami for me. I'm sure he will have a fun time with your soul."

Naruto just stormed into the medic's office and tersely reported that their help was required in the interrogations room. The medic gave him an odd look, knowing that his unique healing abilities would be more than sufficient. He realised this on the way back and just thought that 'Mi' understood enough that he wouldn't force to boy to heal the bastard lying on the floor.

They were left alone and Yuugao was determined to find answers.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" she asked sternly.

"I can ask you the same question Yuugao-san." His voice was cold and without the habitual warmth that he normally had. This surprised the violet haired kunoichi.

Crap, was he wearing a mask all this time? If so, damn, he would be deadly in a poker game.

The stress of the situation was still making Naruto slightly antsy. He paced around in anger before giving her a close look. He then suddenly embraced her and held her close to him, his body shivering as his mind went through the possibilities if he wasn't there at that moment.

"A – Are you alright?"

Hearing his familiar tone, full of concern and care reaffirmed that the Naruto that she did know was real. That made her happier than words could express.

"Yes. Yes I am, thanks to you." She gave the blond a big smile as a slight blush formed on the jinchuuriki's face.

"Now tell me, what the hell are you doing with these people?"

Should I tell her? It's not like she will be allowed to remember it all anyways. And on the off chance that she does evade the mindwipe, then... Maybe she has a right to now.

He took a deep breath, composed his thoughts and started from the beginning. It was a long tale that he sanitised for her sake, but the reality was that he was Konoha's unseen prodigy that rivalled the likes of Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi. And she knew that if the Hokage ever found out...

Well, his response would be unclear. But it was probably best to avoid the situation entirely. He narrated the story to her while sitting on her lap, with Yugito playing the part of the captivated audience. All of this was entirely new to her, as Naruto did not like talking about his past, even when she had prodded and nagged him about it.

"Wow, I mean wow. I can't believe that you managed to hide it from all of us..."

Naruto laughed, "It wasn't easy, playing the double life. I'm sure you notice times when things were not quite right. But hey, I'm still here, alive and well."

"But, why are you telling me all this?"

A sad smile appeared on his face, "I think you deserve to know, with Hayate-sempai as well. And it's nice to finally share everything that I have done with another person. Even if you will not remember it at all."

"Wha- "

"Everything that happened today will be replaced with a new memory. A happier one." He gripped her hand hard while looking at the floor.

"We both will go on with our lives and only I will know what happened on this day. Along with Yugito-chan. We will see each other once in a while, when we both have time and pretend to be brother and sister."

He then gazed into her eyes. "But maybe, just maybe, you will see 'Ne' for what it really is. And one day we can be partners and I can reveal to you who I really am."

_**End flashback** _

"But the irony of it all was a bit much. We keep him misinformed while operating normally, just business as usual. She still doesn't remember what happened anyways, not even when he had to explain what the hell he had been doing for the last few years."

"True enough, I keep them partnered for some missions now and again. But it's good to keep her 'disclosures' restricted to the things we want to leak to them. Then again, it's really the truth."

"We work with Konoha, not for it, not against it. As long as we are heading towards the same goals, then what is the problem?"

"He might decide that we are a risk that needs some oversight and control. No kage would be comfortable with an autonomous body that could incite wars with other nations."

"True, but he knows of our existence. And I'm sure he had suspicions. And it couldn't be helped. Our ops were bound to raise questions to any capable investigation. At least we know that we are keeping the ANBU on their toes."

"There is that. But we have to be careful. He might send other agents here."

"Let them come. As long as he is not aware of our true strength then he will be tempted to manipulate us from the shadows. While we do the same. It's like a game of shogi really."

* * *

**_Soul Society  
Outskirts of Rukongia _**

"Dammit Kisuke, why did you drag me out here for again? Why do two taichou's need to be on patrol for?"

"Something special."

"What do you mean?"

"I have been hearing reports of hollow activity near the borders of Sereitei. Hollows with strange abilities beyond that of most seated officers."

_Hollows that sound like they have been affected by the black orb, which I have kept under lock and key. So why the goddammed reports. No one else should know about it, could they? _

"The fuku-taichou's should be able to handle it."

"Mah, come on, when was the last time you got out of the office and was able to wield your zanpukuto without the restriction."

"Well, true. It's nice to be out and about. There is only so much paperwork that I can shove out to be vice before they chuck a hissy fit."

Kisuke just laughed.

"Come on then."

They started on a standard patrol, extending their reiatsu to find any anomalies around them. For near two hours they walked, until Sereitei was quite out of their line of sight.

"Are you sure that there is anything here? I hope this wasn't some ploy to get me alone with you, 'cause I don't swing that way."

Urahara face faulted. He just looked at Isshin incredulously.

"What?"

"I don't find you in any way attractive!" the blond shouted.

"Oh, well that's nice to know. For some reason it also hurts as well…"

"Err, can we talk about more comfortable topics?"

"Sure, like were the fuck are we going?!"

"I sensed something here. Something that didn't feel quite right."

"What are you talking about? I cant feel anything at a- "

"That's because you are blind shinigami."

That brought both of them to attention and each drew out their zanpukuto at once to face the threat.

"Relax, if I wanted you dead, then you wouldn't be standing."

"Pretty big words when you are facing two captains of the Gotei Thirteen."

"Whatever, those are just words to me. I will admit that you two are quite strong, but I think I am stronger."

Isshin took offence to that. "Why you little bas-"

Kisuke was observing the new comer and noticed something on his belt. _Oh my god_.

"Isshin, shut up. Look at what is on his belt."

"It's just a mask. Wait… my lord, he's a-"

"Vaizard. Afraid yet shinigami?"

"There is no fucking way you can exist!"

"Cant I? I'm pretty sure that I'm living and breathing. Well, as much as spirit can I guess. How about we go and dance I will show you how real I am."

"There has been enough homo-eroticism here to last a month."

"Err, Isshin, I think he wants to fight you with his sword."

"Yes, his 'sword', and he would love to 'sheathe' it in me at the same time. Some things are just a one way street buddy."

"… And you wonder why girls don't like you."

The vaizard just looked in amusement at the two's comedy act.

"Well, are you coming?"

"Not unless you attack us first."

That shocked the other figure. "Hmm, no overwhelming urge to annihilate me because of my hollowfication?"

"Well some might care. I'm a scientist myself so you are more fascinating than anything else. Isshin here is just an idiot."

"Hey! Show some respect you bastard."

"Later. In private. When I have drunken enough sake to put Yoruichi under the table."

"Funny."

"You feel quite different to the other shinigami Mr Scientist. You feel almost like a hollow."

At those words, a shiver crept up his spine. He knew that working on the orb would mess around with a few things, but he didn't think it would do that much.

"Has creating portals become a lot easier now? That's usually one of the indicators. Hollows can tear holes in space/time with ease, something denied to shinigami unless they use _senkaimon_ gates. But I don't think you ever really had that problem, did you?"

Isshin narrowed his eyes. For as long as he could remember, Kisuke was a genius in regards to portal creation, being lauded as a prodigy in its arts that had the Kido Corp clamouring over him to help them with their projects.

Kisuke didn't know what to say to that. It did make a terrible sense, but he was sure that he wasn't developing Hollow powers, was he? He decided to get more information.

"Who are you and why are you here?"

"Where else am I supposed to be? I was once like you, a shinigami. But I could commune with my inner hollow and knew what _that_ meant. I would have been killed like a dog, so I fled. And began to master this source of power. It really is quite useful, though I haven't quite got the hang of it just yet. When I can make a gate I can go into the material realm and hide out there. I can take out most seated officers with ease, but I choose not to. I was a shinigami once as well."

"You still are, aren't you?"

He gave a hollow laugh. "Most people in Soul Society wouldn't see it that way. All my friends are more likely to kill me if they found the truth. It was much easier to go MIA on them all. What gave them the right to hunt me down like an animal?"

"I was one of them, one of them for decades, nearing a century. But they will follow orders like the good dogs they are and discard the bonds of friendship developed in fire and blood."

"But enough of this chatter. If you are no threat to me, then I will leave you alone. I suggest that you keep this conversation quiet. If you did mention it, they will wonder why you didn't try and kill me, an 'avowed enemy' of the pure shinigami."

"Before I go, have a think on these questions."

"Why does Soul Society even exist in the first place? Why do we hunt down hollows that are merely the opposite face of the same coin as the death gods? When a human dies they become one or the other. Where is our justification to hunt down the other? And if there isn't, then why do we do it?"

"More importantly, why do we have a Royal Family in Sereitei and what do they do exactly? They hide from the rest of the Gotei Thirteen and delegate their power to the Forty Six. We are all dead, so why do we even have a Royal Family in the first place? What makes them better than the rest of us? What purpose does it all serve?

"There is an answer to all of this, or maybe I'm just messing with your heads."

"Sayonara Kisuke. And if you find yourself developing other powers, one of us will be able to find you."

And that left two captains with questions in their heads. Who the hell was that man? And more importantly, was he right?

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga complex  
Branch House residential quarters**_

"Naruto... I need your help."

Those were words that he had never expected to come from Neji's mouth. Never. Ever. Not until his very deathbed, not from the fiercly independent genius.

"Sorry, what did you say?" and like hell he wouldn't milk the moment for all it was worth.

"... You heard me."

"No, I'm sure that I didn't. Which is why I want you to say it again."

Indecision warred on his face, before deciding that this was the lesser evil, "I need your help for something."

"Sure, what is it."

He blinked, thinking that Naruto would make him jump all sorts of hoops before agreeing. Pushing forward before the blond could experience a change of heart, he spoke clearly.

"Could you please help Ten Ten with some close quarter's sparing."

He blinked. "Why can't Gai-sensei do it?"

The Hyuuga nearly shuddered at that thought.

"many reasons."

"One, can you imagine what kind of training regimen he would place her on, and add to that edged weapons and close quarters sparring? We still need her to be healthy enough to complete missions."

A mental picture of a bleeding and broken kunoichi limping in terror came to both their minds.

"Second, Gai-sensei uses taijutsu nearly exclusively, so he would be no help in that area."

"It's not like I care or anything, but she is determined to learn from someone and has been bugging me about it."

"Why can't her parents help, they run a weapon's store don't they?"

"Well yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are good as using weapons. They make them, and pretty good ones as well. But think about it in this way, are the people that count money any good in using it or making it?"

"Hmm I see. Why me though?"

He shrugged. "You are the only one I know." Plus she was been going on and on about your sword ever since you showed it to her. It's getting on all of our nerves so this will keep her quite.

"I guess I could do something for her, but I am kinda busy."

"With what? Setting a new record for the least amount of time spent in the Academy. Why didnt you graduate with our class Naruto? We all know that you are skilled in the shinobi arts, as good as me."

"Why thank you. You forget to mention that I'm better as well, but I guess I have to let that one slide."

Neji's eyebrows twitched at that remark, but he knew that if he wanted to get his help, some sacrifices needed to be made.

"Well, you know I spend time with Hanabi, Hinata, Yugito, Anko, Yuugao, Hayate, Setsuna, Mikoto, Ayame ..."

_That is one hell of list, full of females. What am I suppose to gather from that Uzumaki? That my cousins have a hell of a lot more competition than they bargained for? _

"Who is Yugito?"

"Oh, she's an orphan that I met a few years ago. She was down on her luck so I let her stay in my old apartment. Apparently it was unrentable for some reason so I helped her move in and we spend some time with each other."

"Is she in the Academy?"

"Nah, she is just a civvie."

It was a convincing enough cover story that let Yugito experience the wonder of living in Konoha (if you were not Uzumaki Naruto, Mitarashi Anko or Sai) and just reaffirmed her loyalty to the village. It was a smart move on behalf of Danzo, and as she had no prior history, was not registered as a shinobi or had any known links to other villages, there was no real trouble with it. She got some flack for living in Naruto's prior quarters, but she won them over quick enough. Not that she appreciated anyone making disparaging comments to her friend as was decidedly cold towards those people.

When she asked him how he dealt with all that hatred, Naruto just shrugged it off and said he had developed a thick skin. She knew that he was lying though his teeth, but let it go. She couldn't do much about it except to support him when he let her. He appreciated her gestures and sentiment nonetheless.

"Besides that, and the assorted pranking you do, can't you spare a few afternoons to help her out?"

"How can I say no to your face. Well, easily. NO! If she wants my help then she can go ask me herself."

And seemingly like she was summoned by the Kuchiyose no jutsu, Ten Ten appeared out of nowhere.

Naruto was startled, "Holy crap, where did you come from."

"Oh you know, I was around the corner, on my around –"

"The most secure complex in all of Konoha, roight..." he drawled.

An embarrassed look appeared on her face before it grew determined.

"Come on, why don't you want to help me?"

"I'm a busy guy, with people to see and places to be."

_And I already have enough problems training Yugito that I don't need another damned student. And you could also add Hinata onto that list. And I get the feeling that Hanabi is waiting impatiently in line as well. _

"I will make it worth your while." She sang.

That raised Neji's eyebrows. What could she possible offer?

"How?"

"Discount on all weapons from my parent's shop?"

I get all my weapons from 'Karasu' anyways, so it doesn't matter.

"I'll pass, I use my sword for most of the time anyways. Kunais are just there for distractions."

"How about explosive tags?" she was bringing out the serious goods.

'Karasu' was quite stingy when it came to those tags. Then again the ones he procured were high yield notes that packed double the explosive power of similar size and quantity. And he hoarded the damned things quite closely.

"Hmm, how about you give me twenty per lesson?"

"No way! Five at the very most."

"Ten" he countered.

"Five"

"Eight"

She grew desperate. There was no way her parents would give her that many tags for each lesson. That in itself would have been more than her wages at the shop for that week.

"I can't go any higher than five."

"Well, my price is at least eight. If you can't afford it, then don't buy it."

"How do I know that you are any good though?"

_Let's see, I had tuition from Gekkou Hayate and Mi-sensei. One taught me how to Dance. One taught me everything there is to know about edged weapons in the best way possible. _

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto dammit! Of course I'm good enough. I took on a jounin didn't I?"

She looked to Neji for confirmation. He nodded in affirmation.

"He may be a braggart, but when it comes to blades, he knows his stuff."

"I really can't afford that much. Please? For me?" when all else fails, turn on the damsel in distress techniques.

Neji snorted. It might have worked on lesser men, but he was unaffected by it. Naruto on the other hand seem somewhat prone to it and he wondered if the blond would cave. Fortunately he was exposed to such acts for so long that they hardly fazed him anymore.

But he saw how earnest she actually was and did feel bad about showing her up the last time they met.

_Oh what the hell, what's the worse that can happen. Shit, I shouldn't ask that question. Stupid kami and karma. Can't even pray for a realignment of the cosmos... _

"Ok, eight tags for a week then. As many lessons as you can come to. I will be free on most afternoons, particularly on the weekends. Bring the weapon that you want help with. Actually bring two if you can, one we will dull it so we can spar without getting cut up. Alright?"

Ten Ten gave a happy smile and offered her hand. Naruto gave it a brisk shake, hoping that she would be a quick study.

And he gave Neji a glare daring him to make some sort of remark. The Hyuuga just smirked before staying silent. He wasn't that stupid.

* * *

**_Konoha_**  
**_Shinobi_****_ Academy_**

_Hmm, I wonder what the record is for the most fails in the Academy. _

**_Not sure, you could ask Iruka, but he might take it the wrong way. _**

_I wonder if he could take it in any other way. Oh well, another title to add to my name. _

**_I can't believe that you really agreed to fail all this time. _**

_The reasons were very good. Hell, you were there. _

**_Flashback _**

"Naruto, how do you feel about failing the genin test?"

"Nani!? Why would I do that?! More importantly, how can I do that, its so fricking easy I could do it right now with one arm bound behind my back."

"… How would you form hand seals then?" Danzo asked curiously.

"Er… ok, maybe not with my hands bound. But you know what I mean!"

"I sure do. Why do you want to be a shinobi?"

"You say it like it's a bad thing. Then what the hell is 'Ne' for then?"

"Well, we are not official are we?"

Slight comprehension was dawning on his eyes.

"Becoming an official nin of Konoha has some benefits, if you were a normal person. But for someone like you with a list of enemies so high," he gestured up to his chest, "it is not that great."

"First of all, the Hokage can't really command a civilian to do something as much as he can to a shinobi. I'm emergencies yes, he can override it, but normally he will not."

"As a nin, your rights of travel are heavily restricted and you come under the direct authority of the Hokage. He can and will assign you missions which you can't really say no to."

"More importantly, as an official shinobi you will be registered. Your name, date of birth and photo will be public knowledge to anyone that can afford to commission a mission. That is just stupid, but a commercial reality for all registered nins."

"You are aware that they have been attempts on your life along with kidnaps during the last few years."

"Really?!" That really surprised Naruto.

"Yes. After the whole Kumo incident, people took notice on you and some made the connection, helped out by our villagers no doubt," that last bit spat out, "and the Hyuuga looked like paper tigers after that incident. So many teams were sent to test the Hyuuga defences. They all failed."

"Why was I never told about it?"

"I doubt that Hiashi would tell you about the twenty of so attempts on your life. Hell, they could have been targeting another Hyuuga for all he knows. It was lucky that you live there now. I was pushing for some clan intervention, but luckily the Head took some initiative and brought you into the fold."

"Registration may be a necessary evil for most, but not for you. It will place the Hyuuga in even greater risk when the world finds out about you as the vessel for the Kyuubi. The Hyuuga will not back down over demands of your body, and giving them any information about you is a bad idea."

Naruto didn't want that to happen. The more important point was that the Branch members were the one in charge of security, and if anyone was to fall, it would be them. The images of Setsuna dying on his account made him feel queasy.

"And it's not like it would make you any stronger. You will be placed on a team and make your way up the ranks. You pay is still dependent on the missions you take. 'Ne' gives you that and more. We don't have any restrictions on the jutsu's shared among operators. So, what do you say?"

He saw the sense in that. It wasn't like he loved this village like a naïve idiot. He loved some people in it, but not everyone. Those people important to him he would help out. And to do so he needed to be strong if they were ever going to be used against him. He enjoyed his time at 'Ne', even 'Sai' had his charm of directing attention away from him if he needed it. Privately he liked the anonymity given to him by Ne and wanted to enjoy it a bit while longer. He knew that Danzo knows this and wants to keep him as part of Ne, being a valuable asset. And he didn't have a problem with that for now.

And he just realised that if he ever did need to go rogue, he didn't want to be on a bingo book, which would happen if he was registered as a Konoha nin. And a certain rebellious side of him also wanted to operate outside the law.

"Sounds like a plan."

Danzo just smiled. _Oh well Sarutobi, you had your chance to make him one of yours. But you failed. He will work for us and we will show you why you were wrong all this time. Well, maybe not wrong, but things could have been done better. _

_This world we live in is a harsh place, and we might perpetuate wars by our very existence. But it is better being the winner rather than the loser. _

_What is it they say; the price of freedom is everlasting vigilance? _

_You weren't quite alert enough my old friend. _

_**End flashback** _

Fin.

* * *

A/N

Woah. New record chapter length. Mid semesters start soon and I have stuff on my mind so this is going to be put on the shelf. I will still write half an hour a day to get the ideas flowing. But hopefully you can enjoy over 30,000 words of BB. I hope the length didn't put too many people off, but if it is too hard to read in this format, let me know. It took me nearly two hours to edit this piece of work, which leads me to the next thing. Editor or Beta's, lend me your skills. If you have a better technical grasp of English than mine, and is willing and able to assist me, then PM me and we can talk. Benefits include sneak previews of the coming chapters. I get the feeling that I screwed up the years in this one somehow. If I did, let me know.

Next chapter has Naruto's canon year in the Academy. And stuff happens. Probably. More Sasuke development, along with Ino and Sakura. Maybe.And our favourite back stabbing chuunin comes along as well. Oh yeah, Kakashi shows up as well. Fun times ahead for all.

As always read and review unless you want to be attacked by small cuddly animals with a song and dance routine. Who will face hug you with no mercy. At all.

Ja ne.


	10. And along came a spider

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N.

Howdy. Got some good responses from the last chapter. And my review counter hit 200! Which is equivalent to 0.0015 reviews for ever word I write. Hmm, that looks crap. Redoing the figures I get a review for every 665 words I write. Hmm. It's a good thing that I write so much.

Also saw that Mrriddler placed this fic as one of his favourite stories. That in itself is a great feeling. For those of you that haven't, have a read of his Naruto story called 'Genius of Konoha'. Definitely worth your while as it definitely inspired me in many ways that I cannot quite articulate at the moment.

Oh man, Bleach. Sorry guys, but the backstory is finally being told for the beginning of everything. I had an idea for it all, but it finally comes together, hopefully as I have envisaged it. I will only put two scenes here that are relevant, until further info comes. I can't wait... so don't be too disappointed if no one from Sereitei makes an appearance for a few chapters time.

Oh yeah, Tobi... Finally we see the strength of an immortal. And a reason why Pein himself is subservient to him. Hopefully we won't be too disappointed. And god damn it, Itachi better not be dead... And if he is then I'm tempted to screw with canon. Let's just hope that remains unsubstantiated speculation. If anything, this makes him an enemy worth my Naruto's time and effort when they clash.

Oh yeah, apparently some people want to know what the people look like in this fic. They remain true to canon, with only Naruto being the one to actually get a costume change. I don't really like it how authors spend paragraphs upon paragraph detailing wardrobe changes. It's not really that important, and it's just easily forgotten in any event. That said, meh, I will have to write in some of it to round off the story somewhat. Those little details are important I guess. I'm playing around with a new uniform for the Hyuuga MP's. I will post it up on my profile once I can figure it all out.

Oh yeah, did Neji ever have a mother? I'm going to assume that she did exist (and that he wasn't a test tube baby courtesy of Orochimaru), and is still alive.

Without anything else to add, let's get this show on the road. Oh yeah, I broke the record for the longest chapter ever to date. All I can say that editing is a bitch. Many thanks go to Frozen Sin and VFSNAKE for their beta skills. This chapter would have been much poorer without their assistance.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 24Mar08  
Chapter completed: 01Apr08

_**Previously on BB (emphasis added by author)  
**_

**And he just realised that if he ever did need to go rogue, he didn't want to be on a bingo book, which would happen if he was registered as a Konoha nin. **_And a certain rebellious side of him also wanted to operate outside the law._

_Danzo just smiled. __Oh well Sarutobi, you had your chance to make him one of yours. But you failed. He will work for us and we will show you why you were wrong all this time. Well, maybe not wrong, but things could have been done better._

_This world we live in is a harsh place, and we might perpetuate wars by our very existence. But it is better being the winner rather than the loser. _

_What is it they say; the price of freedom is everlasting vigilance?_

_You weren't quite alert enough my old friend.  
_

* * *

**Chapter ten**

_**And along came a spider...**_

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
South eastern training fields**_

It was yet another glorious day to be alive. The sun was up with not a cloud in the sky as a blond jinchuuriki did his stretches before completing another workout during the weekend. After some light callisthenics he went for a light jog with some weights attached to his limbs, which he took off at the halfway point.

After he was done he sat down in a meditative pose as he worked to reduce his heart rate. Waiting for Ten Ten to come along, he looked at his watch and saw that she was ten minutes late. He sighed before laying back and gazed at the sky.

_I wondered why Shikamaru kept on doing this, but it makes an awful lot of sense. __The sky is pretty nice, even when there are no clouds to look at. _

He felt an errant breeze and the heard the sound of someone puffing and coming towards him. He sat up and gave an incredulous stare at the exhausted kunoichi in front of him.

_Kami-sama…_

He distinctly remembered telling her to bring two weapons of the same kind, not her whole goddamned armoury! He was amazed that she had managed to carry it all to the Hyuuga complex and be allowed through.

_Shit, somebody needs to teach her about sealing scrolls. What do we have here?_

_Tachi, daikatana, nodachi, kodachi, spears, axe, halberd, long knife, aun, ninjaken, nunchuka, sai, flail, three piece staff, tanto, trench knife, mace, club, chain, warhammer, stiletto dagger…_

"So – Sorry I'm late. It took me some time to actually bring it all."

"… Rooight. I did tell you to bring only one weapon right? Because I remember it, and I'm sure if I asked Neji he would say the same thing. Why did you bring everything but a zanbato?"

Slightly embarrassed, she tried to defend herself. "Well, I tried to, but I couldn't decide on any one weapon. So I thought I would bring the short list and let you help me decide on something."

_That was the short list?!_

"Ok, well first things first, what is your fighting style?"

"Ummm, I don't know."

Naruto sighed. "Ok, lets make this easy then. You like attacking at long range, mid or close up?"

"More long range than anything else."

"Ok, that makes sense, your accuracy is damnably good already, so if you have surprise you can make quick work of some nins, but the better ones will be able to negate it easily."

"How?" asked a genuinely curious Ten Ten.

"Easy. Smoke bombs to blur the field, then use good 'ol fashioned speed to close the distance and go hand to hand. So I guess you need more of a support weapon than anything else."

"Alright, all the heavy weapons have to go then." With that he discarded over half the weapons into a separate pile.

"You need something with decent range and heft. Ninjaken is a good choice, but to get really good at using a sword takes time and a style. If we have time, you might want to consider it."

"Nunchuka is pretty useless and hard to use unless you have quick reflexes and attack blades to the end of it. Actually, it's a good stalling weapon, so that goes to the maybe pile."

"Short blades and daggers are alright, especially if you decide to dual wield them. You can use one as a shield while attacking with the other. But that leaves all of your hands occupied, so you can't use jutsus. But that is always a problem with weapon users."

"Club and mace are useful against armoured enemies, which no shinobi really are, except the ANBU. It is strong, but your strikes will be too slow against nins, who will dodge or kawarimi out of the way. So that's a no go."

"Spears are good, they have great range and are deadly and it is easy to hold off enemies at a good distance. But they require two hands and you need one with a decent shaft or they can be broken to bits by an enemy."

"Bow… no. Useless for close quarters battle. All those stories of using them to knock people out are bullshit. The frame can't take that kind of pounding without warping the wood and making it useless."

"Sai, well you can strike real fast, but you need to get real close. Not my favourite."

"Three piece staff, well, they are useful and are good as distractions. But they are really hard to use properly as they can and will hit you. Plus I'm not really that good with them, so I couldn't really teach you anything."

Naruto just scratched his head as he tried to find anything else that would have suited the kunoichi.

"I think that's probably the best. But hey, it's your choice. Let me know."

Ten Ten was amazed at how familiar he was with all those weapons. Most ninja relied heavily on jutsu's instead of weapons, so the most they ever employed were kunai and shuriken. And most of the time it was used as a distraction or to get the enemy into an ambush position.

_He sounds like he knows his stuff. What should I choose?_

"Well, what do you think?"

"Well, I say swords are awesome, so a kodachi or a ninjaken is the way to go. Then again, you might want to concentrate on overwhelming an enemy with a crap load of blows, in that case take the sai or some long knifes. If you want to keep them at a distance, can't get any better than a spear."

"Can I learn two of them?"

"I guess so, but think about this. You either get really good with one weapon, or you spread it out amongst two. And it does take long enough to master one in the first place."

"How good are you with that sword of yours?"

Naruto just gave a shrug. "Good enough I suppose."

_Enough to take on enemy ANBU and live to tell the tale. _

Ten Ten just bit her lip as she was thinking about her choices. It was like she was making the most important decision in her life. In some ways, it would be.

"How about I learn to use the ninjato and the spear? If I'm better in one, or I don't like the other, then I can drop on."

"Sure, you're the boss. Which reminds me, payment please?"

She was hoping that he would have forgotten. And the smirk on the blond's face showed her that he knew exactly what she was thinking about. With a regretful sigh, she took out a wad of explosive notes and reluctantly handed it over to Naruto.

He gave them a cursory look over, confident that she wouldn't try anything underhanded or sneaky. He placed them carefully on the ground and tossed her a ninjato.

"Alrighty, kenjutsu 101. You ready?"

* * *

_**Konoha  
Ichiraku's Ramen Stand**_

"Ohayo!"

"Ah, Naruto-kun, it's been a while since we last saw you. You haven't gone off and found a new ramen stand have you?"

"Wha- no! Of course not! This place is still the best in all of Konoha!"

"That's good to hear, because if we find out that you have left us for someone else, well, I'm not sure what we would do..."

Giving a nervous laugh, he reached for the menu before things got even tenser than they were already. It wasn't really his fault that with training Ten Ten, Yugito, balancing missions with 'Ne' and the Academy had led to him having no real time to spend on himself. The plus side was that he had a lot of money to blow, a fact that he kept quiet in case Anko ever heard about it and decided to go on a bender.

_Stupid irresponsible Anko, why does she expect a twelve year old kid to bail her out of things?!_

_**You know you enjoy it Naru-chan.**_

_No I don't!_

As he sat down and relaxed, his mind gave a quick run over the menu, idly noticing that nothing had really changed since he was last there. He looked around and saw that the stall was empty. And he wondered if he was screwing with Teuchi's business just by eating there.

_I guess it's possible that the other villager's black list him because he serves me. Crap, what can I do about it?_

Seeing Naruto spacing out again, Ayame decided to come over and talk to the swordsman. It was already quiet and she had wanted to catch up with the boy for a very long time.

Ayame could remember the first time she saw the little boy looking quite malnourished as he quickly snuck into their stall and snagged a menu. Her father told her to see if the boy was going to steal something so she made her way over to Naruto to see what he wanted. She spoke kindly to him and was at once struck by a few things.

His cerulean blue eyes full of hurt and sadness.

The pitiful state of his bright orange clothing.

The six whisker like marks that adorned his face.

Fighting an urge to squeal at how cute the boy was, she asked him politely if he wanted to order something. The sheer shock and happiness that dominated Naruto's face shocked her. He quickly babbled that he wanted twelve bowls or ramen, pointing left, right and centre at the menu.

That was certainly surprising and she doubted that he would have been able to eat so much without entering the ICU of the hospital. When she asked if he could eat that much, he assured her that he hadn't been eating for the last week or two and he could do it. He tapped his money pouch and she could hear the substantial chink of coins and notes that lay within.

Still somewhat sceptical of whether he could really eat that much ramen, she nonetheless brought the order to her father who was just as stunned as she was. He just shrugged and thought, _What the hell. Why not? If he can do then it, then good for him._

He noticed quite a few people giving Naruto dirty looks and leave the stall as if in disgust. He frowned. Sure the boy maybe a bit dirty, but such a response was quite disproportionate. He quickly filled that away for future reference and went on with boiling the raw noodles into the dish known as ramen.

As the stall was empty of customers, the two of them sat in front of Naruto to watch him eat. He was slightly put off at having an audience to watch him eat noodles, but they told him that if he was telling the truth, he would be setting a record for the ramen stand. And like all males aged six to twenty one, he accepted the dare.

Which he had managed to do. Twelve bowls were demolished over the space of forty five minutes, at the expense of a lighter wallet and a bloated stomach. He groaned in happiness as Ayame looked on in disgust and disbelief, while Teuchi felt like the gods had delivered a most valued customer in the form of Naruto.

He thanked them profusely and promised to come again the next day. Which he did for the last six years, baring the odd occasion when he didn't. The fact that he didn't have one single bowl during the last month was the longest drought period they have ever experienced.

Naruto ordered three bowls, two miso and one chicken. With an affectionate smile Ayame went over to her father and placed the order. She then made her way back to Naruto and had a chat with him. God knows the stall was empty that her father wouldn't give her grief for doing so.

"So Naruto-kun, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, not much, just going to the Academy, giving some training to Ten Ten, Hinata and Hanabi now, who would have thought she would be so vicious? Errr, helping out with the Military Police, running away from Anko every once in a while, hmmm. I think that is it. I see Yuugao and Hayate sempai when they are free, but they have other things to do. How about you?"

_Woah, he must be the busiest twelve year old in all of Konoha!_

Ayame gave a self conscious laugh before replying. "Not much, compared to you. I just really work and help out dad at the stall. That takes up most of the day and the weekend, so I don't really have that much free time to do anything."

Naruto looked into her eyes and decided to ask a question.

"Ayame, what do you want to do when you are older?"

Now that was unexpected. No one had really ever asked her what she had wanted to do in her life. While she was happy to help out her father, being a waitress for the rest of her life wasn't what she dreamed of when she was a little girl.

"You know Naruto, I don't really know. When I was smaller, I wanted to travel the world, see different things, eat different meals and have a lot of fun doing it with someone I loved. But I realised that life isn't a fairytale and when we fled to Konoha, I, kinda, lost sight of what I wanted."

"Not that I don't enjoy working here. I get to meet interesting people all the time, and I get to see you as well." Naruto blushed at hearing that, and Ayame just ruffled his hair playfully. Then a faraway look appeared in her eyes.

"I would still love to travel the world and all that, but until business picks up and father can afford to hire people, then I will be here until that happens. Why do you ask Naruto?"

_Because for the six years that I have been coming here, I never really knew that much about you except for your name. I never bothered to make an effort to know you, even though I spend more time with you than with others that I know._

He gave a pensive look. "I have been coming in for so long but I realise that I don't really know much about you, besides the obvious."

She shrugged. "Not many people are interested in the life of a ramen girl."

"Don't say that!" His voice laced with anger. "Why should that matter? You are as much as a person as I am." At that he gave a sad grin. "We all have dreams and things we want for the future. How can you say that yours are not as important as any other person on the street?"

Touched by his concern, she felt compelled to ask the blond something. "How about you Naruto, what do you want for the future?"

_Now isn't that a good question?_

Looking contemplatively at Ayame's face, who blushed at the intensity of the stare, he answered slowly.

"I – I'm not sure. I want to find myself in a place that can see me for who I really am. I want to be strong enough to protect myself and the people close to me. And more importantly, I – I want to be happy."

"Is that why you go to the Academy? To become a shinobi?"

"That is one step I guess, but a ninja lives a dangerous life. One that I'm not sure that I want."

"Is that why you have been failing for the last three years?"

"H – How did you know that?"

"Hanabi told me about it when she came here looking for you one day. She seemed awfully upset for some reason."

"Ah, I remember that day." He winced in memory. That incident was best left forgotten.

"She told me that you were more than skilled enough to pass, and that your instructors must have been holding you back because they hated you."

'Well, that isn't really true. It's more like I don't want to pass..."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Of course I am! I might act dumb at times, but not with the ones that I like."

"Really, do you like me Naruto-kun?"she asked in a teasing tone.

"Of course I do! I feel bad about not getting to talk to you during the six years that I have been coming to this place. How could I ignore you like that? I know, let's do something!"

"What do you mean?"

"How about we go see a movie or something, when you have some time maybe?"

"That would be lovely. But I don't think I have the time to-"

"Ah, nonsense, take some time off tomorrow and go to the pictures with Naruto-kun. It's the least we can do for our favourite customer. You still are our customer, right?"

"Of course, of course!"

Ayame gave a light chuckle at her father's humorous attempts to be menacing. She decided that spending some time outside of the stall with Naruto wouldn't be a bad thing. Sure she may have been three years older than him, but still, it wasn't like she had a large group of friends in the first place.

She was a refugee and spent nearly every waking moment helping her dad make a living. That didn't really give her time to make friends, which seemed to get harder as she got older. And it was quite surprising seeing the changes that occurred as Naruto grow up. His once near emaciated frame had filled out and she saw the hints of definition in his body as he went through his training. The puppy fat seemed to have disappeared from his face, but the whiskers that she secretly wondered about from the corner of her eyes were still there. And it seemed to give him a royal and refined air. He almost looked like an Inuzuka...

"So what do you say? A movie on the weekend? My treat?"

"Are you sure you want to go out with me Naruto?"

"Of course I do! It's better than spending money bailing out Anko." He grumbled a bit about the crazy snake lady before refocusing his attention to the matter at hand. "Tell me a time and a place and I will make it there."

_Oh, why the hell not?_

"Sure, meet me at ..."

* * *

_**Konoha  
**_'_**Ne' Headquarters**_

"Ok, it's time for you to pay up."

"Whatever do you mean Naruto?"

"Don't act stupid. Not that you need much acting for that. I have been training Yugito for a damned long time and you haven't lived up to your part of the bargain."

"Hmm, well to be honest with you-"

"And don't you dare tell me that you were lying to me all that time! If you did, so kami help you..."

"What's the matter, don't you like spending time with Yugito? Man, she really wouldn't want to hear that would she?" the threat was implicit in his tone.

"Of course I like spending time with her. I also enjoy kicking her ass, as much as you would have enjoyed doing the same to me. How did you do it, always holding back on me?"

"It's part of being a shinobi. We try to expend the least possible effort to achieve an outcome. Well, that's not quite right. We use as little techniques to do something. We always keep something in reserve to bail us out of a bad situation. And to be honest, you have grown past my expectations. I do take you seriously now when we end up sparing."

"You still win though."

"True, but you can force a suicidal victory at times, unless I decided to destroy your entire body. Don't forget that your body hasn't quite caught up to your skills. An adult has many advantages, thanks to a little something called puberty. I'm sure your experience will be singularly unique. Do me a favour and record it will you? I'm sure I can set up some kind of mail order service. It's gonna be great. I think I will call it 'Jinchuuriki Gone Wild!"

"... What the hell are you on about?"

"Meh, you will find out soon enough. Just remember, videotape. Think of it as a repayment for my services for the last three years."

"Whatever. Now about that training."

"Ahahahaha. I was just messing with you. Alright, this is an A ranked technique that should theoretically be impossible for you. But since you live your life proving people wrong, I'm sure you will be able to do this."

"Alright, listen up. _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_ creates a solid clone. That clone in itself is a programmed matrix that has chakra in it. Given enough chakra, it can perform jutsus and so forth. But it is wasteful because one solid blow will disrupt the matrix and wastes the chakra."

"For you, well your chakra reserves are ridiculously high for your age. Hell, most jounins right now have about three quarters of your capacity."

"Yatta!"

"Anyways, what they lack in capacity they make up in control. You waste too much chakra in your jutsu's Naruto, but that cannot really be helped. It's like trying to tame a waterfall, or a raging current. The best you can do is channel it to a purpose."

"The point is that as a matrix, it can be programmed to do other things. A Kage Bunshin is a semi autonomous being that will obey your controls and inherit parts of your personality. Which explains why you have so many impertinent and annoying doppelgangers."

"Hey!"

"You know it's true. Now you know what we have to deal with. The point is that because they are chakra beings, they appear to be real. Because in a very real sense they are corporeal and existent. And if they are chakra beings, then you can get them to explode."

"How?"

"Tsunade's chakra fission technique. You get the chakra to form in a super dense area, critical mass occurs and the chakra splinters, detonating it like an explosive tag. In fact, think of the _Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin_ as one massive tag that you can detonate by pure willpower. And if you are good enough, then you can use your chakra affinity as well."

"Chakra affinity?"

"Hmm, it's about time that you learnt about that. Okay, I got to get something, so give me a sec. Hang tight."

Nodding, Naruto just leaned against a wall as 'Mi' sauntered off to the other area of the 'Ne' quarters. The larger man made his way to 'Karasu's' laboratory and knocked on the door. A shout let him know that it was safe to enter. Which was very important because of the horrors that usually lay inside of the room.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Nice to see you too. Got any chakra affinity markers?"

"Should do; look in the top left shelf on that corner."

"Errr, how about you go and get it for me. The last time I followed your directions to get something I was attacked by a spider-like monster that I had to kill. You sulked for weeks afterwards."

"I did not sulk! It took me years to find that species of spiders, even longer than to tame it. It had a very useful poison dammit!"

"Look, I said I was sorry ok! Geez, I found you a new one didn't I?"

"That wasn't the point, it wasn't the same spider. Poor, poor Kuro, may you rest in peace."

"Pieces more like it. So yeah, the strips?"

"Fine." He made his way over and tossed over a bundle of fine grained paper. "Who is it for?"

"Naruto. And make that Yugito as well. It's about time they learnt about affinities."

"True, but don't tell me you are really going to teach him the exploding clone technique."

"Err, maybe?"

"Are you nuts?" he exploded.

"That's funny, coming from you, Mr Crazy Fuuinjutsu expert who talks to spiders and creates furry dolls with song and dance routines!"

"He spams those damned clones like candy, and if he can make them explode- "

"He would be able to take out entire city blocks by himself. He would be a demolition expert beyond any that we have in 'Ne'. He would be able to operate independently and autonomously against any target. Add henge and he can wreak havoc to any city in the world if he manages to get in the gates. The terror he could impart..."

"And you trust Naruto with that kind of power?"

'Mi' shrugged. "Better him than others I know. The worst he could do is hurt others, his healing factor will take care of him."

"That's the entire point. We are supposed to limit collateral damage! Not cause it."

"Sometimes to cover an escape you need to sacrifice a few things. Better some clones that explode when struck than actual members."

"Fine, I doubt I could dissuade you anyways."

"Hah, you're just concerned that he will put you out of a job 'Karasu'."

He flushed. _Busted_. "That's not it; explosive tags are more versatile and useful than any stupid exploding clone!"

"Whatever. I will let you know what his affinity is. I'm sure you would be interested."

He made his way back to Naruto who was chatting to Yugito. It looked quite animated though he quietened down when he approached. He handed both blondes a sheet of paper. They took it and looked at him quizzically.

"You want us to do a written exam?"

"No, just channel some chakra into the paper. This paper is grown in a special soil located in the ley lines of the earth. So they are pure in the sense that they have only experience one form of chakra ever and have grown solely from the ambient surroundings. So when you channel chakra into it, any affinities will show up in a certain way."

"What are affinities?"

"Well, I'll explain it a bit later. Just channel for now."

Nodding dubiously, Naruto and Yugito did.

Naruto's ripped into eight pieces in a very violent manner.

Yugito's crumpled and got wet.

"What the?"

"That's interesting. Naruto, your element is wind, and a pretty damned strong one as well. It's a pity we don't have many wind users, because it is one of the most powerful offensive elements out there."

"Yugito, you have a dual affinity to lightening and water. That's pretty rare for anyone to have two, which means that you can do some pretty powerful things if you use them in tandem."

"Dammit! Why does she get two?"

"Hahaha, 'cause I'm better than you sensei!"

"Kami, stop calling me that!"

"Anyways, if you two love birds have finished with your spat, do any of you know what an affinity is?"

Both of them stopped and shook their heads.

"Honestly, what do they teach you kids at the Academy these days?"

"Yugito poses as a civvie, and all they do is henge. Kawarimi sometimes. Mostly good ol fashioned taijutsu, with lots and lots of history. Most of it is just inventive lies though. Like hell the Uchiha and Hyuuga embraced each other like brothers when they founded the Leaf. They would have killed each other if not for the Senjuu brothers."

"Anyways, listen because this is important."

"Chakra is an odd thing. We don't really know what it is, but we know what it does. It seems to be a combination of physical and mental energy. The scholars have debated for centuries about it and haven't found an answer, but that is irrelevant. Chakra helps us live as it helps regulate our bodily functions. So everyone has a chakra system, making the Jyuuken ridiculously powerful against living beings."

"But what separates a shinobi from civvies is how much excess chakra we have, and the control that we have over it. We can use the chakra to do certain things. Most of it is seen through ninjutsu. Let's focus on that as fuuinjutsu is... complicated. Oh, don't ask 'Karasu' about it unless you want a three hour discourse on it."

"Notice that ninjutsu is usually categorised by a certain element. That is earth, fire, wind, water and lightening. There are other elements, which are combinations of the five. Those are usually kekkei genkai's though. Like the mokuton techniques used by the Shodaime. They use earth and water to form wood."

"Nearly everyone can use all five elements, but an affinity makes it easier to learn and pull off. For example, fire jutsus are easier when there is a source of fire around. To make it stronger, if you have a naked flame, you can draw on that. Likewise for suiton jutsu's, being near water makes it easier. So doton is easy, while raiton is usually very difficult because unless there is a thunder storm or there are charged particles around the place, you have to channel a crap load of chakra to force it to work."

"Having an affinity to it makes it possible to use even when there is no apparent source of that element. The Nidaime was so proficient with suiton that he could draw water molecules from the air around him to form his jutsus. So he could do that even in a desert. Lightening is a very difficult one as well, but with high affinity it is possible. The few known users in Konoha are Hatake Kakashi with his Raikiri, the Lightening Cutter."

_Woah._

"But normally chakra is a combination of all five elements, making it look blue. But a person with an affinity can filter it to form one or more elements. And that is pure wind, pure fire, pure lightening, pure earth and so forth. Using a futon jutsu with wind elemental chakra makes it much faster and deadlier. At least by a factor of two."

"Naruto, it's no surprise that wind is your element. You are a sword and you will cut through anything in your path. I will see if Sarutobi Asuma will be free to help you along, but that will be difficult to do without arising suspicion."

"Be aware that some elements 'beat' others. Wind makes fire stronger, while water extinguishes fire and so forth. But that said, you use that in tandem. So Naruto, you can use futon while another uses katon, to merge it into something amazing. Likewise, suiton and raiton will allow the electric current to flow so much easier and quickly, making it even more deadly than usual."

"Dammit, I'm excited. Naruto, I'm bringing you on a scout assassin hunt with me. We will go through some of the uses of futon there. Yugito, lightening is a tricky element, but we have a few users in 'Ne' who I will source for you."

"Awesome. Now, can we get back to the point where you TEACH ME BAKURETSU NO JUTSU!"

_Man kid, you're asking for it this time. _

"Well Naruto, I did _promise_ you that if you could _lower_ yourself to _teach_ Yugito that I would _teach_ you that jutsu, seeing how you _wouldn't_ do it otherwise. Let's go into the training room then."

_Goddamn you 'Mi'._

Naruto gave a nervous smile at Yugito who was not very happy at the moment.

"Naruto, is what he saying true?"

"No?"

She cracked her knuckles and Naruto just sighed in resignation.

"I wanted to teach you, and he just used that jutsu as a sweetener. But I don't think you would believe me anyways, so just stay away from the face."

BAM!

"... the crotch as well! Definitely not the crotch as well!"

Naruto lay on the floor as his ribs were getting a working over. He glared at his sadistic sensei, vowing revenge in one way or another.

'Mi' just grinned. He mouthed 'bring it' before whistling and walking off. Naruto's healing factor should be kicking in soon enough, and that taught the little bastard to be more appreciative. Chakra elements were usually only taught informally by jounin senseis, with most chuunin figuring it out themselves. But the idea of an exploding clone full of wind elemental chakra was too much to pass up on. It would be absolutely devastating against anyone.

That was something that would take time though, and it was easier than spatial recomposition. But he figured that with kage bunshin usage Naruto could cut that down to eight months. Possibly a year to fully master it. Hell, it usually took people three years to do it properly.

Yugito got tired when Naruto stopped fighting back before dragging up to her face.

"You. Owe. Me. Big. Time. I thought we were friends."

"We are, well, if you keep on beating me like that I might have to reconsider. But I wasn't sure if I could even teach you anything at that time. It wasn't because I didn't want to."

She gave a humph before letting him drop and walked away.

"I'll let you know when I intend to collect Naruto-_sensei_."

With a groan he got up and walked into the room that 'Mi' was at.

"I am so going to kick your ass for that."

"You could have stopped her, I'm sure you could have overcame her easily. In fact, why didn't you?"

He just brushed off his black outfit before stretching, popping his bits back into place.

"I guess it's the playful fun that siblings have with each other."

"Right, don't you have enough sisters? Last time I checked it peaked at _fifteen_. _Fifteen_ piece of prime real estate that you can inhabit if you see them in the right way. Naruto, really, what the fuck?"

"What do you mean by inhabit?! They are not houses that I can be in them, right?"

_Kami help me, when this kid hits puberty all my holidays will have come at once. I'm going to be rich. _

"Anyways, back to the _Bakuretsu no jutsu_. A warning though, there are some drawbacks to this technique."

"Which are?"

"Well, more moral and philosophical questions than anything else. You are creating a one to one copy of yourself and getting it to commit suicide. As you can imagine, the feedback when they die will create a lot of existential angst."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that is why most people don't use it. The other is the obscene chakra consumption that it requires. Apparently it is disorientating for people to find out the last thoughts of a kage bunshin. It can cause depression and suicidal behaviour. It never really bothered me but that is because I don't believe in angst. I tend to blame it on my already tenuous grasp on sanity. It also comes with a bit of a sharp migraine. So if you detonated like twenty that might take you out of action for a good thirty seconds. We have to experiment and see."

"Why is it whenever you train me you always find of some way to make it hurt?"

"... That's a good question. It wasn't consciously intended, but who knows how the mind works right?"

"I hate you. I'm sure I said this already, but I want you to know it."

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hospital  
Examination room thirteen**_

"So, is it true?"

"Unfortunately yes, the condition in your lungs has actually gotten worse over the last few years. The congenital defect has reduced your capacity by at least thirty percent."

"... I see. What does that mean?"

"I'm afraid that you are not able to be on fully active service anymore. I'm sorry."

"So what can I do?"

"Light work, Academy teaching, that sort of stuff. Light missions for short periods of time. Anything that requires too much stamina or exertion is not recommended."

"I see. Thank you doctor…"

With that Hayate stood up and left. It wasn't too much of a surprise to him, his failing health becoming more problematic over the years, but he didn't think it would get to the stage when he needed to stop full time service.

_Shit, what am I going to tell Yuugao?_

His relationship with the violet haired kunoichi was hard to describe. It seemed like an unlikely match, the two of them. Initially brought together by Naruto, they had entertained some romantic feelings that were never fully developed, or resolved. Yuugao concentrated on her goals, particularly reaching the ANBU ranks, while Hayate had mellowed out in his current rank as a chuunin. He had managed to hit a rut and didn't quite know how to get out of it.

And hearing the latest news, he wasn't sure that he wanted to get out of it. But the thing was that he was too young to retire and he really didn't want to do anything else.

_Hell, I have only just passed twenty summers. What now?_

He was walking back to his home when he discovered Naruto walking with Ten Ten, the kunoichi looking a bit worse for wear while Naruto just waltzed along without a care in the world. He laughed at some joke that she made before he caught sight of him. He waved and made his way over the chuunin.

"Ohayo Hayate-sempai. Whatcha doing?"

Giving a slightly forced laugh, he ruffled the boy's hair as he received a mock scowl in return.

"Oh stop that!"

"I don't think I will Naruto-kun."

"Don't make me force you!"

"Naruto! How can you be so rude to _the_ Gekkou Hayate!"

_The Gekkou Hayate?_ That surprised him. Sure he was well known in some circles for his prowess with a blade, but the see the clear admiration in her eyes was frankly quite odd. And just a little bit disconcerting.

"Mah, he knows I'm just joking. We have known each other for too long ne?"

"We sure have gaki, we sure have. I remember all those times we had together with Yuugao, and how you embarrassed yourself on a near daily basis…"

Naruto just gave a nervous laugh before turning serious. "You tell anyone, and I mean anyone about those, errr, incidents, then no one will ever know what happened to your corpse."

"You better be careful there Naruto, Yuugao wouldn't take my absence so lightly, if you know what I mean."

"Err, I know you are like, seeing her, or something. But I never see the two of you together. Are you just making it all up?"

_You know, I wonder that sometimes myself. Are we really together, or it was just convenient for the both of us when we started to train you?_

Ten Ten just wanted to hit Naruto for threatening Hayate. The operative word was try and the blond was seemingly avoiding all her blows subconsciously while holding a conversation with the older man. This just seemed to infuriate her even more.

"Hey, I have an idea. Ten Ten wanted me to teach her about some bladework, why don't you come and help her as well?"

Ten Ten stopped her ineffectual blows and just stared at Naruto before turning her face to the chuunin.

Hayate wasn't so comfortable with that thought. "You know Naruto, I trained you because of a special reason-"

"Oh, I'm not asking you to teach her the Dance, just some of the basics, like you did with me. For the first few years. Over and over again. It was like child abuse. Except not… I still think it was child abuse."

"Hell, you wanted me to teach you, so why are you complaining?"

"Because I was a kid and you took advantage of my eagerness?"

"Ah, touché."

"So what do you say? How can you say no to Ten Ten-chan?"

_Please not the puppy eyes, please not the puppy eyes._

What he got was an amalgamation of the puppy eyes, compounded by stars in her eyes that battered away at his will power like an explosive tag attached to a door.

"Hmm, I will have to think about it."

_And who knows, maybe I can spend time becoming an elite tutor like Ebisu. It isn't a bad life and at least I can do my part for Konoha. I should speak to the Sandaime about it though first._

"Alright, it's settled then!"

"I haven't agreed to anything yet. And are you doing this because you are too slack to do it yourself?"

"Ah hah hah...no? Seriously, I'm not a teacher. Sure I know the basics, but you could do it so much better than I can. I mean you were my teacher and look how I turned out."

"Your logic is flawed somehow; I just can't be bothered to actually dissect it. And how you turned out, you're a kami damned embarrassment you know that?"

"Hey, take that back!"

"Seriously, me and Yuugao give you personalised training for three years. Three fricking years and we covered all the Academy jutsu's in that time. And you could do most of them when you were eight. What the hell gaki?! It's embarrassing dammit. If the other shinobi found out about this, we would be the laughing stocks of Konoha!"

_Crap, I wish Ten Ten wasn't here to hear this._

"Can I join in and drive you off with burning torches and a pitchfork?"

"… No. seriously, what the hell are you waiting for?"

"Oh you know, the right time. The right people. What's the rush?"

_I figure I got at least fifty years over you Sarutobi-jiji, so there is no way in hell I'm going to lose in this one. I bet Anko's supply of dango on it._

"I guess so, but still, do me a favour and take out rookie of the year at least. Make me feel like you made it worth my while."

"I helped you win all those bets against Yuugao later on didn't I?"

"Err, yeah. Let us never speak of them again in public. She doesn't need to ever know."

"What, that we conspired against her to empty her pockets every time she 'thought' up of a ridiculous challenge?"

"… I'm not saying anything."

"Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen."

"Why Hayate, Naruto, what a pleasant surprise."

Both of them froze.

"Ok, this has got to be a dream right?"

"I hope so. My luck can't possibly be that bad."

"Err, maybe if we don't look backwards she won't be there."

"We could do that, or we can just run like hell."

"Bye bye Yuugao-chan. And before you hurt me, itwasallHayate'sideainthefirstplace! Hesaidhewouldntteachmekenjutsu ifididn'tdowhathesaid."

_Crap, that kid can run. Though if he hangs around Anko, I'm not surprised._

As he made his way to escape he found himself in the violet haired kunoichi's iron grip.

"So Hayate, what's this I hear about certain bets made a long time ago."

"Err, they were made a long time ago? It was all Naruto's idea. I swear on my mother's grave that I had nothing to do with it."

"I would believe that, if your mother was still alive you dipshit!"

"Hmm, that excuse usually works. Oh yeah, to let you know, I'm just a kage bunshin. Sayonara. The boss will take you out to dinner soon enough, I guess."

He received a punch to the face before it disappeared into smoke.

_Those, those little bastards! They tricked me! Me! Oh, they will pay. I knew I shouldn't have lost all that money that quickly! _

Ten Ten just looked dazed at what had happened.

"Err… so is he going to help me train or what?"

* * *

_**Konoha  
**_'_**Ne' Headquarters**_

"You want me to do what?"

"Teach me how to kick Naruto's ass."

"Ok."

"Really? You don't want to know why? Hell, that was easy..."

"Not really. I'd say it would be character building for him. If not, whatever."

"…Right. On second thought, I think I might need to choose another person."

"Before you go, I did teach Naruto all he knows about blades during the last three years."

"Yeah, but I don't heal as quickly as he does. The Nekomata is… being difficult about the whole situation. So I can't handle the abuse. And I am not that much interested in weapons anyways."

"Pity, oh well, lets hook you up then."

"With who?"

"My counterpart. Her codename is 'Hebi'. If you think I am insane, well, she isn't. At all. Probably the most level headed kunoichi, or shinobi for that matter."

"Are you related or something?"

"Not quite. We do team up quite often when a little problem becomes an unmanageable one. Or when a target has security that is tighter than you can imagine."

'Mi' just gave a fond laugh as he let himself be lost in the memories. "They call us the Twin Snakes. I still say I'm the better looking of the two."

"Did she teach Naruto?"

"Not yet. Danzo figured that she would be too soft on him."

"Kami, Naruto has told me what you did to him! How can you say that cutting his limbs off is training!?"

"He's a big boy, he can handle it. He probably is one of the few that can. And if you knew that already, why did you ask for my help in the first place?"

Yugito shrugged. "It's not like I am on a code name basis with most of the people here. I figured that it was worth a shot."

"Well, fair enough. Basically I specialise in kenjutsu, genjutsu and a bit of ninjutsu. 'Hebi' on the other hand is a bona fide genius in both taijutsu and ninjutsu. Her genjutsu is on the same level as min. In fact, it's probably best for you to take a different skill set. Naruto is going to be one of the best swordsmen in the Elemental Nations, it just comes so naturally to him. I just help to bring it all out. But you should take advantage of your two affinities."

"And as luck would have it, she is an expert in raiton jutsu. Question is, don't mention the fact that you are learning it to kick Naruto's ass."

"Why not?"

"She has a soft spot for him."

"What!? She hasn't even met him yet!"

"True, but Naruto just draws people to him like candles and moths. Or an Akimichi and an all you can eat buffet. There are reasons why none of them operate in Konoha anymore, damned bastards. Just had to ruin it for everyone..."

"But yeah, after the whole Yuugao incident, his standing has just skyrocketed up amongst all the kunoichi. And those whiskers of his seem to act as a siren's song to all living females with a conscience. And even some that sold that virtue a long time ago."

"No kidding." She grumbled. She was still dying to figure out what the hell they actually were.

'Mi' just chuckled. He knew that it was probably wrong of him to pimp out Naruto when he was older, but hey, he was a shinobi. Their hands were far from clean. And it wasn't like he wouldn't enjoy it or anything. He just had to look out for any furious women who in all likelihood would be baying for his blood. And testicles. More likely his testicles.

"So yeah, just bullshit about wanting to be stronger, show up the male shinobi and so forth. The whole girl power thing really gets her going."

"You're an ass you know that?"

"Yeah, I get told that a lot."

* * *

_**Konoha  
Yuugao's apartment**_

_Something doesn't feel quite right. It's like my memories are not quite… there at all. What is happening to me?_

She had this odd feeling that there was a block in her memories. But when she tried to remember and isolate that feeling, she came up with nothing. This puzzled and scared her. A person's memory was one of the few things that were vitally important, particularly to a shinobi. If you couldn't trust your memories to tell truth from fantasy, then where did that leave you?

But what happened? The only thing that could have happened would be my investigation into 'Ne', but I found nothing there. Or was there something, maybe I did find something and they erased it from me?

Genjutsu mind wipes were tricky things, as a persons memory was notoriously hard to manipulate. Each person had a different thought process that was highly personalised and quite recognisable. Cognitive responses were unique, and any attempts to overlay them were difficult at best. The person who did it had to be intimately connected to them for it to mesh seamlessly together.

Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. Most civilians and some shinobi had highly unorganised minds that wouldn't appear unusual for some events to not mesh in properly. They would blame the passage of time, or some other event. But Yuugao was ANBU, operating as a NOC. Every single detail she had committed to her memory, and any inconsistencies were dissected and analysed.

Naruto was chosen to do the genjutsu, which was quite surprising. He flatly said no, citing the fact that his genjutsu skills were pretty much rubbish. And he was not comfortable in doing it to her anyways. He compromised on directing another operative in actually performing the jutsu. And it seemed to work perfectly.

But they did not foresee the iron will that the violet haired kunoichi has possessed. It was all coming clearer to her when she heard the doorbell ring. She went up and checked the CCTV monitor and saw Naruto with a shopping bag.

Her eyes lighting up in happiness, she ripped open the door and grabbed the blond before he could protest. After a brief tug of war with the bag, where she won, she sat back and looked contemplatively at her spoon.

_I'm sure that something happened, but what._

Naruto just gave a slight smile as he formed his hands into a seal.

_Kai!_

It all came back to her in a rush, the memories hitting her with the force of boulders. Naruto rushed up and caught Yuugao as she collapsed. She soon lost consciousness as months of modified memories were correcting themselves.

_Damn, that's going to hurt. I should make her comfortable._

_**Kit, are you sure that is a good idea.**_

_I owe it to her anyways. _

_**Your secret is now in her hands. Can you trust her?**_

_Out of everyone I know, I can't think of anyone else I would more._

_**She has her loyalties to the Hokage, don't let your friendship blind you to that fact. If she had to make the choice...**_

_Then she will choose me._

_**Don't be so sure Naruto-kun. What you have been doing can be considered as treason.**_

_Me and fifty other operatives as well. _

_**Do you think that numbers will stop him from purging 'Ne'? He will not allow your group to exist outside of his control.**_

_Maybe, maybe not. I don't know._

_**This is a risk kit, how on earth did you manage to hide it from 'Hebi' in the first place?**_

_I had this idea. The memories had to go somewhere right? So instead of overlapping them with false ones, I just hid them away in a part of the brain that is not used. Then I helped place the false memories, but because they were false, she would have realised it sooner or later._

_Yuugao does think of things as interconnected slots, like books that are ordered in a certain way. I just got 'Hebi' to rearrange things and put new books. But she would realise that the books just don't belong, and that the true ones are lying around somewhere._

_**That is… amazing. How did you figure it out?**_

'_Mi' and Kurenai, kinda. Not really, I pretty much winged it._

… _**You realised you could have made her brain dead right?**_

_Well, sure, but the theory was sound._

_**How did you know?! You don't read anything on genjutsu!**_

_Look, it made sense to me__! I did it, and it worked._

_**But why? What purpose does it serve?**_

_That's a secret for now. _

Yuugao woke up with the mother of all headaches, groaning as she sat up and rubbed her temples. Then it struck her.

"I remember, I remember everything."

The interrogation by 'Ne', the attempted sexual assault. And Naruto-

Naruto!

She ripped off the blanket that covered her and she rushed to find the blond. She found him meditating on her living room, staying stock still as he regulated his breathing.

She slowly made her way over to him and slowly embraced him from behind. He opened his eyes slowly and craned his neck to look up at her.

"Hey…"

"I remember it all now."

"That's… good."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing all of this?"

Naruto just sighed and laid back into the girl.

"What do I have to look forward to in the future?"

"Well, if you do manage to graduate your slack ass from the Academy, then I guess working your way up the ranks, and then settle down with a girl or seven, have fifteen children, who knows."

"I am going to be hunted," he said softly. "I'm too dangerous to be alive, hell, I'm not sure that I am alive at times."

"What are you talking about, you're breathing and everything aren't you?"

Another sad smile graced his face. _How will I tell people that I am a living, breathing shinigami?_

"Anyways, people will find me so that they can use me. To hurt me. To use and hurt my friends, those close to me just to get to me. And I need to be strong."

"The Hokage will not always be there to protect me. And if he is replaced by someone that doesn't like me…"

"Then what do I have to look forward to? So I had to make a choice, to get strong quickly so that I can stand on my own two feet. If Sarutobi-jiji wasn't going to do it, then I had to find someone that would."

"But, but Danzo?"

He laughed. "His reputation is exaggerated. How did he say it, he and the Hokage are two streams working together towards a final goal. They might cross and intertwine, but they will never mix their waters together."

"Which is why I have to tell you this. Tell the old man that 'Ne' is harmless."

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't do that."

"Why!? Why can't you do that?!" his pleading questions tugged at her heart.

"I swore an oath to protect and serve the Hokage. It isn't something that I did lightly. And Danzo is too dangerous-"

Naruto just burst out of her grip and screamed in frustration. This isn't the way it was suppose to go.

"I risked everything to help you keep your memory intact, if you act now, they will kill me."

"What!"

"They do not suffer betrayal lightly." He hated what he was doing, but if this was the only way to resolve his problem, then he would do it.

"But, you are too- "

"What, valuable?" he gave a bitter laugh. "Useful, or some other word. Oh I am not that stupid. He is using me, just as much as I am using him. But we both are getting something out of it, so it's ok for now."

"But that will mean nothing if you tell the Hokage what you really know."

"Please, just let it go. Rejoin the ANBU, become a taichou and reach your dreams. Let it lie. I didn't want you to waste your time as Danzo used you as misinformation anyways. You deserve better than that."

"Naruto, if I do that I need to know that they are acting for Konoha. You're telling me that they are, but they could just be lying to you."

He sighed. "What do I need to do then, to convince you?"

'I don't know, you think of something. Why did you let me keep my memories then?"

He gave a bitter smile. "I hoped that you would trust me. I guess that was too much to ask for wasn't it Yuugao-chan?"

She just embraced the boy as she could feel the loss of trust between them. At no point in her life did she feel her loyalties being divided as they were now. He tensed up but she persisted, nuzzling her chin to the crown of his head. He slowly relaxed, but she could tell that he was full of turmoil. What the hell was she supposed to do?

"Th – Thank you Naru-kun."

"For what?"

"Saving me. It wouldn't matter if I didn't remember it, it wouldn't have made it any less real."

"You don't have to thank me. I would have done it anyways and without a second thought. You mean a lot to me. You helped me when I was in a real dark place. And if you weren't there, I don't want to think how I could have turned out. It was the least I could do."

"How strong are you gaki?"

He laughed. "I could probably give you a run for your money Yuugao-chan." She smiled as he regained his demeanour.

"Oh really, how do you feel about a spar?"

"If I win I get a weeks supply of ramen. From Ichiraku's. And as much as I can eat!"

"Fine, you sound awfully confident."

"Hehehe, you have to wait and see wont you."

He suddenly went deadly serious. "I will bring you the proof that you want. But before that, please just hold off okay?"

She was uncomfortable. "I don't think that I can-"

He suddenly gripped her hands and looked deeply into her eyes. Once again she was mesmerised by the deep hue of blue that they radiated. She never saw him as vulnerable as she did now. They were begging, pleading with her. And she couldn't find it in her heart to deny him it, just yet.

"Please, for me?"

"I – I…"

If she rejected it, then he wouldn't know what would happen. In all likelihood she would die in an 'accident'. No matter what he said, he knew that Danzo would not kill him regardless of his actions. But their trust would be shattered. And he knew that he could not protect Yuugao if thing came down to the crunch. Not yet anyways.

"Please, just this once. If only this one time, trust me."

* * *

_**Konoha  
**_'_**Ne' Headquarters**_

_Katsu!_

BOOM!

"Alright, one more time."

Naruto was down on his knees, his head was absolutely pounding by the end of it as the feedback was filtering its way back to his consciousness.

"Come on, just once more, then you can collapse to your hearts content."

_Bakusha kage bunshin_. It came out as a low whisper as he formed the cross shaped seal once more. A clone formed and looked at him quizzically. Giving a smirk laced with pain, he gave it one final command.

"Go and hug Mi-sensei."

"Err… are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I guess you're the boss." It turned around and walked up to the assassin. 'Mi' tensed up, as any sane person would when an explosive clone got up close. He was suddenly glomped before the real Naruto gave the mental command.

_Katsu!_

The chakra in the kage bunshin coalesced into it's centre, forming a super dense mass before going critical, bursting with explosive force that immersed 'Mi' who seemingly burned up and died without a sound.

Naruto wasn't too concerned though. There was no way his teacher would ever go down in such a way.

"You know, that was my trick that I thought of. Why is everyone using it now?"

"What, the kawarimi with a kage bunshin? It's not exactly the pinnacle of innovation Naruto."

"Bah, you used it just then!"

"Well, I didn't say it wasn't helpful or useful. Just that most people wouldn't be able to use it as often as you can."

"It gets around the whole equivalent mass thing."

"Great as a distraction as well. Hell, next time substitute and explosive clone and see the fun that you can get out of that."

Naruto's eyes widened up.

_God damn… Oh man. That would be so awesome!_

'Mi' shuddered when he saw the look on the blond's eyes. _Why do I get the feeling that I have created a monster?_

"Well, you might have noticed that the chakra use is quite heavy, even compared to a normal bunshin. That's because your control is still pretty poor."

"Why does everyone keep giving me shit about that?!"

"Because the technique originally used _control_ to activate the fission process. The most chakra intensive bit was forming the kage bunshin matrix then splintering it by pure control. You just overload the matrix with chakra until its causes a chain reaction and unravel the damned thing. It's just incidental that it explodes."

"Well, whatever works right?"

"Well, sure. But as a matter of style and technique, I have to give you a FAIL!"

The blond shrugged. "It's not like I can get any better with my control, so why bother?"

"Unfortunately, there isn't. Oh well, take a rest. How is the feedback?"

"… Interesting. Now I know why people don't use it that often. It can be more trouble than its worth. It's like dispelling a lot of clones at once, but worse. Much worse."

"Normally if you control the fission, you can filter the worse effects of the transmission. You're style just doesn't do that, as you force it to occur. But your explosions are much more... effective and dangerous. Just be careful with how you use it. It is an A ranked jutsu for good reason."

"Right. I'm going to get some rest before some spars with Yugito. She looked really happy and eager to do it for some reason. Do you know why?"

_Besides the fact that she is ready to beat your ass down and have a lot of fun while doing it? _

"No idea gaki. I have no idea why."

* * *

_**Konoha  
Shinobi **__**Academy**_

"… the ability to use a henge is vitally… has its advantages… indispensable to all shinobi… tomorrow we will be …"

_I. Am. So. Bored. I have heard this at least three times already. And they get worse and worse. Kami…_

Luckily the bell rang for lunch. Suppressing the urge to shout out in sheer happiness, he wondered why he bothered coming at all.

_Stupid unreliable gigai. Bah. I don't care anymore, I'm going on missions. I can't take on this crap anymore._

_**Finally, I was considering something drastic as well.**_

… _I don't want to know do I?_

_**Not really.**_

"Ahh Sasuke-kun, come and have lunch with me!"

"Back of forehead girl, Sasuke-kun doesn't want to waste his time with you!"

"Shut up Ino-pig. He would rather be with me than you."

The Uchiha looked on, seemingly bored after being inured to such actions over the course of the semester.

Naruto just gave them a look of deep contempt before making his way up and went over to Hinata's table.

_Idiots. Becoming kunoichi over a boy. And not just any boy, Uchiha fucking Sasuke. There is no god in heaven._

_**There actually is, it just doesn't like you.**_

_What?! There is?_

_**I think I said too much. Carry on.**_

_Hey, you can't leave me hanging like that! What is he like?_

_**Who said that god was male?**_

… _No way!_

_**Kit, be really careful with your next thoughts.**_

He shook himself out of the conversation before speaking to Hinata.

"Ready to go?"

"Y-Yes I am Naruto-kun." He gave her a brilliant smile before waiting for her to get up. She did so and they both walked to the tree that they usually had their lunch.

Ino caught the look that Naruto gave her and Sakura, and for some reason it hurt her more than she could understand. Over time she realised that Sasuke would be too emotionally unresponsive for any of her attempts to actually work. But she continued with it all, if only because she was used to it and in a way was comforted by his continual rejection.

It gave her a routine and pattern to follow. Because if he ever did make a choice between her or Sakura, then honestly, she didn't know what she would do then. And besides the whole tragic dark past thing he had going on, and the moody, broody look of a wounded soul, he wasn't actually all that great. She had realised it early on, but Sakura still seemed to be stuck in her fan worship of the Uchiha.

And seeing her friend act in such a way was embarrassing. Especially with her continual taunts against Naruto, when he paid her no attention and didn't rise to her insults. It was like she wasn't worth the effort, which just made her even angrier and increased the viciousness of her slurs. It was so bad at times that Ino felt bad just by being associated with her.

They may have called off their friendship over Sasuke, but that didn't mean that they didn't get along in a friendly manner. And not for the first time she was considering if she could have made a better choice at the beginning of the year.

Uzumaki Naruto vs Haruno Sakura.

It seemed to easy back then. She was her friend, she knew her for such a long time, and how could she choose otherwise? The pink haired, long time companion against the mysterious whiskered blond who chose to protect her and Sakura for no reason that she could see. But dammit, she made the right choice, didn't she?

But doubts were affecting her; especially with the contemptuous ease that Naruto completed any and all exercises that were assigned. He was truly the best shinobi of their year, if not generation. But it was confirmed that he had failed the entrance exams three times in a row.

That didn't make any sense, and as Sakura made a big deal out of it, she had to think there was some reason why he chose not to pass. She asked/demanded that Shikamaru help her out with the problem, but he just waved it off as being too troublesome. She had to get physically persuasive before she got a half hearted assurance that he would think on it.

_Really Sakura, do you even believe half the things that you say to him? Because if you do, what the hell happened to you?_

_You were teased once, about something you couldn't control and he came over and helped the both of us. We were strangers but he still did it._

_And how do we thank him? By pretending not to know him? By having you spit on his face at every chance you get?_

She then had another profound realisation.

_When did you become a bully Sakura? When did you become the very thing that you hated when you were younger?_

_Because if you can't see this, when nearly everyone else can in class, I don't think I can be your friend anymore..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto lay back after a particularly satisfying bento box.

_Man, have to find out some way to get ramen in some sort of take away bowl. _

_**How about instant?**_

_Bah, you can't call that stuff ramen. It's ok, but nothing beats the real deal._

_**You could use a clone as a courier, but that would attract attention…**_

_Yeah, I know._

"So, how was your lunch?"

"Ah, good as usual."

"I know. Man, I can't believe that Setsuna-san still has time to prepare lunch for me even with her new job with the Military Police. I should do something nice for her."

Hinata frowned. She wasn't sure of who actually made her lunch, it was just a given that it would be ready for her to collect when she left for school. She just looked at Naruto, who just laid down on the ground, gazing at the clouds.

_How much attention do you pay to the people around you Naru-kun? It's like everyone is special, regardless of who they are. Well, maybe not Sakura or Ino__, and Sasuke, but everyone else you seem to like and have an interest in... _

However, at the mention of those three she scowled to herself. She could not understand the pink haired student's animosity against Naruto. The blond tried to control himself, but she had spent enough time with Naruto to realise that at times he was going to lose it if she didn't shut the fuck up.

Thankfully, or unfortunately as the case maybe, thing never escalated to the point that Naruto would have needed to be restrained by both chuunin instructors. But the line was steadily being crossed.

Naruto noticed that Hinata was looking unhappy and grew concerned.

"What's wrong Hina-chan? Something bothering you?"

"Ah ano?! No, there is nothing wrong."

Naruto gave her a look before shrugging. He patted the ground next to her, an invitation to join him before he lay back down. She sat down and was struck with a sudden thought.

_Would he mind if I?_

In a very uncharacteristic moment of courage, she stretched out and laid the back of her head on Naruto's stomach. The boy's eyes widened in surprise and Hinata desperately tried to control her breathing and her blush.

_What the?_

He soon dismissed the odd act, figuring that she didn't want to get leaves in her hair so he just relaxed.

_At least it's better than Hanabi trying to jump all over my chest. Damn that hurt. _

_And she is getting really good with Jyuuken. Better than Hinata even, which is weird at her age. I wonder who is training her now? Hiashi-dono seems to be busy with Council meetings and reports. And she doesn't look as happy as she used to be. Hmm, I really should ask her next time I see her._

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
South Eastern training ground**_

"Get up."

Hanabi lay crumpled on the floor, her tenketsu points sealed up as she struggled to regain control of her motor functions.

Her instructor looked at her with contempt.

"You call yourself a Hyuuga!? Get up right now!"

With some effort, she managed to get upright, but she was on shaky legs and was desperately trying to get a defensive stance before the incoming assault.

"Hmmm better. At least you are holding up better than your pathetic excuse of a sister."

"Don't call Hinata that! Show some respect!"

"What, to a weak girl who cannot master the techniques passed on from our clan from generation to generation? She is a disgrace!"

"Shut up! She is still the heiress of the clan!"

"Really? Is she? Will the Council accept an heir that is unable to use Jyuuken to its fullest potential? You forget Hanabi-chan, that the rules of our house still have to apply to one of you."

"Wh- what do you mean?!"

"For the protection and wellbeing of the clan, every second child is to be given the _juin jutsu_ when they reach the appropriate age. It is custom and tradition for over one hundred years. Usually that would be you."

That shocked her into silence.

"But, the Council might see fit to grant an exemption seeing that you show more promise with the Jyuuken than Hinata. If you demonstrate sufficient skill and competence, you can be declared the heiress in place of your older sister."

"No, that can't be true! My father won't let you do this!"

"There are some things that even your father cannot change. It lies at the heart of our clan and goes on regardless of what he might want or believe in. Look at his brother and know that I speak the truth. Hizashi was born as the second, and that sealed his fate."

"The question is, will you allow yourself to be the one that gets given the seal? Don't think that life will ever be the same again. Everything that you know will change, the way people will look at you, the way they treat you."

"Everyone, from your sister, your father, even Naruto, will think less of you, if you don't get stronger."

_No, no, he is lying! It can't be true. Otou-san, nii-chan, oni-san…_ the thought of what might happen brought fear and desperate determination into her heart.

The other Hyuuga smiled in cold satisfaction. For the good of the clan he would do what was necessary to show the world that they were still strong. That the children of the head were worthy of their name.

His face softened and he lay a hand over to her shoulder.

"So be strong, show the world what it means to be a Hyuuga."

"But that means Hinata-nii-chan will- "

"Get what is coming to her. If she will not honour the traditions of our family, how can she complain when the time comes?"

He wouldn't know the devastating consequences that he would unleash from those harsh words. Ones that wouldn't be fully felt and realised until years later.

* * *

_**Konoha  
Training ground thirty seven**_

Naruto sat down on the grassy areas of his favourite training ground, pencil and paper in hand as he visualised a training course that he wanted to create. The Hyuuga complex had their own fields, but he couldn't actually plan the same kind of destruction that he wanted without some lasting consequences.

He knew that there were many on the council that were not that impressed with him. For all of his vaunted potential strength, many were perplexed and angry with his multiple failures at the Academy. He had to keep a low profile in order to keep the peace, so he decided to recreate one of the obstacle courses that 'Ne' regularly employed.

A deep underground cavern from the times of the Shodaime allowed 'Ne' to create sprawling grounds that allowed a level of training that met and at times exceeded ANBU standards. And all of it was conducted in secrecy of those living and training above. The standard course was one littered with razor ninja wire, explosive note traps, ditches, moats and kunai/shuriken launchers designed to test reaction speed and reflexes.

Due to his punishment at 'Mi's' hands, pain became less important to him than it was for others, so the courses lost the fear or discomfort that it usually created. But once a recruit completed the course, the sense of satisfaction, accomplishment and confidence that it created… it was remarkable.

And that was something he wanted to do to help Hinata with her issues. She was capable, more so than what she gave herself credit for. But she was still horrible shy, which was going to lead to problems in the future if she still wished to be a kunoichi. And he wasn't going to let her be hurt if he could do something about it.

_Hmm. Has to be something that will hurt but will not kill. So that takes out the explosive tags. Hmm, have to get some kunai launchers somehow, or I could just use pressure and rope traps. Hey, this is kinda fun._

_**It's your inner sadist coming out. Don't forget about some sort of water course as well, full of carnivorous fish. That's always a great surprise.**_

_Err, the plan isn't to actually hurt her._

_**Really? Then why bother?**_

_Because it is suppose to be about confidence building?_

_**Whatever. If she survives it, then she should be confident about anything else that life can throw at her.**_

_When does life throw you into a pit full of piranhas?!_

_**You never know…**_

_Right. I'm going to ignore you now._

_**Fine. I'm going back to sleep. **_

_Bah, lazy lazy Kyuu._

Giving a light smile, he didn't manage to notice someone approaching him from behind until he was glomped. A sultry whisper was directed into his ear.

"Guess who gaki?"

_If I said Yuugao, I wonder what would happen?_

"Mitarashi-san. Please get off me."

"Whoa, what's the matter kid? Why so cold."

Naruto just gave her an impassive look. "You know exactly why."

_**Flashback**_

The weekend came soon enough and for the first time that she could remember clearly, Ayame was actually looking forward to a night out. Granted it was with a boy that was younger than her, but the level of maturity that he possessed belonged to someone much older. And she had to admit to herself that he was pretty cute.

She was waiting in her living room, while her dad sat down and looked impassively at the clock.

"Err Dad, what are you planning?"

He gave her an innocent look. "What makes you think that I am planning anything?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh nothing. Just you standing around here looking at the clock for the last hour and a half. The fact that you keep clenching your fist. And the fact that you are stroking that dammed butcher's knife like it's a cat!"

Giving his daughter a nervous laugh, he put the knife down before looking at her with a serious expression.

"Now look here Ayame-chan, it is a fathers right, no, their divine prerogative to scare the crap out of any boy that wants to date their daughter. It happened to me with your mother, and I will be damned if I can't return the favour!"

"But, this is Naruto we are talking about! And it isn't a date!"

"Right, sure it isn't. Then why are you wearing makeup and perfume?"

"What?! I want to look nice and all, for once in my life. It doesn't mean that I'm interested in him. He is younger than me for crying out loud!"

He just made a negligent wave with his hand. "Details, details, what's age got to do with love?"

"... It's called statutory rape?"

"Well, maybe. If someone complains. And if the Uchiha's were still around. Anyways, Naruto is a nice boy and one hell of a customer. But that doesn't mean that he can take advantage of you. I will make sure of that."

"Oh, you worry too much. I'm sure Naruto will be the perfect gentlemen."

"He better be, if he doesn't want me to put a special something in his ramen the next time he comes over," grumbled Teuchi.

She gave a fond laugh before taking a seat herself. There was still ten minutes left to go and she figured that there was no point in doing anything else but wait. The minute hand slowly hit six o'clock and ran to ten past before there was a knock on the door.

Before her father could do something outrageous, she rushed to the door and opened it. Outside stood Naruto.

_Woah..._

Instead of his customary training gear, he was clad in a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A pair of dark indigo jeans and leather boots made up the rest of his ensemble. And his face looked like he had just come from the shower, glistening with moisture as his hair was gleaming in the fluorescent light.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I was late! I had to stay back after class and cleaned up a mess that somehow appeared over Iruka-sensei's desk while he was teaching. I'm so sorry!"

"Oh it's ok. Just don't do it next time."

"Sure thing. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure, let me get a jacket and my handbag. Come in for a moment." She flashed him a smile before walking to her room. Naruto went into the living room and observed her house. It was relatively small, but clean and well kept. Everything had a homey and well loved feel towards it, from the picture frames, to the furniture, even to the way that Teuchi was glaring at him while fingering that knife...

_Wait, why the hell is he fingering that butcher's cleaver in the first place?!_

"Now Naruto, before you go out with my daughter, I want you to know a few things..."

"Umm, sure. What are they?"

He put down his knife and gave a sigh. "Show her a nice time and make her happy ok."

"Err, what?" _That was unexpected._

"Please, I know that this isn't the life that she wanted. And if I could do anything about it then I would. But sometimes life gives you a bad hand and you have to deal with it. Things haven't been picking up enough for me to let Ayame do her own thing. As much as I would love for her to pursue her dreams, she just laughs at me when I tell her to go and study or something. She tells me she has no interest, but really, the truth is that she feels responsible to me."

His eyes clouded over. "Do you know how that feels, to have your own daughter pity you and stay with you when she should be living her own life?"

_No, I never had a father or any blood family. The only ones I have are either dead, missing or tried to kill me._

"No... I can't say that I do."

"It hurts, because I can't provide her with everything that she deserves. She is such a dutiful daughter that it hurts even more because she will not even complain to me."

"I know it sounds a bit odd, me confessing this all to you. But I have seen the looks that she has given you in the past. And I know that if you can bring some measure of happiness in her life, then I can't ask for anything more. I may not be able to do much, but you can. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

"I- I think I do."

"Then good. Make sure she returns by eleven o'clock then."

Naruto gave him a smirk. "Yes sir!"

Both of them gave a chuckle and Naruto waited for Ayame to collect her things.

_They... are good people. People worth protecting. People that deserve much more. And if I can help them, then __how can I not?_

Ayame came out with suspiciously wet eyes and gave her father a fierce hug before grabbing Naruto's arm and dragged him into the street.

She gave him a bright grin before asking him. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Oh, I figured that we would get some dinner and then a movie afterwards. Or anything that you like."

"Well dinner sounds good. But no ramen. Definitely no ramen."

Naruto pouted, "How can you say that, you serve it all the time!"

She made a face, "Which is why I don't want to eat it."

"Fine fine. I actually had a booking, it's a place called Matsuri in Central."

Her eyes widened. "How did you get a booking for that place!? I hear that there is a waiting list at least one month long!"

Naruto just chuckled before rubbing the back of his head. "There are some advantages to being the 'honorary son' of the Hyuuga and all that. But before we go I have to put on a disguise."

_Henge!_

Ayame looked on in amazement as Naruto's hair changed to a deep brown hue, along with his pupils and his whiskers disappeared. His facial and bone structure staid the same, but the transformation was significant.

"Why did you need to do that for?"

"Oh, you know that some people don't really like me. This will make it easier for everyone."

"But, I don't want you to go to a place you don't feel comfortable in."

He just gave a rueful laugh. "The only place I feel comfortable in is at the stall, and possibly in the training grounds. The food is so awesome though, so it's worth it."

Getting the booking was harder than he had intimated. The Hyuuga's had a standing account to eat there, with bookings allotted permanently. When he visited with Hanabi in the past, they wouldn't dare say no to her. In fact the little girl took a childish pleasure in daring anyone to make a crack about Naruto in her presence. Her sense of protectiveness touched the blond, leading him to give her a kiss on her forehead. She had blushed magnificently and got a deep hug in return. He joked that she was only happy because he was paying. She gave a playful pout before blowing him a raspberry.

To get his current booking he had to ask Hiashi and had faced some very uncomfortable questions. He thought he was joking about most of them, but he was fairly sure he didn't entertain any romantic thoughts about Hinata or Hanabi.

Or did he?

Shelving that thought away, they approached the front door and Naruto held the door open for her. With a grateful grin she walked into the building, followed by the jinchuuriki. He mentioned the reservation that he had for two to the maitre de who promptly directed them to their table. He produced two sets of menus before standing discreetly in the background. Ayame took a look at the menu and was shocked by two things.

The dishes were almost entirely foreign to her.

The prices were astronomical.

_Crap, are there suppose to be so many zeroes at the end?!_

She scanned for the cheapest dish on offer, but even then it was still out of her league. She sighed regretfully and placed the menu down. Naruto just looked at her before frowning.

"What's wrong Ayame-chan?"

"Oh, it's a bit too rich for my blood Naruto. I can just watch you eat and grab something else- "

"Don't be silly. I will be paying for this. Just relax and enjoy it. Think of it as a treat or something."

She was still doubtful. "Naruto, you don't really work so I can't see how you could afford this any more than I can."

He just wagged his finger in front of her face.

"Funny, both the Hokage and the Hyuuga's give an allowance that is more than enough. Trust me, just enjoy yourself. It's just money anyways. I can always get some more."

"But I don't want to be a burden on you- "

"Don't say that! I'm happy to be spending the night with you Ayame-chan."

_That was remarkably sweet... you will be one hell of a charmer when you are older Naruto-kun._

"And if you are really concerned, just pay for the movie later on alright?"

She looked uncomfortable but nodded her acquiescence. "You don't give up to you?"

"Hahah. Believe it."

_Yep, definitely a charmer._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The meal was wonderfully rich, the service impeccable and both of them left Matsuri feeling particularly satisfied.

After they reached a distance to the cinema Naruto dispelled his henge before whistling and strolling without an apparent care in the world. This allowed the girl to examine him in his more carefree and innocent moods.

Naruto had always been a bit of an enigma to her. He could be intensely serious, happy and kind, while at times demonstrate a coldness that made her quite uncomfortable. And the fact that he seemed to have conversations in his head made her quite concerned. But she liked the boy. He was thoughtful, compassionate and kept them in business. But above all, he was a genuinely good person who attracted far too much hate and prejudice than what could be explained normally.

Then out of nowhere a kunai sailed across them and managed to nick Naruto across his forehead as he pushed Ayame out of the way. She gave a yelp before noticing the blood on his head. She quickly rushed to get a handkerchief from her handbag to staunch the bleeding. Naruto just waved her efforts away as he faced their attacker.

"Mah, Anko, what the hell!?"

"You shouldn't let your guard down gaki. Be more alert next time."

"Geez, we're in peacetime still aren't we?!"

"That could change at any moment. Bah, why do I even bother?"

"Because you are a crazy lady that loves snakes far too much to be healthy?"

"You have some nerve gaki." With that she drew two kunai and engaged the boy in hand to hand combat, swiping away at him and laughing maniacally at the same time. Naruto just gave a long suffering sigh before dodging.

Ayame was confused. People were walking and ignoring the scene, almost as if it was a common occurrence. Which it was, oddly enough. The scene of Anko chasing Naruto around Konoha could almost be timed to the nearest hour on a weekly basis.

"Stop it! What are you doing to Naruto?!"

"Mind your own business, I'm having my fun right now."

"Fun?! You call beating up on a kid younger than you fun?!"

"Yeah, he doesn't mind, do you gaki?"

"Err, yeah, I do actually."

"Oh, really? I thought you didn't. Oh well, who cares?"

Ayame was shocked at the casual way that she spoke about violence and disregarding Naruto's wishes. She rushed up to the blond, grabbed his arm and proceeded to drag him away.

"Where the hell do you think you are going dammit!?"

"Away from you, you violent monster!"

"What did you call me?" with a flash she appeared with a kunai placed directly over her throat. Ayame stopped still, frightened beyond all belief. She honestly thought that she would be killed by the volatile kunoichi.

Naruto might have accepted that her rough treatment was probably the closest thing to affection she could show to people, but to go as far as to hurt Ayame, well he wasn't going to stand for that. His hands blurred and grabbed the kunai before tearing it from her grip.

That royally messed up his hand, while he delivered a kick to her abdomen. She stumbled back before Naruto starred at her coldly.

"Don't. You. Dare. Do. That. Again."

"So is that how it is going to be then? You are going to choose her over me?"

His eyes softened. "No it isn't like that, but she is a civilian, you cant go and- "

Anko ignored the things that he was trying to say.

"You, I thought you understood how things were like for people like us. But I guess I was wrong then..."

"Goddamn it, listen to me! I still care about you, but I care about Ayame-chan as well! But you can't go and hurt her for crying out loud."

"Are you sure that she is your friend Naruto?"

"Of course she is!"

"She could be trying to use you gaki. To pretend to be nice, to work their way into your trust before revealing their true colours. It happened to me too many times and I don't want to see it happen to you."

"Look, Ayame is my _friend_. Why can't you understand that! It's the truth. Goodbye Anko."

She looked as they walked off with a solemn and hurt expression on her face.

_**End flashback**_

"Oh come on, I was looking out for you. I did some surveillance on her after that night and she seems decent enough."

"Wait, you spied on her!"

"Of course I did. I had to make sure that she was genuine."

"Why are you so convinced that he is trying to use me? I tried to buy her dinner and I had to argue about it before I could do it!"

She just gave him a sad smile. "Maybe when you are older you can see that people have masks that they can hide behind. Sometimes so deeply that they forget what is underneath at times."

He just sighed before going up to her and giving her a tight hug. He looked up into her eyes.

"I understand what you went through. And those... bastards... deserve everything that they are going to get in the future. But that doesn't mean everyone is bad."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I don't want you to be disappointed when things go south gaki."

"And I still don't like her."

"I have known her for over six years Anko."

"Bah, you still love me more right? _Right?"_

"Err, of course... why wouldn't I love a person that has a fetish for my blood?"

"I can't help it if it is sooo tasty and you are good enough to _eat_. In fact I feel like having some right now, fu fu fu fu."

He gave a weak laugh before pushing her over, making her loose her balance. He landed on her heavily.

"Oh, you are so going to get it now."

He smirked, before he took out his pad of paper and his pencil.

"Oh Anko-chan, I need some help with this little obstacle course I was planning, I was wondering if..." As Naruto explained his plan, an evil cackle erupted from her as she thought of the possibilities.

"Not bad gaki, lets use some snakes and pit traps. And then we can have some genjutsu traps as well placed at these points." She pointed to certain points on the pad.

"Err Anko, do you wear anything under that trench coat of yours?"

"No, I go shinobi."

"Why?"

"I like the feeling of the wind and the sun on my skin. Why?"

"It just feels funny laying down on you like this."

"Fu fu fu fu fu. Well Naru-kun, if you wanted to cop a feel all you had to do was ask. I would be more than happy to teach you a few things."

"Err..."

_**I wouldn't accept that offer if I were you.**_

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hokage's office**_

"Hokage-sama, Gekkou Hayate is here to see you."

"Of course, let him in."

The door opened and in came the sickly chuunin who gave his commander a sharp salute with his right hand. He nodded before asking him to sit down. Hayate gratefully accepted before handing a manila folder to him. Raising his eyebrows in curiosity, he flicked through the documents inside of it and gave a frown.

"Does this say what I think it says?"

"Yes, the doctor is of the opinion that I am unfit for active service..."

Sarutobi sighed, "Which is a shame..."

"I know that this was going to happen sooner or later. Which is why I am requesting a transfer."

"To what section?"

"I wish to be a tutor, much like Ebisu-san."

"Are you sure? You're skills could be better served in other areas."

"Like what?"

"Starting up a kenjutsu program in the Academy maybe?"

"Perhaps, but this isn't the Hidden Mist. Konoha never really had a history of swordsmanship like our neighbours to the south. I'm sure there would be some interest, but not enough to hold classes. You would need more people to make it work. I wish to teach a select few in the Art and focus on them."

"Like Naruto?"

Hayate gave a frown. "Naruto-kun has learnt most of what I can pass along. The finer aspects of the Dance will be up to him to develop."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, most of it is a family secret. But what I can say that is that each generation develops the Dance to a further step. How they do so is up to them. For generations the style has been improved until the aftermath of the Fall. I am probably the only user left until I can pass it on to someone else."

"Any ideas to who?"

He gave a fond grin. "Naruto of course. Right now he is on his way to surpass me and potentially any other kenjutsu user in Konoha." He made a face. "Then again, that would not be particularly hard. The Nidaime was a bit of a swordsman, but having the Raijin counted for most of his 'skill', not really any genuine talent."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Quite."

"The only other sword users are my family, and I am the only practitioner who would be worth of the name. Naruto will be the one that will take on the mantle and start up his own style. That is why I have not taught him the last set, the one that sets apart an aspirant to a true master."

"Why though?"

"For a few reasons. One is that I doubt you would want him to know it for some reasonably founded fears." _Which are never going to happen, but anyways_. "And he should take up my style and forge a new path. So when he does end up having a family he can pass it along."

Hayate chuckled. "The boy is going to have a real fun time in the next few years. He is quite the oblivious Casanova for a twelve year old."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Last time I checked there were three girls interested in him. I'm sure he will have more added to the list soon enough. He's definitely a cute kid. And really skilled."

The Hokage grew pensive. "Yet for all those skills, he has yet the pass the Academy. Now why is that?"

The chuunin sat back and ran his hand through his hair as he had a sudden coughing fit. He reached into his pocket and wiped his mouth. Sarutobi's eyes picked up the small flecks of blood before he put it away.

"Who knows? Me and Yuugao have taught him enough, and he was a responsive and enthusiastic student, even if he complained too much."

"But things changed after the Kumo incident. To be fair, he nearly died, and would have if not for his tenant keeping him alive. Why it did so still remains a mystery to me. What would happen if he did die?"

"The Kyuubi would probably escape. Which is why we need to keep him alive." Sarutobi's voice showed true frustration. "And to do so, he needs to get stronger. That means becoming a shinobi, learning and making friends who can help him through the darkness. He can't be a civilian for the rest of his life. Becoming a nin does have its advantages. He would enjoy the protection of Konoha, if only in name."

"You could just give him a field promotion you know... for his acts in saving the Hyuuga heiress..."

"Well, I could. But that would defeat the purpose of having him earn it, for him to really want it. If he is not willing and able to become a genin on his own two feet... then there is no point in forcing him. It would just lead to needless bloodshed if he doesn't have the right mindset."

"But Hokage-sama, can you really say that the kids in the Academy have any better reasons for becoming shinobi in the first place."

A rueful grin appeared on his weathered face. "Well, true enough. But at least they are enthusiastic and willing to learn. Naruto just hasn't been the same during the last few years. I don't even see him very often, besides the odd occasion when he decides to deface the Hokage's monument. I remember spending more time with him when he was six..."

"What changed?"

Sarutobi gave a shrug. "He found a family. Or a surrogate one in the Hyuuga's, with you and Yuugao. And now with Anko if my reports are correct. I didn't want to interfere with that, and he seemed to be happy enough that I didn't need to pop on by and see if Kushina was being a bad mother. And whenever he does see me he keeps on saying the oddest things, that I swear that I am either going senile or he is spouting nonsense. Tell me, what is Viagra?"

"I have no idea."

"He keeps telling me I need it if I keep on reading my, err, literature."

Hayate gave a knowing look. He had spent many a boring night reading Jiraiya's critically acclaimed stories. It beat the crap out of watching a camp fire till the dawn hit. Unfortunately it was the first thing to go when he had started a relationship with Yuugao. Though things were looking pretty rocky at the moment.

"Anyways, if he doesn't graduate soon, then maybe an apprenticeship is in order."

"I see, with who though?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Isn't he with the corp still?"

"He has been... on administrative leave. Ask no more about it."

He nodded. "About my request?"

The Hokage looked at the records again before giving a slight nod. "Ok, I will place you on the unalloted lists for now. And as it is customary, you are hereby promoted to tokubetsu jounin effectively immediately."

"But Hokage-sama!?"

"Trust me, I do not forget loyalty. You did your duty admirably and with honour. And without active missions, you need to have some way to support yourself."

Hayate was about to protest further, but thought better of it. He settled for a low bow before getting up. "If there is nothing else, then I should be getting on with some other tasks. Permission to be excused?"

"Granted."

The newly promoted special jounin took his leave as Sarutobi sighed. He had lost a fine shinobi, but maybe there was some hope on the horizon. Jiraiya had a lead on Tsunade, and if anyone had a chance of helping Hayate regain full function of his body, it would be the Slug Sannin.

_And what the hell am I going to do with you Hatake?_

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
South eastern training area**_

Night had fallen and a bored Naruto decided to enjoy the evening breeze before hitting his futon. He went and grabbed a thermos full of green tea before thanking the on duty chef, who smiled at him. He walked and decided to visit the training grounds, as they were open and had an undisturbed view of the night sky.

Watching the stars was one of Naruto's favourite hobbies, even when he was a kid. There was something so simple yet beautiful about watching some lights in the darkness that calmed him and brought a measure of happiness to him. Especially the few times when everyone was asleep and he was the only one who was star gazing.

_What are they exactly?_

_**Oh, they are other planets. Or**__** other celestial bodies.**_

_Really?! How far away are they?_

_**Some very much so, some probably don't exist anymore.**_

_What do you mean? If I can see it, how can it not exist?_

_**Well, think of it in this way. If someone shouts at you across the field, and they then die, you might hear him but he might be dead before you do hear him.**_

_Err... I guess so._

_**We see stars because it is light. Light is fast, but even then, if they are really far away, then it still takes time for it to get here. And before that happens, it might be so far away that the planet dies before we see it. Or maybe we have finished seeing it? I have never really given it much thought.**_

_Wait, how do planets die?!_

Kyuu gave a dark chuckle. _**Oh there are many ways kit. Sometimes they just get old, sometimes it happens intentionally. And if that happens, the survivors find new places to go.**_

Naruto frowned_. You sound like you've been through something like this?_

_**Maybe I have. The universe is a large and old place. Many things could happen.**_

_Why can't you be clear about this?_

_**It really is a story for another time Naru-kun.**_

_Sure, whatever._

As he lay back, he could hear the sounds of training, of flesh smacking against padded wood. Surprised that anyone would be training this late at night, he sat up and decided to follow the sound. He walked for a few hundred meters before finding Hanabi working away at a training doll.

Her hands were bandaged up as she was sparring against the inert figure as she unleashed strike after strike. The blond was surprised at the sheer intensity in her eyes as she barely held in her whimpers as the pain from the strikes were nearly crippling her hand. Naruto's eyesight caught the fact that blood was seeping through the bandages and he gave a start.

"Hanabi-chan!"

The girl jumped in surprise before getting into a Jyuuken stance and faced Naruto. She relaxed when she realised that it was her favourite blond before looking a bit lost. This confused the boy as he approached her.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly.

"Training. I have to get better..." Her voice trailed off as Naruto gently took her hands into his own, carefully unwrapping the bandages to expose her badly damaged hands. He hissed as he saw the inflamed flesh and discoloured skin. He looked at her.

She couldn't bear the see the concern in his eyes and quickly took her hands away from his. Naruto wouldn't budge and held her firmly but gently.

"This is a bit too much; you need to take it a bit easier. You can't hurt yourself like this Hana-chan."

"But, but, I have to! I just have to!"

"Why?"

"Just... because, it is something that I have to do!" Her eyes started to water up from the emotional turmoil going through her heart. Naruto just thought that the nerve endings were finally flaring up after being exposed to the air. He sighed before drawing Hanabi close to him.

"Look, the most that anyone that can ask of you is that you do your best. This is more than enough."

"But – "

"This sort of training is not going to do you any good. Hell, you are even better than Hina-chan with the Jyuuken, what are you afraid of?"

_The juin jutsu, don't you see oni-san? I can't let that happen to me... but if it's between me or my sister... oh kami._

Naruto sighed before gently pushing her down to the floor. He could see how unsteady she was on her legs. He took her hands again and concentrated on them. He visualised the void and drew on his nascent reiatsu before covering Hanabi's hands with it. The flesh started to knit up again as the healing began. Naruto had realised for some reason that his reiatsu healing was not particularly effective against chakra wounds. It had to do with the mutual exclusivity of reiatsu and chakra, or at least he thought it was. He was just speculating and didn't really want to try it out. For once he was thankful that 'Mi' had only trained him in the use of blades when he was younger. Then again, with Kyuu, he could heal pretty much nearly any damned wound the shinobi world could throw at him.

Hanabi felt a cold shiver encapsulate her hands before watching with fascination as her skin started to clear up and return to their natural colour. The pain disappeared and she watched with fondness at the level of concentration on Naruto's face. He was focusing so deeply that he didn't notice the blush form on the girl's face.

_I see why nii-chan likes him so much..._

And she was struck with a sudden sense of jealousy at the sheer amount of time they had now spent together. First with Kurenai, now at the Academy. She was lucky to spend a few hours alone with him, with her accelerated training schedule. The tutor who had spoken to her had been reassigned, and she now had her classes with her father again. He was surprised by the fervour that his daughter had demonstrated, exceeding all his expectations. He didn't really figure out that his youngest was being used as part of a power play within the Hyuuga council.

"Ok, all done." He looked up and asked quizzically, "Is there something wrong Hana-chan, you're all red for some reason."

"Ah – ah, nothing, nothing is wrong."

She quickly took her hands out of his, immediately missing the caring touch before trying to stand up. She failed, having missed out on meals and nearly fainted as the blood rushed to her head. Naruto quickly caught her as she fell.

"Ok, don't do that again. What's wrong?"

"Didn't really eat today." She mumbled.

"Mah, don't tell me your on a diet like some kunoichi wannabe's that I know," saying the last bit darkly.

"Ano, just didn't have the time today."

"... You didn't have half an hour to grab a bite?" he asked incredulously.

The girl blushed again. It made her look adorable, in Naruto's opinion. He gave a chuckle before playfully flicking her forehead.

"If you don't start eating, then you will be nothing more than skin and bones Hana-chan. You wouldn't look as pretty as you are now if you do that."

_Naru-kun thinks I look pretty?!_

The blond just grabbed his thermos, unscrewed the lid and poured out the steaming hot tea. It created a light cloud of vapours before he handed it over to the girl.

"It's not much, but have some tea at least."

Gratefully taking the cup, she promptly spilled it all over Naruto. She had forgotten that though her hands were fine, her biceps and triceps were exhausted and cramping from the continual strain she had placed them through the last six hours. She looked in horror as the hot liquid splashed all over Naruto, before he yelled out in pain.

"Ano! Here, let me-"

"Mah, so clumsy Hana-chan." He shrugged off her attempts to help him, before stripping off his shirt and used it to wipe off the rest of his torso. His body had finally gotten some definition, with his pectoral and abdominal muscles finally putting on some mass as the first signs of puberty were kicking in. Hanabi had just stared. She wasn't too familiar with the male anatomy and she was curious to why girls were attracted to boys. She was probably going to be spoilt for the rest of her life after seeing the effects of a six year training regimen taking root in the form of a blond jinchuuriki.

He just refilled the cup and placed it to her lips. She was embarrassed that she couldn't even control her arms and gratefully took small sips of the hot liquid. She could feel the caffeine giving her a light buzz and increase her heart rate and awareness. Naruto smiled as she looked livelier than she was when he had seen her punish herself.

He then lay back and stared at the sky once more. Hanabi joined him, using his stomach as a pillow. He absentmindedly played with her hair as he hummed a tune. Hanabi relished in the feeling of his body heat seeming through, the feel of his muscles as he breathed, the contracts pushing her head slowly up and down. It was comforting in a way that she had loved and had never quite experienced before.

"Don't push yourself so hard ok Hana-chan? You are strong enough and this will only stop you from getting better if you injure yourself. Promise me ok?"

_For you, probably anything._

She merely grunted an answer. He chucked at the particularly unladylike sound before she bashed his head against his diaphragm. He groaned lightly.

"When are you going to take me out again to Matsuri's?

"Again!? The last time you emptied my entire wallet!"

"But, I really, really like the food there. Pleeease Naru-kun?"

"Maybe, if you promise not to spill tea on me when we are there."

She just huffed at that before muttering, "It was just one time... geez."

Naruto just grinned before giving her a hug. Hanabi was just happy. Her best friend in the entire world was next to her, making things seem better through his presence alone. All was right with the world.

_For you, I will get stronger. I promise you this. I will be better than my sister, if that is what it takes. __If I become a branch member, then they will decide everything for me, what I do, who I will marry..._

Though the thought of marriage was a bit ahead of her, she realised that many matches among the Branch family were ones of convenience and were not full of love. She didn't want that, though things were hardly any better if she was to remain in the Main Branch, where her engagement would be on political terms. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life with someone that she hated or could not respect. Her chances were far better if she didn't have the _juin jutsu_.

In fact, the only person that she could see herself being with was Naruto. She had lived quite a sheltered life and did not interact with many kids beyond that of the other clan heirs and their children. And to say the least, she wasn't that impressed with what she saw. If she compared them all to the blond, he would win, hands down. With his arms tied behind his back, blindfolded and chained to a tree.

She just lay there, revelling in the closeness that the boy brought into her life. And she made a very silent promise that nothing would ever get between them. Not even her sister...

* * *

_**Konoha  
Memorial stone**_

Konoha was unique among the elemental nations in that they didn't believe in gods, per se. There was no deity that oversaw their daily affairs, no one to reward or punish ones soul when they passed over into the afterlife. Instead, they believed in someone more pervasive, a thought enshrined in a phrase called the 'will of fire'.

But what did that actually mean? Most people would say that it meant determination and willpower. But that wasn't the full explanation. Other nations had the same qualities, some in bucket loads. No, the will of fire was something else.

It was the recognition of an ancient form of ancestor worship and reincarnation. And it was neatly encapsulated in a basalt block five meters high.

The memorial stone. Konoha's menhir, the chiselled book of their fallen.

When one generation died, they passed on the fire to their children. It was an idea that the tree of Konoha would produce seeds to carry out the work that was left unfinished. It was something that gave birth to ideas that the next generation would necessarily be better than the previous one as they would pass on their success and failures so that progress could be made.

And to make sure that they would never forget, they engraved their names onto a piece of rock. Each and every one of them were heroes in their own right, individuals who had given their lives in service to the village that they called home. And for Hatake Kakashi, they were the source of some of his happiest and most bitter memories.

A tragic counterpoint indeed.

_What the hell am I doing here? I do it so I don't forget, but I can never forget. Am I really just running away like they said I was?_

_And if I am... what then?_

Even at his young age, Kakashi had a reputation throughout the land, all thanks to a gift he had not wanted and would have given back immediately if he could. But that reputation came through a harsh path full of death and loneliness.

One that he had fully embraced after losing those close to him, wanting to forget his sorrows in fire and steel which he had delivered in spades as an ANBU captain. And along the way he had managed to copy over one thousand jutsus, earning him the nickname of the Copy-cat nin. Not that he really cared about it.

_Were you right Jiraiya-sama? How far have I really fallen?_

_**Flashback**_

"It's been a while Hatake-san, hasn't it?"

The white haired ANBU quickly turned around, his right hand reaching for a kunai while his left lifted up his forehead protector, exposing his Sharingan as he got in a battle ready stance. Anyone good enough to surprise him was definitely deserving of his full power and potential.

The man gave an amused chuckle. "Now that isn't the way to great an old friend is it Kakashi?"

His eyes narrowed as he the figure approached. It was unmistakeable, the clothes, the wooden clogs, the scroll, the red markings.

"Jiraiya-sama."

He received a grin in return. "It's been, what, six years now?"

"Closer to eight, but then again, who is counting?"

"True, true. How have you been?"

"On duty, how the hell did you find me?"

Jiraiya just gave him a look. "I'm not just a pretty and gallant face you know. I do operate an intelligence network."

Kakashi wasn't going to buy that on face value. "I am on an S ranked mission. No one is supposed to know where I am, except the ..."

"Hokage? Funny thing that, me being his past pupil and all. Losing your touch are you?"

Kakashi scowled. "I didn't think you would speak to him after the Fall."

Jiraiya's face hardened. "Yes which is why I'm here to talk to you."

"Can't it wait? I'm infiltrating here."

"You know, everyone seems to be telling me to wait. Wait for a good time. Wait until I have done something. Well, _fuck that_. I am going to get answers one way or another, starting with you Kakashi."

Kakashi just covered his eye before leaning against a tree, "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me why?"

"Why what?"

Jiraiya scowled. "Fine, two words. Uzumaki Naruto. Why didn't you look out for him?"

That was something that he desperately wished to avoid.

"I have no idea about what you are talking about. What does he have to do with me?"

"Don't play dumb with me Hatake; you knew that he was Minato's son."

"What?! No I didn't!"

"... There is no way that you could not have known. He treated you like a surrogate son, you knew that Kushina and Minato were seeing each other. And you survived the sealing and figured out that Naruto held the damned Kyuubi no Yoko. And the fact that it was Kushina's son didn't trigger any bloody warnings in your head?!"

Kakashi sighed. "Ok, so I had a good idea. You know that the Hokage banned anyone from knowing the truth, or telling anyone else. He had a big enough target on his head already without that being added to it."

"True, but you knew that he was your sensei's son, but have you even spoken to him at all?"

His eyes hardened. "I have spoken to him as much as you have Jiraiya-sama."

Wincing slightly, the Toad Sannin continued nevertheless. "I thought I was leaving him in capable hands. I thought that Kushina would raise him with love and affection. He would be seen as the only thing keeping Konoha alive. I find out that she abandons him, he gets shifted from home to home before living with the Hyuuga's after maiming Kumo's ambassador. You were there in Konoha, what were you doing?!"

"I was not his mother. He had one; I thought that everything was fine."

"What about when she left him, and he got shunted from foster family to family. He nearly died during those few months!"

He tried to defend himself. "What did you want me to do about it, take him in? Me? I was in ANBU and wouldn't have been there for him, couldn't give him the support that he needed –"

"So you left him alone, because that was a better alternative!"

"I didn't see you doing any better!"

"Because I didn't know," he hissed. "You knew, you were there. But you chose to do nothing. I can only thank the gods that he turned up the way he did. He deserved better, from all of us. We have all failed him. The problem is that I am trying to make things better. What are you doing Hatake?"

"Protecting Konoha in the only way I know how to," he said hollowly.

Jiraiya looked at him in pity. "When will you stop running?"

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me, I know that look in your eyes. I had it for the last three years. Before I realised that I had duties and responsibilities. Ones that if I left alone would just lead to more problems later on."

Jiraiya then had a faraway look in his eyes. "Funny thing, they named me as his godfather. Me! I was honoured, but I didn't do anything to be worthy of the name. I wasn't there when he needed me, wasn't there to celebrate his birthday, wasn't there..." he trailed off.

"But that will change. Soon enough. There is a greater threat to him that I have found, and I will protect him from the shadows if necessary."

"What are you talking about?"

"...They call themselves Akatsuki."

_The red dawn?_

"They are coming for my godson. Minato's legacy."

"How do you know?"

He gave a bitter chuckle. "Orochimaru told me."

"What?!"

"He was a member until there was a falling out. Believe me; I would have recognised his chakra signature anywhere. He apparently tried to do something that caused him to lose his hand. I hoped that I could surprise him and get some information out of him."

"What happened?"

He grimaced. "He showed me that he is still stronger than me. That he hasn't lost his edge like I have. He taunted me, telling me that even without his hand he could still take me on. And guess what, he was right."

That was unwelcome news. Jiraiya was one of the Leaf's strongest, to hear that he could have been matched by that rogue nin was disturbing to say the least.

"But he gave me some information, that the Akatsuki were going jinchuuriki hunting. Nine S ranked criminals will be prowling around for him. I need to get in shape and keep an eye on them."

"And you should help him prepare for the coming darkness."

"How do you know that he was telling you the truth? He may be using Konoha to actually get Akatsuki off his back, like a smokescreen for something else."

Jiraiya shrugged. "I considered that, but somehow I doubt it. Before he left he had copied down all their secrets. If nothing else he is a self interested and paranoid bastard. And it just all adds up. The amount of bounties being collected by people in black robes with red clouds, Ame closing their borders and other... disturbing things."

"What is the real reason why you avoided Naruto like the plague?"

"I didn't feel responsible for him. He meant nothing to me. There, are you happy?"

"No, because you are still lying to me. Are you jealous of him?"

"What, why!?"

"That he was the father that you never really had, before Sakumo... did what he did. That Naruto had somehow displaced the spot that he had in his heart for you?"

Kakashi was getting uncomfortable at where this was getting at. "That is not it at all."

"Really? If he was alive today, he would have wanted you to be best of friends. Hell, you would be his uncle at the very least. What would Minato think about you avoiding his flesh and blood?"

"He died so that the Leaf could live and ignore his last wishes. Fine, the villagers can go and screw themselves with their prejudices. But you, I thought you would have been better than that. That Minato's sacrifice would have meant something, that you would honour it unlike the rest of Konoha..."

That raised questions he didn't want to consider at the moment. He had a mission to complete.

"Think about it. Go back to Konoha."

"But I have a mission to –"

"Not anymore." He tossed a scroll to him. The copy cat nin caught it and saw the personal seal of the Hokage on it. He opened it up and gave Jiraiya a blank look.

"Did you have something to do with this?"

"Actually no. You have been in the field for nearly _seven_ consecutive years. There are mandatory administrative leave periods. You are going to be burnt out if you continue this."

"That is just nonsense, I can still perform –"

"If you have a problem, take it up with your commander in chief. He is still your Hokage, unless you have forgotten that fact."

That shut him up good.

Jiraiya nodded. "I will take on your mission. I have been neglecting too many things for too long. This will test me if nothing else."

"What do I do now?" Kakashi had a horribly lost look in his eyes. For the last few years he had no life outside of the ANBU, one risky mission after the next to help him forget the burning sense of guilt and pain in his heart. When Rin had died in his arms, then with Minato... it all became too much for him.

"One step at a time Hatake. One step at a time. Go back to Konoha and think on the things that I have told you. Make the right choice and confront the past. Only then can we face the future."

With those words Jiraiya left, leaving a pensive Kakashi on his own.

_**End flashback**_

_Was he right? Was I really jealous of Naruto, subconsciously?_

It was possible. His relationship with his biological father was tumultuous at the best of times. He had worshiped the man, being the epitome of what a shinobi should have been. His name was spoken in reverence, as much as the Sannin were. Then one day it had all changed. He had disregarded his mission to save his teammates. And he was to remain unforgiven for such a human and compassionate act.

He remembered with guilt the hateful eyes he had given his father as he saw that man he placed on a pedestal be knocked down to the ground. How he had pitied his father and wondered how the hell he had lost his way. It took Obito's tragic death to make him realise the truth and why his father placed the lives of his companions over that of his own, over that of a mission. Then he met Namikaze Minato, who had managed to change his life. He was a kid when he became the next prodigy to rise up the ranks. And it was in his genin team that the wounds started to heal themselves. He refused to change though, seeing such feelings as weakness, that nothing could possibly be more important than the completion of the mission. It was what the client paid for, and they were always right, weren't they? They were at war, sacrifices had to be made. They just had too... They were shinobi who fought for the highest bidder and there was no room for feelings... But Minato taught him that shinobi did not act because of money alone. That there were things worth fighting for that went beyond any pecuniary measure.

It was a lesson that he was never suppose to forget. His eye was a perpetual reminder that his reputation was largely existent because of Obito. Its constant drain on his chakra could never let him forget. But somehow, he did. He was such a bastard back then that he would have abandoned Rin to be repeatedly raped then killed so that he would complete his objectives. It just took the death of his first best friend to change his outlook on life. But it was a seemingly fragile change, where the future loss of Rin and Minato were the lethal blows that made him regress into his cold self. In many ways he became the perfect shinobi, killing his feelings so that he would not be able to feel the pain again.

But he realised that wasn't living. And that was a lesson he had painfully learnt. A tool had its uses, but once it is broken, it is thrown away and disregarded. And existence was what he was going through. Life was about the things that people take on willingly.

_I'm sorry Naruto. Minato-sensei, what would you say if you saw me now?_

_Hell, what would you say to Kushina?_

* * *

_**Konoha  
Uchiha Estate**_

"Oi teme! Wake up!"

Sasuke woke up with a start, and saw Naruto's face.

_What the fuck?!_

He gave a slight scream and punched out. Naruto just dodged it before giving him a smirk. He decided to pull something out of Sai's playbook.

"Man that was pretty weak. Are you sure you have a penis?"

"Nani!?"

"What's the matter Sasuke-kun; everything isn't where it is supposed to be?"

Sasuke growled. "Why the hell are you here in the first place?"

The blond shrugged. "Your mother told me to wake you up. She told me not to use water as well, so consider yourself lucky..." he grumbled on a bit how his fun was ruined.

The Uchiha just scowled while getting out of bed. "Get out."

"Why?"

"Because I'm getting change, unless you want to get an eyeful."

"Bah, like you have anything down there." Naruto dodged a kunai before whistling and walking out the door.

_Why do I even bother?_

_**Because you made another stupid promise. Stop doing it.**_

_Yeah I know, but I never saw an adult beg for help before._

_**How about that med nin at 'Ne' who still wants your babies?**_

_Oh yeah, whatever happened to her?_

_**Beats me. She just seemed to disappear into nowhere.**_

_Hmm, she was there to heal that bastard that attacked Yuugao wasn't she?_

_**Oh yeah, well spotted kit.**_

Naruto just walked to find Mikoto as he was done with his duties. He found that he quite liked her compared to her son, which wasn't that hard. And Naruto just seemed to ooze out this aura that told women to mother him. And Mikoto was going to indulge in it is often as she could. She remembered the rather hostile meeting she had received from no less than eight of the Hyuuga Military Police about the blond.

_**Flashback**_

"You know Uchiha-san, Naruto is one of _ours_."

"As such, it isn't really appropriate for you to initiate such forms of... physical contact, not with someone that is not your own son."

"Do you understand us Uchiha-san?"

She just crossed her arms. "I think that is for Naruto to decide."

"He is just still an innocent boy."

"Really too naive for his own good."

"That is part of his charm, but we have to protect him."

"From those that would seek to take advantage of him because he simply doesn't know any better."

Mikoto frowned. "You make it sound like I want to molest him!"

She was met with dead silence as they all levelled their patented Hyuuga stare at her.

_Ok, that is just creepy._

"Just a friendly warning."

"Don't hurt him at all."

"You may be one of the last loyal Uchiha, but that will not matter to us if something needs to be done."

_**End flashback**_

After the threats were delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, she had pondered on what to do. She genuinely liked the mercurial blond boy and hoped that he would prove to be a good influence on Sasuke. But that had failed to happen. Broody and moody seemed to be the name of his game, and Naruto had seemingly given up on trying. She encouraged Naruto as forcefully as she could, but she was taking the risk of alienating Naruto from her. His patience seemed to be exhausted easily when it came to her son. Not that she could really blame him, he was a difficult boy at the best of times.

"Ohayo Mikoto-san."

"Ah Naruto-kun, take a seat. I have breakfast ready, come in."

One of the reasons why he came in at all was to chat with Mikoto and eat from her table. She was one hell of a chef and prepared remarkably tasty dishes, even for a simple meal like breakfast. He made a point to always compliment her whenever he could.

This could be contrasted to Sasuke who just grunted a hello before taking a seat and started to eat silently. Naruto just didn't understand the boy at all. He had a loving mother and just didn't appreciate her at all. Naruto would have killed for someone as special as Mikoto, but he felt that she was wasted on the duck haired Uchiha.

Then again, his experiences with mothers were decidedly small. Hinata and Hanabi had lost their mother during Hanabi's birth, so they never got the chance to really know her, besides Hinata. Apparently the youngest Hyuuga resembled their mother the most. The Branch members had families and he could appreciate the love and care that they had for each other. Mikoto was another example.

_Maybe that is why I don't like you so much. Your life could have been so much worse, but you act like you have lost everything. You poor fool..._

He shrugged those maudlin thoughts away and concentrated on his meal.

"That was just great Mikoto-san! How can you make miso taste so good?"

Mikoto chuckled while she inwardly hoped for a similar compliment from Sasuke. It wasn't going to be forthcoming. Repressing a sigh, she produced two lunch boxes and pointed to the clock mounted on the wall.

"Time to go boys."

Naruto just shrugged expansively while he gave a satisfied sigh and stretched. "Eh, I won't miss anything important."

"Now now Naruto, being on time is very important. It's rude and disrespectful if you don't show some punctuality."

"If you say so," he said dubiously.

"Let's go teme."

"Whatever dobe."

Sasuke didn't really understand his mother at times. She was filled with rage after Itachi had slaughtered their entire family, but after that, she had taken no steps that he could see in getting strong enough to fight their kinsman. And that made him angry beyond belief.

_Had she given up already?!_

Little did he know about the Black Book in her possession. She was working on a plan to figure out that mysterious Sharingan that he had displayed all those years ago, and some way to actually defeat it. But she had to keep it a secret, even from her own son. This just led to a communication breakdown that only seemed to widen as time went past. She still trained with him, sometimes intensively, but she lost that fire and drive that he had seen all those years ago.

The problem was that Mikoto tried to find happiness where she could. She wouldn't let Itachi destroy her anymore than he had already. She knew that revenge could be a hollow and empty task that needed to be done, but left nothing at the end. She had lost her entire family once, but she wanted something to look forward to after she had sought answers from her eldest son. Alienating those around her was not the correct path to take, at least in her mind.

Sasuke eyed Naruto from the corner of his mind. He knew that the blond was more skilled than he let on. When he discovered that he had failed the Academy at least twice already shocked him. He saw the competence and sheer boredom when they went through material in class. He figured that he had heard it so many times that he just didn't care. He was partially correct in that assumption.

_What are you hiding from the rest of us Naruto?_

He was like a puzzle that refused to be completed. But beyond that he wanted someone that could challenge him, to make him become better so he could finally reach his path.

Someone had to make his brother pay. And if it wasn't going to be his mother, then it fell on his shoulders. Some things are just unforgivable.

* * *

_**Konoha  
Residential Sector  
Yugito's apartment**_

"Ohhh Naaruto?" Yugito just had to sing those two words to their fullest extent.

This instantly made him suspicious and nervous. "Yes?"

"Do you remember that favour that you owe me?"

"Err... no?"

She gave him a pout. "Cant you remember how you were willing to abandon me to my training if your sensei didn't offer to teach you something in return? That really hurt Naruto..."

_Damn, she really knows how to hit the right words..._

"No... I don't know what you are talking about."

She just crossed her arms.

"I'm collecting. Now."

_What are the odds that I am going to win this one?_

_**Hmm... mathematically incalculatable?**_

_... thanks for the help._

Kyuu cheerfully smirked. No charge kit.

"I might, you know, just might remember something about that." He subconsciously shielded his groin in remembrance of that day. Luckily he had invested in a groin guard for these kinds of situations in the future.

"What do you want then?"

"Clothes. Shoes. Jewellery. Hair products. Makeup. Underwear. And-"

"Wait, what!? You get paid as well to do this dammit!"

"Well yeah, but that is my money. I want to spend yours." Naruto sweat dropped at that and was going to tell her to get stuffed before she continued.

"Oh come on, it's not going to be that bad. Be a man dammit!"

"I'm a boy dammit! A boy! And what the hell do you want me to buy you underwear for?!"

She gave him an innocent look, "I need to model it in front of someone don't I? You know, to get a second opinion."

"That is exactly what Anko says every time she does it! I am not buying it anymore!"

She just shrugged, feeling somewhat angry that someone had beaten her to the punch to teasing Naruto even further. "Come on, we are going, it's not going to be so bad. Haven't you ever been shopping with a girl?"

"Well kinda, there were those times with Ayame, Hanabi, Anko, Yuugao..."

"Then this will not be new to you, come on then!" The blond just sighed before dragging his feet.

Yugito just wanted her name to be added onto that list, it wasn't like she was going to spend all of Naruto's money. Just bits of it. And she was tired of just seeing him at 'Ne' and training. She had enough of that when she was struggling to live at Kumo, and wanted to enjoy the singular pleasure of buying things that were once so very far out of her reach. And doing so with her best friend was a bonus.

No matter how annoying the jinchuuriki was at times, his heart was always in the right place, and she knew that he was quite fond of her. Most of the time anyways, when she wasn't teasing him or otherwise giving him a hard time. And she was glad to call him a friend. Maybe something more. Hell, she was only about three years older than him, though she really couldn't remember her birthday as she was sure her official records were incorrect anyways. Naruto suggested changing it to the day that she became a 'Ne' member, and she agreed wholeheartedly. At least that day was associated with happy memories.

She realised that Naruto was lagging behind so she rushed up to him and grabbed his arm, locked it with hers before marching off to a lingerie store. Naruto's face blanched and desperately tried to get himself out before Yugito just gave him a stare. He contemplated whether he could kawarimi out of there with a kage bunshin, but realised that would just escalate the decision further. And privately, he admitted that there were worse things he could do than spend time with Yugito. She was pretty cool, once you got over her whole volatile temperament thing. And at times he felt that he was closer to her than anyone else in the world.

_Crap, I hope she doesn't think I'm a pervert or anything._

_**Remember Naru-kun, she is the one dragging you in there to watch her strip to nothing. You could always turn it around to make it her fault for corrupting little ol innocent you.**_

Naruto smiled at that thought, but caused a bit of concern to Yugito.

_What the hell is he planning?_

The blond just gave an enigmatic grin before stopping his attempts to resist.

_Ok, there is definitely something wrong with this._

* * *

_**Soul Society  
Fifth Division Headquarters  
Sousuke Aizen's private quarters **_

"Ah Aizen-sama, how did it all go?"

"As well as expected. They bought it entirely, or at least they looked sufficiently shocked."

"Then again, I'm sure the question of it should have made him worried."

"A virtual unknown manages to befriend the heir to the Shihouin family and rises up to become the taichou of the tenth. Sure things were looking pretty dire back then, but honestly... His abilities with gates and gigai's have been legendary, and that is only the stuff that we know about publically."

"I remember if he remembers the first time we really met, at the coronation. It seems like so long ago where our paths were finally set for us. He looked so wide eyed and innocent then, still does actually..."

"How do you know about the vizards Aizen-sama, I thought they were all –"

"Fairytales? Hardly, they are as real as you and me."

"Do you remember the former fifth division captain? The one that I served nearly a century ago..."

"Hirako Shinji?"

"Yes, he was one of the first to experience hollowfication. And look how that turned out. No one knows about it, but he didn't leave Sereitei alone. Not before telling me about it, and a few other things as well. The reason for it all, the Royal Families and them."

"Division zero?"

"Yes," his voice whispered as memories overlapped and nearly consumed the night where the special forces had struck the fifth division with no mercy. How many casualties they would inflict before forcing Hirako out of hiding and to face them down. That terrible night of knives seared into his soul.

"The vaunted imperial guard. That bit of information, along with his friendship with the second division will be enough for him to open his eyes. If not..." He shrugged.

"I know from his face that he is keeping secrets from all of us. We just need to dig further."

_Perception is everything Kisuke. My shikai has long told me about this. Hell, most of it came from my taichou anyways, and I saw no reason to betray him merely because he can form a mask under his complete control. Those fools... they are blind, and blind they will remain. They thought they could mindwipe all of us, but my zanpukuto protected me_.

_Ironic that I will be the one to do all of this. You reap what you sow... _

His eyes hardened. The path he had chosen will be long and bloody, full of betrayal and suffering.

And he would walk it gladly if he had even a chance of being successful.

* * *

_**Soul Society  
Twelfth division headquarters  
Urahara Kisuke's private quarters **_

"Is it true Kisuke?"

"What?"

"Are you a fucking vizard or not?!" Isshin shouted in anger.

"That is a stupid question. Of course I am not –"

"Then why did it make such a horrible sense then?"

Urahara staid silent. That ... vision that they both saw had spoken too much truth for him to ignore out of hand.

Vizards, the renegade shinigami who had abandoned their duty to take on the power of the enemies that they swore to defeat. Traitors, the whole lot of them, pursuing nothing but power and self glorification.

That was what they said, the position that Sereitei took. On the off chance that they even existed in reality or not. But whether it was actually the truth was an entirely different matter. Questions haunted the blond man, particularly what the hell he was actually doing for Soul Society.

It all seemed so simple, create things to fight the Hollow threat. People would monitor the entry of souls in and out of Rukongai and Sereitei. But there was a certain something left open, a question left unanswered as he went on with his duties. The underlying problem that had started to widen and consume him ever since he was summoned to Naruto's realm.

_Why the hell were they doing it all?_

_And more importantly, who where the Royal Family and why did they need to be protected by the Imperial Guard?_

He shook himself out his funk. "Look, can you feel the power of a hollow from me?"

Isshin relaxed his scowl. "No, I can't say that I do. But still, why have you always been so good with –"

"Portals? I have no idea, I always thought it was a gift, a skill that came rarely to anyone..."

"And I think that is it. Nothing more..."

_Certainly not exposure to the black orb, certainly not..._

"I still feel uncomfortable with this, shouldn't we tell Yamato-sotaichou?"

"Tell him what exactly," Kisuke demanded. "That we saw a phantom shinigami that we have never seen before, with a hollow mask on his belt and told us that he was a vizard?! That he spoke to us before leaving, not even showing us that he had any power to back up his words?"

"No, we stay silent, for now. If things start to happen, then we investigate and do something about it."

Isshin was uncomfortable, but didn't really see any other options in front of him, not that would cast suspicion onto him and his friend. He got the feeling that the blond was hiding things from them, things that wouldn't hold up to scrutiny.

"Look, I am still a shinigami, and even if I develop hollow powers, then you will be the ones to stop me –"

Isshin just blurred before slamming Kisuke against the wall. The sheer look of rage on his face silenced the tenth captain as Isshin all but spat on him.

"You. Son. Of. A. Bitch. Don't you get it?!"

"Do you think me and Yoruichi will be enough to stop you?! You know the tales of how powerful they actually are! And even if we can, do you think we want to?!"

"To face down somebody that we called a friend, when they might have lost control, but knowing you, wouldn't have? To either obey Soul Society and kill a friend, or to disobey the oaths that we made on our souls?"

"It might be easy for you to say that we will be the ones to stop you, but it isn't for me. It won't be for Yoruichi. We don't want to stand you down and be the ones to kill you, if it comes down to that. Especially if you were fucking around with something that you shouldn't have which caused it to happen in the first place!"

"So be straight with me Kisuke. Are you doing anything, anything at all, that has been screwing around with you at all?"

_I'm sorry old friend, but you aren't ready for the truth yet. Thing is, I don't know what the truth is at all. _

"Nothing, nothing at all."

Isshin looked deeply into his eyes, trying to find any hint of deceit at all. He gently let him go before walking off.

"I hope that you are not lying to me Urahara-san."

_So do I Isshin, so do I. _

He waited ten minutes before he decided to make a move. It was time to secure the damn thing in case someone was spying on him. What better place to put it than in wide open view, a place that was mobile and could always defend itself?

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga estate  
South eastern training ground**_

"Do you think that this gives us an unfair advantage over the rest of our classmates?"

"Probably. I doubt many people outside of shinobi families get this kinda teaching."

"I – it doesn't seem to be quite right."

Kurenai gave a smile. "So do you want these sessions to stop?"

"N – No! Of course not. It just doesn't seem right."

Naruto just shrugged. "Life isn't fair Hina-chan. It will stomp on you if you let it. It's a dog eat dog world out there. You have to make sure you're not a cat."

Kurenai chuckled at that one. "Ok, it is time for something new now. And I will give you a choice."

"There is the _Shikumi no Jutsu_ (Death foreseeing technique) or _the Magen: Kokoni Arazyu no Jutsu_ (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings technique)."

Naruto scratched his head. "Haven't we been using ki to make people afraid? Isn't that the same as the _Shikumi_?"

_And add to the fact that 'Ne' taught me how to hide using the Kokoni Arazyu years ago… this isn't new stuff._

"True, but this is a stronger version of ki. Nearly any nin can expel chakra to make another uncomfortable, but this one is stronger. It makes a person experience their most secret fears about death, and paralyse them. It takes much more control and can overwhelm people on the same level as you. People who have massive reserves, well, they can spend lots of chakra to dispel it."

"Let me demonstrate. Just remember that it isn't real ok?"

She focused her crimson eyes on Hinata before gathering the chakra into her eyes. They glowed for a split second before she sent the chakra into Hinata's lavender eyes. She quickly programmed the matrix to scour her mind and complete its task.

That was the reason why genjutsu was so damned difficult in the first place. Most jutsu's had a matrix created by a handseal or fuuinjutsu script. Genjutsu were purely mental constructs that were programmable to do anything; there were no physical limitations on what a person could experience in their mind. Such flexibility came only through precise control. This jutsu basically ravaged the corners of ones mind for their secret fears. It wasn't to be used lightly, and was difficult even for her.

But the point was to harden Hinata, in one way or another. She had approved of Naruto's plans to give the girl some more confidence, and it seemed to be working. The training course was harder than anything she had ever experienced, making her fail horribly on her first attempt. After some encouraging words, she worked up the courage to try again. After five failures, she had developed better reflexes and could actually complete the task. It just took her too long. Once again Naruto saw how far apart he was from his peers. He wondered just how far the gap really was. There were only really three people who were anywhere close to him at the moment.

Uchiha Sasuke

Hyuuga Neji

Rock Lee

The first time he sparred with Rock Lee was surprising and traumatic. He was lucky that Kyuu protected him from the kami awful sunset genjutsu that defied anyone's attempt to dispel it. Neji and Ten Ten bore it with ill humour, giving him apologetic and pained looks. After that he was surprised at the speed the genin had. It was impressive, but he knew that he had to maximise his taijutsu to the highest levels possible. And it was his worst area anyways.

Ten Ten had just laughed as he had his ass handed to him by the bowl haired, green spandex wearing wonder. He groaned and vowed to get more spars in with Yugito before this was all over. He hadn't been as embarrassed as he was since 'Mi' had first started sparring with him.

He glared at the bun haired girl, promising one hell of a training session that promptly shut her up. Neji just rolled his eyes before offering his hand. He took it gratefully before giving Lee a smile and his congratulations before vowing a rematch in the future.

The foreign chakra overwhelmed Hinata's mind and manipulated her vision and cognitive abilities before she found her surroundings darken, with long shadows. A hooded figure approached her and all of a sudden images of her in the third person assaulted her consciousness. She was stabbed, hanged, garrotted, burnt, electrocuted, drowned… a whole litany of scenes that immobilised her entirely. She gave out a terrified whimper before Kurenai cut the chakra flow.

Hinata collapsed onto the ground, shivering slightly. Concerned that it might have gotten a bit too far, Naruto came up to her and gently held her.

"Are you ok?"

Hinata just stayed silent.

"Remember, it isn't real. You're still here with us. Ok?" The Hyuuga just nodded while she rubbed her arms. Those images were bound to give her nightmares for the next few nights.

Kurenai wondered if she had done more harm than good. "Ok, Hinata-chan, that wasn't nice but do you ever want to feel that way again?"

She shook her head violently.

Kurenai just gave a grim smile. "Remember then, the next time gather enough chakra and dispel the illusion. It is always about who has the strongest will that wins. Chakra helps, but control and determination are more than enough to do the job." She gave a wry smile at Naruto, "Which is probably why Naruto-kun is seemingly unaffected by any genjutsu here."

The boy just gave a nervous laugh before shrugging.

"Your turn now Naruto." Without giving him any time to prepare, she repeated the process.

Naruto saw himself being cut, decapitated, poisoned etc. He shivered, but it was nothing new to him. He had experienced it all in the first place, first hand. For the first time in his life, he thanked 'Mi' for his harsh methods. Any genjutsu that tried to capitalise on a person's fear of death would not be effective anymore.

Seeing that he was still standing upright and able to make small movements, Kurenai was more than a little bit annoyed. This technique was easily B to A ranked, and Naruto just shrugged it off like she was glaring at him! In fact, she thought that one of her glares would make him more nervous than her genjtusus…

She gave into her frustration. "Dammit Naruto! How can you do this?! It's like you are not afraid of dying at all."

Naruto just looked at her. "I am not afraid of dying, not really." _I face it nearly every day on duty, and every time I see certain people_. "Why should I care? It is going to happen to anyone sooner or later."

"Aren't there things you want to do? Don't you want to live a long life?"

"Well, sure I guess. But it isn't going to happen to me anytime soon." That was delivered with a cocky grin.

"Why?"

"Because nothing is going to kill me, I promise you that, dattebayo." She had to grin at his seemingly grandiose promise. Then Naruto sobered up.

"Anyways, dying is not scary. It's probably easy. Living is scary. I mean, just look at Sasuke."

That was profound. Much too profound for any kid of twelve to ever say. She just looked at Naruto in confusion while the blond realised that he should have kept his mouth shut. But he couldn't quite help himself, not after the whole incident that had happened two months ago…

_**Flashback**_

"Isn't it a bit dangerous to do this with only two men?"

"Usually cells of three are used, but 'Ne' doesn't have the man power to afford that kind of luxury. Hell, most ops are done solo or in duo."

"Oh, who is your partner then?" the swordsman asked with curiosity.

"They call her 'Hebi'. Ahahah, they call us the Twin Snakes. Oh yeah, have you figured out your codename yet?"

"I thought it was 'Rei'?"

"Yes, the 'ghost' of the Root division. That is your henge'd operatives name. But what they think to call you in your true form, have you heard about it yet?"

"No, what is it?"

"Foxhound."

"That, isn't that bad actually. Hey, why do they call you 'Mi' then?"

"Because I'm a bad ass mother who is deadly as he is handsome?"

"No, really? I thought it was because you were a cold vicious reptile with no legs and crawls all over the ground like a worm. And hisses a lot. Did I mention the hissing?"

"..."

"Ok, I guess I'm going to have to leave that alone and shut up."

"You're getting smarter gaki. You're still as dull as a training kunai, but some improvements are being made. It's nice to see."

"So yeah, anyways, what are we doing here in the south east?"

"Remember how I promised to bring you on an assassination mission, well, here we are."

Naruto grew excited. _Oh hell yeah!_ "Ok, so who is the target?"

"A Mist missing nin by the name of Ito Kasumi. She is quite the piece of work, but then again, most of them are to make it into the Bingo Book. Here, have a copy." He tossed a small black book to the boy, who caught it and started to flick through the pages.

Naruto just frowned. "Isn't a bit odd for a village to admit to one of their own being traitors to the world?"

'Mi' frowned and then shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, in a way, but any acts done by a nukenin will not usually used be as a justification for a conflict. Usually anyways, its touch and go with these things."

"Wouldn't that encourage the kage's to place people into their books and use them to strike out against hostiles while staying clean?"

"Yep, it's been done before. But it takes a certain desperate someone to be willing to risk their honour and dignity to become a faux nukenin. It happens, and it is up to the ANBU Intelligence to smoke out these people so we target and eliminate them first."

"Most nukenins struggle to survive as the Hunter nins want their bodies, and they will kill them to get it. Ok, that was a poor joke. I am sure you know of the potential secrets that each body holds and villages retrieve bodies to make sure they stay a secret. But these NOC nukenins don't have anything to fear from their ANBU. They just have to worry about bounty hunters and other nukenins."

"In fact, there is great satisfaction in dragging the head of those NOC's back to the enemy village to collect the bounty. Usually we go to a check station to do so, but sometimes for NOC's, we make an exception."

"Ah, I see. Still, it seems to be a bit... pointless."

"In some ways it is. But remember, this is valuable information in your hands. Study it well, you never know when these people might pop up. And they are worth a pretty penny that is not worth scoffing at. You can treat Yugito to some lacy lingerie. I hear chicks dig that shit..."

"... I hate you. Why, why did you have to tell her that?"

"Fuck, you should be thanking me, you got the chance to check out Yugito wearing next to nothing without her peeking on her and getting the shit kicked out of you. Hell, if I was a few years younger –"

"Just a few?!" Naruto spluttered incredulously.

"Ok, fine, maybe a decade... and a half. Anyways, what was the point?"

"... You're a paedophile aren't you?"

"No, that's Orochimaru. Man, was Sai really right about you all along? Are you really dickless? I know your young and all, but haven't you ever been curious?"

"Hey, I resent that!"

"Whatever. Anyways, we don't have good intel on this kunoichi so we need to go and find someone that does. There is this village on the border of Mist that 'Ne' uses once in a while. Whatever happens, let me do the talking and don't speak ok.

"What, why!?"

"These guys are pretty rough. And they are pretty dodgy. You'll see."

Pretty dodgy was an understatement. They looked like Yakuza wannabes clad in gaudy tattoos and cheap jewellery who met them in a bar. Naruto and 'Mi' were in their civvies, their 'Ne' gear sealed away to protect their anonymity. Naruto disliked them straight away, especially at the way they sneered at him. In fact, the entire town looked like a dive that hadn't seen good times in a few generations. People were depressed and downtrodden, with no commerce or anything that he could see.

"Ah, so it's you again, you bastard! Take a seat, have a drink!"

'Mi' politely declined. "Sorry, no can do, time is running short and I need some intel now."

"Oh come on, it would be very rude of you to reject my generous offer. We wouldn't take too kindly to it, would we boys?"

Naruto just sweatdropped. _What the hell?! Damned wannabe gangsters._

'Mi' just gave a grim smile before the leader just laughed like he had made a great joke.

"Hahahahahaha, relax, I was just kidding. Come on, we are all friends here. Tell you what, why don't I have two girls make it up to you." He made a gesture, placing up two fingers from his right hand and made a waving motion. A short time later two girls came up towards them, who all shared a resemblance and Naruto guessed that they were sisters. They had chains across their necks that left dark purple bruises on it. Their arms were in no better position. Naruto just tightened his fists and made a move towards his zanpukuto, but was intercepted by 'Mi', his eyes warning him to stay cool.

Naruto struggled to contain himself.

"Show these gentlemen a good time wont you, my girls. Make a man out of that boy in particular. He looks like he needs to relax. Hahahhahahah."

Naruto wondered how far a person could come to dying without actually crossing over. He guessed that the bastard in front of him was itching towards the record. One that he was more than happy to help him break.

'Mi' tried to decline, "Really, as much as we would love to spend some time with these lovely ladies, we have to find Ito first."

"What's the matter?! You decline my sake, you decline my women. Is there a problem 'Mi'? I'm getting the feeling that you are only using me for one thing only... and that is no way to treat a friend. You aren't gay are you? Because I don't deal with faggots."

Naruto could see the revulsion on 'Mi's' face at the thought of being friends with him, but he affected a smile and nodded. "Give us two rooms then."

The gangster boss just waved and said, "Oh, the ladies here will show you where to go. We will talk later. Have fun," he said lasciviously.

Naruto was taken to a spare room located on the second floor of the inn. It was small, cramped and not particularly clean. The cheap mattress on the floor took up most of the space on the floor. Naruto was getting distressed about the whole situation, and finally had a good look at the girl next to him.

She was pretty, he couldn't deny that. She had long brown hair, high cheekbones and chocolate eyes. Her body was pretty nice, being a nice balance between curve and willowiness. If he had to guess, she would be about Ayame's age, if not a bit older. But what struck him were her eyes. They were like dead pools that didn't seem to care if they lived or died. Naruto was familiar enough with that, he felt the same after his birth mother left him all those years ago.

The girl started to strip, removing her yukata in a mechanical and methodical manner. He then saw the true extent of abuse on her body. The 'love marks' all over her breasts and thighs, bruises that formed near perfect indentations of a clenched first on her wrists and ankles... He looked away in embarrassment. The girl thought that she repulsed him, and she couldn't blame him. She would have taken her life is she could, but that was something that was denied to her.

_I don't want to do this._

_**You better not Naruto, not if you have any respect for her or for yourself.**_

_**And you forget, you are mine. No one will have the first bite of the cherry but me. **_

Naruto just had to ask softly, "What is your name?"

"Why do you care? It's not like you are going to remember it, or do anything with it..."

"Where are your parents?"

"Dead, I think. Or at least I hope so. My father was an alcoholic who thought that he was the god of gamblers. So much that he bet his two daughters on a hand that he lost. My mother just stood back and watched them take us."

"H-How long ago was that?"

"Who knows, time doesn't mean anything to you when you are used like a dumping ground for some guy's come."

Naruto flinched, which was noticed by the girl, but she just shrugged. She had lost her capacity to care for other people some time ago.

"So are you going to do this or not?" She took off the covering and lay back on the mattress, spreading her legs wide and waited for it to happen. Naruto was disgusted at how easily she was accepting her situation. He grabbed her yukata, covered her up before taking her shoulders and shook her.

"How can you do this!? How can you accept this?!" he asked with a growing sense of horror.

"What else can I do?" she said softly, not wanting to meet the compassion on his cerulean eyes. "If I run away, they will kill my sister. If we both try, they will find us and punish us some more. No one is going to help us, our parents don't care. They probably are making more children to gamble off as we speak." She gave a bitter laugh over that. "Are you going to be the one that saves us?"

_Kami, why don't I just kill them all and bri__ng you back to Konoha?_

'_**Mi' had his reasons, he is not an intentionally cruel man.**_

Naruto just focused on the void that resided deep inside of him. He found that it was a great way for him to control his emotions, and right now he was full of righteous anger. He imagined any of his precious people being used and abused like this girl was, and he knew that he would lose it if that ever happened. He focused it on his hands and gently ran it over her bruises.

She shivered as she felt the reiatsu flow over her wounds, a slight chill that soon settled to nothing as the bruises disappeared in front of her eyes. She was amazed, some of those were a few months old. Naruto had a blush on his face as he realised that he would have to touch some of her more intimate areas to fully heal her. He closed his eyes and spoke softly.

"I need you to guide my hands ok?"

Amused by the regard that he had for her privacy, she just took his hand and guided it to the parts that needed attention. The feeling of reiatsu was intense upon her erogenous zones, the chill trailing delightfully across her skin. And all too soon her body was as blemish free as it was all those years ago.

Naruto then turned away while passing her robe back to her. She put it on while waiting for him to do something.

_So, what now? Does he want to fuck me only when I'm not damaged?_

Again, Naruto had to ask the question softly. "What is your name?"

"Why do you care?" she asked, equally pensive.

"Because I can." He turned to face her. "Because I have people close to me that I wouldn't want in your position. Please, tell me your name so I remember you."

His voice showed nothing but sincerity in his words. And she was inclined to tell him. _Oh why the hell not._

"Ayumi, my name is Ayumi."

The blond smiled while taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. He knew that he shouldn't do it, violating all sorts of protocols, but right now he couldn't care less.

"Call me Naruto."

For the first time in a long time, a genuine smile appeared on her face. In his opinion, it made her look all that more radiant to him. Ayumi was struck by how virtuous the boy actually was. She had met others who had no qualms about screwing her quickly and without remorse. Hell, there were boys younger than him who would have dived at the opportunity of an easy lay.

"You know, you are going to have to fuck me sooner or later. You really pissed him off, and he has a peeking hole in the rooms to check what happens. He does hate homosexuals for some reason; I guess it must be some sort of gangster thing."

_Peaking hole eh, nothing a little genjutsu can't fix._ Naruto just examined for any significant chakra signatures around him. He could only find 'Mi' who was casting an active genjutsu as well. For some reason that made Naruto feel much better towards his mentor. He decided to pull reiatsu into his eyes and sawl a dark pit that looked vaguely man shaped in the corner of a wall. He hid his disgust as he channelled his chakra into the voyeurs mind, giving him the peep show of a century. He wasn't that skilled in the art, but against a civilian there was no contest really, not when they had no defences against his incursions.

"Don't need to worry. It's all sorted."

She kind of felt hurt about that. He was a bona fide nice guy and he wouldn't even touch her. Hell, she would have preferred him to the cold touch of her habitual rapists.

"What, don't you want to fuck me? I'm not clean enough for you?" She failed to repress a sigh. "I don't really blame you, hell, if I was a guy I wouldn't –"

_Oh fuck no, why do I always seem to attract the damaged ones?_

Naruto felt compelled to comfort her in some way, before she could continue with her words. The situation was all too surreal for the boy. He could accept killing, spying and sabotage. But this, this was wrong. It was wrong on a level that just repulsed him. It was an evil that delighted in breaking a person down, dehumanising them and their worth and crushing any sense of hope that they had. And worse yet was the resignation in Ayumi's voice.

_People are not things dammit! If we can't choose anything, then what is the point?_

_Did I ever have a choice? Or was I just chosen and no one bothered to stop the Fourth? Another acceptable loss... Did Yugito choose to be a jinchuuriki, did Anko with her seal, Neji or Setsuna with the juin jutsu? Did any of us ever have a choice? Kami... did anyone bother to look out for us? Are we just names to those people, or even worse, just things that they can screw with?_

_Because if no one did, then I guess it us up to us to make a difference. To grow strong enough to tell those who want to use us to get fucked. And to protect those who try, but cannot... _

With that sudden realisation, Naruto just stared at her and placed his hands gently over her shoulders.

"I don't want to do it because it just wouldn't mean anything to you or me."

"What do you mean?"

"I have just met you, I like to think that we should wait until we are friends before we do that."

She gave a hollow laugh. "We are not going to see each other again. Why don't you give me some good memories before you leave?" She started to stroke his whiskers, wanting to know that this wasn't some sort of fond memory that would disappear the next day.

His eyes hardened until they were veritable glaciers. "Stay alive Ayumi. Promise me that. One day I will come back for you."

She just gave a sad grin in return. "Many people have said that to me."

"Those people were not me. When I make a promise, I mean it. That is my nindo."

She was disinclined to believe the words of a thirteen year old boy who could not have possibly seen or experienced as much horror as she had. But there was something about him, which radiated a sense of comfort and determination that stopped her. That inspired something deep inside of her that she thought was lost the day her parents used her to extinguish their debts along with her sister. She let her iron clad cynicism relax for a few moments and gave a brittle smile in return.

"I guess I will be waiting then."

Naruto nodded at that, looking oh so serious for his age. She gave an involuntary chuckle before she lay back.

"C- Could you do me a favour?"

"What?"

"Hold me?" she asked softly. "I'm so sick of being alone for these three years..."

And Naruto couldn't find it in his heart to say no. He went up behind her and placed his arms over her waist, before leaning forward. It was an odd scene, the smaller child embracing a woman who looked pathetically grateful for it. Yet for Ayumi, it was the first time in her memory that she felt safe and secure. She knew that it wouldn't last, no matter how desperately she wished it to be. In all likelihood he would forget about her and they would never meet each other again.

But she would remember how a boy cared enough to give her some kind words and refused to take advantage of her, even if she wouldn't have minded it. She just sighed to herself.

_I guess I can do nothing but wait, but will you come for me? Will you really?_

Naruto hated not being able to do anything beyond a nebulous promise that he might only be able to make good on in the future, leaving her in the hands of those monsters. And 'Mi' had better have a good reason to why it was necessary to let them live. This was probably the angriest that he had ever been in his life and he wanted to vent it in a loud and painful manner...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They left the inn a few hours later with the information.

Naruto stopped and asked the question that had been haunting him all those hours.

"Why!"

'Mi' just sighed, before turning to face the boy. He knew that a confrontation was necessary, but that didn't mean that he wanted to be the one to explain the harsh reality of the Elemental Nations to the boy. He would have left Danzo to do it, but he had the sneaking suspicion that the wily old man had played it so he would be dumped with the responsibility.

"Naruto, as much as I would have loved to beat the shit out of that bastard and burn out his entire operations, he serves a purpose."

"He's a fucking monster! He doesn't deserve to live!"

"Oh, I agree. He is a motherfucking scum bag who I will be happy to send to the Shinigami, but he just needs to wait his turn." The older man just sighed. "He serves a function, he is an asset that finds all sorts of information that we need to protect Konoha."

"What he does outside of us doesn't really matter."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?!"

"It doesn't directly affect Konoha." He said simply.

Naruto was shocked silent. He refused to accept such an explanation. "But, but how can we let them get away with it?! Why are we protecting them?"

"We are not protecting them. Hell, if anyone is really to blame, blame the Mizukage."

"What?"

"Long story short, a bloody civil war is still going on thanks to the Mizukage, their Daimyo and the shinobi caught between. Law and order is pretty much non existent and things were going downhill since Momochi Zabuza failed to assassinate the paranoid son of a bitch. And when a civil war comes, the only people that suffer are the innocent, people like Ayumi and Miku."

"If you live as long as I have, and seen the shit that I have seen, you realise that you can't help everyone Naruto. There will always be problems, and if you let them, people will try to pass on their responsibilities to you, making you their saviour. Their martyr."

"Those sisters did nothing to deserve the things that are happening to them," Naruto seethed.

"Probably, but for the greater good, we can't do anything about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Besides the satisfaction from killing him, we loose out on an asset. We then have to find an asset who is not guaranteed to be as good as him. In fact, killing him just might ensure that a worse person takes up his position."

"But you don't know that!"

"Trust me gaki, I've been doing this for a long time. I've done it all before, and it never, ever ends up in the way that we want it to." A haunted look appeared on 'Mi's' eyes that silenced him.

"It's fucked up for sure, but if only a few suffer while we protect the whole of Konoha… And the nukenin is a bigger concern to us, we need to stop her incursions into Hi no Kuni and conducting their own defacto slave trade. If we do it using cost and benefit analysis, then this decision is the correct one."

"I-I don't think that I can accept that. Why can't we just rescue them?"

"Because he would be suspicious and might give us faulty intel in the future. And remember, most genjutsu's can't erase years unless you are intimately familiar with their thought processes. I can't do it, neither can you. In fact, it wouldn't last long enough anyways, if they don't have an inherent chakra supply to self reinforce the genjutsu matrix layered over theirs."

"..."

"It's hard, but that's life kid."

Naruto just walked off, lost in his thoughts. 'Mi' hoped that this wouldn't change things. _Oh who the hell am I kidding? Things have changed and will never be the same again. Maybe you can finally understand..._

"Naruto, we do what we do so that people like Ayame will never be placed in the position that those two girls are in. Can you understand that?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks. "But, how can we leave them behind if we are working with the very things that we are trying to stop?"

_That's a good question. And I don't have a good answer for you. _

_**End flashback**_

"Anyway Kurenai-sempai, I was wondering if you could give me some help with a jutsu that I had just thought of."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Something I want to call… _Orioke no Jutsu_!"

_Ok, maybe he is just a hormonal teenager after all. _

"I'm not letting you see me naked Naruto-kun…". Hinata was getting decidedly angry and possessive as the blond continued.

"N-No! I just wanted some ideas, you know, what makes a women beautiful and all that."

"Aren't you a man Naruto?"she asked amusedly.

"Well, I figured I would get your opinion on it. You should know, right?" he finished lamely.

"Are you trying to say that I'm a lesbian?" Kurenai didn't know whether to be shocked, offended or complemented at that remark.

_Crap, this isn't going so well._

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
Military Police Tenement**_

Meetings. They were getting to be the death of him. He didn't know whether to curse his brother, or thank him for appointing him as the commander of the Konoha's police force. As it settled out, he thought that the latter would be the better option.

It had been nearly a year since the appointment of the Hyuuga to operate in the capacity that the Uchiha's had fulfilled for nearly one hundred years. It was daunting the say the least, but at least he had support through Hiashi and Uchiha Mikoto. There were a few initial teething problems, but they were all settled and corrected, giving the ANBU much needed relief from such duties. The public initially were a bit sceptical of their utility as policemen, which lead to a brief spike in criminal activity before the Hyuuga's laid down the law.

People didn't realise the investigative power that the Byakugan gave its wielders. Come on, they could see through walls and lip-read. Well, they could all lip-read now courtesy of Mikoto. Trivial issues such as barriers meant nothing to them. And for those who doubted the potency of the New Jyuuken got a painful introduction to its modified form. The only problem now was to establish a set of cells for those not dangerous enough to be placed in the ANBU holding grounds.

And they were intimidating, those lavender eyed justiciars who patrolled in teams of three and kept in constant radio contact. And with the Byakugan fully activated, even shinobi knew better than to resist.

And thankfully for him, Maito Gai had a new target that was only tangentially related to him. He had found a new genin team that he could torture into oblivion. It was... unfortunate that his son was part of that group, but he figured that it would be character building, or something. So the screams of youthfulness pretty much only came in at odd occurrences when the jounin thought up of new techniques that could be useful to the MP's.

But there were days when the administrative work pilled up. The Hokage had demanded that they keep an accurate record of incidents and arrests. The Professor was quite big on the use of statistics to monitor crime in his village, along with other information that might be useful to the ANBU Intelligence corp. It just meant more work for them, recording every single assault and theft that they caught. Thankfully people had learnt the painful lesson of a Jyuuken strike to their solar plexus to stop violating their Criminal Code so flagrantly.

Luckily Hizashi experienced the pleasure only known to superior officers: delegation of authority. In theory he had to chair the meeting, but all matters were dealt with by his vice, he was just there to give his authority to the proceedings, as nominal as it may have been.

"Ok, that is all for prior business. The floor is open for news and suggestions."

Hyuuga Setsuna decided to speak up. "I vote that we have a formal uniform."

"Absolutely."

"I agree"

"It just goes without saying."

Hizashi raised his eyebrows, but they had a point. Too many people in Konoha still thought they were doing errands because they were dressed in their normal Branch member robes. It didn't exactly inspire authority and most of them were dismissive of their requests to stand down. Having a new uniform would reverse that and create an image that might one day equal or surpass that of their fallen Uchiha cousins.

"How many sets would we require?" he asked his vice.

The man checked the records. "Apparently we have one hundred and twenty on the books, with about eighty on full time service. That means at least one hundred sets-"

"Multiplied by at least four."

"Four?!"

She just nodded as if he was asking a stupid question. "We can't wear the same thing every day without washing them can we? Four lets us rotate it once a day and all that. Then we need to go on about sizes, colours, styles..."

_Oh hell no, I'm not getting involved in this._

"Alright, Setsuna, as the commander I appoint you to set up a group to look into the feasibility, design and costings of the new uniform. Understood?"

She stood up and gave him a mock salute, "Yes sir!"

She remained standing as a seemingly new idea struck her.

"And I also propose that we go on a recruiting drive. In our new uniforms. And with Naruto-kun as well, dressed up in one of our uniforms!"

"Absolutely."

"I agree."

"It just goes without saying..."

_Kami, when did Setsuna have her own bunch of yes men__ and women? Wait, why don't I have my own bunch of yes men and women?! I'm Hyuuga Hizashi dammit!_

"Err, get the design and costing done first. Then we can decide on that other matter."

His words didn't seem to reach his audience at all. They were all off in fantasies that involved a blond jinchuuriki being dressed by them into a 'uniform'.

He just sighed. _Perverts, the whole lot of them._

But he gave them all a fond grin_. But they are my perverts. It is amazing at how much this freedom has liberated them from their former selves... This is the strength of the Branch house. Given the chance, we can shine and are capable of better things than ... custom dictates._

He just sat back and waited for their spell to end.

_Naruto, you lucky bastard. You have no idea of how busy you will be when you hit puberty. I'm just glad that my wife doesn't fantasise about you..._

_Wait, she better not have any fantasies about a thirteen year old kid! Damned shotacon..._

* * *

_**Konoha  
Hyuuga Complex  
Residential quarters  
Uzumaki Naruto's room**_

_Kyuu, I need your help._

_**I'm listening.**_

_Can you help me permanently mind wipe Yuugao? I can't do it myself._

_**What happened to telling her the truth about the good that 'Ne' does?**_

_... I'm not sure that is so true anymore._

_**Hmm, no.**_

_Nani?! What did you say?_

_**No?**_

_**I wonder kit, how much do you want this? What are you willing to give to me to save her life?**_

_Why not?__!_

_**Time to lie.**_

_**You made a mistake Naruto, and if you don't learn from it, what good will it do if I bail you out of it**__**? Not that I'm sure that I could do what you want in the first place.**_

_Don't screw with me on this one Kyuu! This is her life that we are talking about here!_

_**Convince me otherwise Naruto, that she is worth it. What is she worth to you?**_

_Is that what it has come down to?! You want something from me, don't you? Well, what is it?!__ I thought that we were friends!_

_**I'm doing this because you don't realise that all actions have consequences. And that life is too short for mistakes to be made. You made a mistake, and Yuugao is the one that will be the one to pay for it**_

_No! I can't let that happen! Help dammit, or so kami help me, I will – _

_**What, what will you do Naruto? What can you do to a voice in your head? I am your zanpukuto, you can't really threaten me, be very careful kit.**_

_**And I hope you stay ignorant of all the facts about your true powers. Might as well make the best of it.**_

Naruto was quickly getting nervous and breaking down.

_You, you bitch! How could you do this to me, when I need your help? How could you put a price on Yuugao's head?_

_**He's hooked, time to real him in.**_

_**I didn't. You did, when you decided to double cross 'Ne'.**_

He forcibly created his mindscape and confronted her. They were on the beach again, the swell just hitting their feet as Naruto stared down at the Kyuubi with his seemingly impotent anger. She was surprised that he could visualise their surroundings so quickly, and especially at how angry he was. He stormed up to her and grabbed her shoulders.

_Dammit, you will help me with this or –_

Before he could finish, he was knocked off his feat and placed into a head lock. He struggled but received a blow to his solar plexus for his troubles. No matter how docile she had seemed in the past, Naruto had forgotten how powerful she was in his mind. For all intensive purposes, this was the zanpukuto's domain and she was the queen that ruled.

_**Calm down Naru-kun, just calm down.**_

He wanted to do nothing more than get even angrier, in a childish attempt to spite her at any opportunity.

She made soothing motions as she held him close to her chest, slowly and lovingly stroking his hair and all the insecurity and fear broke him down.

_**Perfect.**_

_Please, please help me_. His voice sounded so lost that the Kyuubi felt pity, a fairly alien emotion that she had only felt vaguely when she saw Kushina trying to kill her host.

_**Why do you think that Danzo will have her killed? Her death will be suspicious to the Hokage if she is his agent.**_

_They will pick it up, sooner or later. And those identification tattoos are not just for show. They help register feelings that 'Karasu' reports upon.__ If she gets it on her skin... I can't keep shielding her as 'Rei' for very much longer. It has been nearly six months since it has happened, anything further than a surface scan will reveal the truth..._

_**Errr Naruto-kun, they are all shinobi. **__**Being deceitful is part of the job description.**_

_True, but it picks up on associations of betrayal with 'Ne'. It's invasive and you can protect me from it, but if Yuugao gets initiated then they will discover that her mind has been restored. And an 'accident' will occur._

_**That's pretty far fetched Naruto. They can't just kill her like that. **_

_It might be_, he said in a small voice. _But I don't want to take the risk._

_More importantly, I want her to be happy, not used like a pawn between the Hokage and Danzo. She deserves to be an ANBU captain, to reach her dream. This isn't going to happen if she stays like this._

_Some other NOC ANBU can take her place. 'Ne' can screw around with them as much as they want._

_**Well, I will help you, on some conditions.**_

_Like?_ His voice had a trace of enthusiasm and wariness in it.

_**Another two tails of power, **_

_Which brings it back to four_, Naruto thought.

_**And I want ten favours.**_

_Favours, what kind?_

_**I will ask you for something, and you will do it for me. Not complaints, no objections, nothing like that. And it is anything I want. **_

_But, but ten!? How about five?_

_**Five if you give me another tail.**_

_**Figure that I can get him to give all my tails back and have one wish to spare.**_

_How can I be sure that you can help me first?_

_**When have I ever gone back on my word?**_

_Well, not yet._

She growled, seemingly offended.

_Ok, never. But what can you do?_

_**Kitsune have a remarkable ability to completely change a person's perception of time and space. Hell, it's only rivalled by a few genjutsus that are all bloodlimits anyways, so I can pretty much convince both Yuugao and Danzo to drop the matter. And reinforced with a bit of logic, then I can use pretty much two tails of power to fully and utterly rewrite events so that no human can ever find a trace.**_

_**But, are you willing to give me what I want...**_

_... three wishes._

_**What?**_

_Three wishes and bring your power back to five tails._

She sighed. _**That's not how things are going to work kit.**_

_If you don't help me, then I guess I have to find someone else that can._

_**And who will you ask? The best genjutsu user left in Konoha are Kurenai and Mikoto. And they won't take the news that you are part of a paramilitary group lightly**_**.**

_Hmm, Kisuke-sempai might be able to help-_

_**Oh crap, better shut this one down quickly.**_

_**You might ask, but why would he help you? I'm sure he has bigger things to worry about and he would also want something in return. I think you forget that he was the one that helped seal me into you. I don't see why you are so friendly towards the man. He helped screw both of our lives up.**_

Naruto stopped at that. He didn't ever really think about it in that way. Kisuke just had a way about him that made you relax your defences. And the fact that he was the first person to really help him and introduce him to Kyuu made him feel indebted towards the blond shinigami.

But Kyuu was right. He was the one that helped start the road to hell...

_**Woah, this is working out better than I had expected.**_

_**He probably didn't think that the hero of Konoha would be spat upon like they did, so he probably doesn't deserve all the blame. But still, you better be careful kit.**_

_**But still, you are young and making mistakes is what you do. I agree to your terms.**_

_And for the promises, you can't do anything like ask for more tails or more promises._

_**Hell, you catch on quick.**_

_What can I say?_ He looked up to her and grinned. _I had a good teacher._

_**I never expected that to bite me in the ass. Fine my little death god, I'll play for now, its probably the best offer I will get all year...**__**and you only stay young for so long. So bet it. **_

_Agreed._

* * *

_**Konoha  
**_'_**Ne' Headquarters**_

'Mi' and Danzo were sitting in front of the fireplace in Danzo's office. It was a rather useless affection, because if the thing was ever fired the smoke would just flood the office as it didn't have a chimney stack. When questioned as to why he didn't have an electric or chakra powered one instead, Danzo just shrugged and said it reminded him of the good ol days.

The two of them were nursing tumblers of cognac as they both mulled about the successes over the last few years. The men had been working together for years, and had developed a good working relationship. They were not friends by any stretch of the word, but that was not required at all. Danzo respected 'Mi's' competence and skill, while the assassin respected the older mans organisational and political acumen. The fact that he was paid more than comparative ANBU members was a nice bonus.

Danzo took a sip and felt the hard liquor burning its way down his throat. He really did miss that sensation as it settled pleasantly in his stomach. He asked his operative a question quietly. "How did he take it?"

"Well, he wasn't happy about it." He replied, a frown on his face.

"Will he remain loyal though?"

"...maybe, but all things equal, he still is only thirteen. He understands on an abstract level that we live in a nasty world. He just didn't know how bad it really was until now." 'Mi' gave a grimace. "More importantly, who is he actually loyal to in the first place? You, 'Ne' or Konoha?"

"They shouldn't be mutually exclusive." Danzo pointed out wryly.

"Well, sure, in a perfect world. In such a world we would all hold hands and form daisy chains and put the litigators out of business. And shinobi. There would be no one left that wants to fight."

The bandaged man snorted. "Yes, and Orochimaru will repent his sins, join some sort of convent and let his victims take their pound of flesh. Hell, I might even get a chance with Tsunade in the sack."

"Woah boss, you're feeling awfully open today, what happened?"

He turned pensive at that. "Naruto is becoming, well, rebellious. Not totally unexpected, but he does have one hell of a fine mind when he bothers to use it. He managed to convince me to let Uzuki Yuugao go so she could rejoin the ANBU and let another take her place."

"What made you agree to that?"

"Good question. She had the Sandaime's ears so her reports would have had greater credence that coming from some other agent, but still, Naruto made some good points."

"We have been successful, maybe too successful. We are meant to be the patch on the raincoat. But it seems that we have sprawled and grown large, large enough to actually be the original raincoat."

"That's just exaggeration now..."

"Well, yes, maybe," he admitted. "Holding such a fine operator like Yuugao back would have been a waste, especially of the coming darkness."

"What do you mean?"

Danzo grew pensive as he stared into his tumbler. "Orochimaru has formed a new village."

"Where?"

"To our northern borders, he calls it Otogakure, the village hidden in sound."

"That, is bad news..."

"No kidding. Konoha needs as many operatives in tip top shape as it can. That bastard is not going to let go of his hate towards the Sandaime and our village. Another one of his failings come to haunt us. How many times do we have to bare our throats to those bastards?"

"Any intel?"

"ANBU double agents have said that Jiraiya is investigating, though the worth of such things is, well, debatable. There is probably some sort of task force, but I doubt that we can rest on those laurels."

"What do you propose then?"

"We prepare Naruto for the coming darkness. Pull out everything to make him our own miniature Namikaze Minato, along with Nii Yugito. There is a reason why we were rationing out the training."

'Mi's' eyebrows widened. "So the rumours are true..."

"Yes, yes they are. Hell, keeping it quiet may be the only thing that I agreed with when Sarutobi decided to keep it a secret. But the physical resemblance is remarkable; add to the fact that Kushina was his mother. It didn't take a genius to make an assumption that was the truth..."

Danzo grew contemplative. "It wasn't like their relationship wasn't well known. They weren't married, but hell, they were defacto's at the very least. I guess it was plausible that Kushina took the child on as an act of penance for what Minato did to Naruto. She was that kind of person, but hell, she abandoned her responsibilities thoroughly enough."

"I'm sure the villagers think that the Kyuubi changed his features to the Yondaime's to eternally mock us." 'Mi' said dryly.

"Of course. Any way to assuage their guilt..."

"Wait, you have been rationing the training haven't you?"

"Err... yes?"

"Dammit, the whole point is to keep them somewhat reliant on us for kami's sake!"

"Oh relax, the deadliest thing that Naruto knows is the explosive clone technique. I have been saving the better things for later. Yugito has been quite restricted with what we have been giving her as well. Oh yeah, nice work with assigning Naruto as her trainer. Besides your inherent meddling and matchmaking tendencies, it let us observe her until we are more confident about her loyalty. And she has the basic skills, but nothing more."

"What can you tell me about her?" asked Danzo.

"She probably loves Naruto and will be loyal to him. She just likes to express it in a very violent manner, which apparently is quite normal for girls these days. Or so 'Hebi' says, but I'm not so sure. I remember girls making guys lunches as a sign of affection, letters as well. Plus a kiss and quick grope if we were lucky. A kick to the groin was always more of a 'get away from me you clueless loser' signal than the 'let me bear your babies for the rest of our natural lives' one that you would think that she wants to send out."

Danzo chuckled. "We are dinosaurs aren't we?"

"No kidding." The operator was struck with another thought. "Won't Sarutobi send more agents in to investigate 'Ne'?"

"Probably, though we can mind wipe them again to say the appropriate things. He will probably confirm, and we can root them out well enough. But with Orochimaru back in the picture, he has other things to be worried about. Getting back on track, how did the mission turn out?"

"Well, the target was neutralised. In fact the only other good thing that came out of it was that Naruto has a greater appreciation for Konoha and the way things are done here."

"And the kill?" he seemed quite intent on the details.

'Mi' didn't question it too deeply; he guessed that Danzo liked to live vicariously. He couldn't blame the man; the loss of a limb and an eye was a harsh loss. The loss of autonomy would have grated on the man whose star was on its ascent before everything went down south so very quickly. The thrill, excitement and satisfaction of being on active duty were things that could not quite be explained to anyone who had not experienced it before. "Well enough. The intel was good enough, we found her little base camp and confronted her. Naruto provided the distractions with the _Bakuretsu kage bunshins_ while I got in close and finished her off with my bladework. I swear, the kid is a monster with those exploding clones."

His eyes then closed in reflection. "We freed the slaves so that they could go back and find their families in a broken nation, probably to only find themselves in a similar situation a few months into the future." 'Mi' observed quite cynically.

The scarred man shrugged somewhat callously. "That is not our problem. Hell, a destabilised Hidden Mist can only work to our benefit. Incursions into Hi no Kuni will not be tolerated, but if the Mizukage can't bring order to his country, then he doesn't deserve the title."

"They can be very useful allies. They did have one of the most vicious training programs in the world."

"Which horrified the Sandaime; there is no way in hell that he would ever adopt it. Hell, it is a senseless and vicious waste. A child's potential at the age of twelve is not a great indicator of their future prowess. It's ironic that their greatest success in Momochi Zabuza made them realise the tragic waste over countless generations."

"But one day, far into the future it may be, they will put the pieces back together. Or we can annex them when the next Hokage is elected. Maybe a protectorate or something similar... Or an alliance would be useful with those vicious ninja."

"I guess we could lend tacit support to one of the factions," Danzo mused. "Which one would remain the question. Who will be grateful enough for our aid that they will remember it in the future? All of them seem to be blood crazed idiots who are willing to see their own nation drowning in blood to satisfy their need for power..."

'Mi' just shrugged. "Get someone on the case. If not allies, then they hopefully will be reminded that Konohagakure is not to be fucked with. It's like the lesson you taught me, and which you tried to teach Naruto. Maybe I should say that you are trying still."

"Our allies are nothing more than that. They will never, ever be our friends. We live in a messed up world where friend and enemies are labels that toss and turn with the wind. We will fight one day with one nation and might declare war on them the next. Hell, it's better than them doing the same to us. We tolerate their presence at the very least. But sometimes we need to do deals with the devil to get things done. This was one of the few times. It certainly won't be the last."

"This is the world we live in, such as it is. Oh yeah, and fuck you for making me the one to explain it all to him."

Danzo just smirked before taking another sip. "I had my reasons. It was probably better that it did come from you rather than me. You enjoy a level of trust that is only given from student to sensei."

"Whatever, you just wanted to avoid answering any uncomfortable questions, bastard..."

The older man chuckled before growing serious.

"Keep a close eye on him."

"Wilco."

* * *

_**Konoha  
Shinobi Academy  
Graduation Day**_

_**So, what part are you going to fail this year?**_

_I don't know. Probably the bunshin no jutsu. I still can't seem to get it quite right._

_**Yes, they look like desiccated corpses begging to be killed off. You should be the poster boy for **__**legalised euthanasia.**_

_Thanks, I think..._

_**No charge kit.**_

He tuned out the rest of the day. Training had begun to intensify with his tutors, with 'Mi' introducing him to his female counterpart 'Hebi'. For some reason she seemed to recognise Yugito which made him slightly paranoid. He got the feeling that she liked him a lot, but could not remember ever doing anything for her to warrant it. He mentally shrugged it off. Elemental chakra training was stalling because of the whimsical nature of wind and his attempts to use it were severely limited unless they could get some decent jutsu's for him to exercise. He was limited to some really basic C grade ninjutsu that were ok, but any decent enemy could avoid them.

He noticed a distinct improvement in his learning curve, especially through the use of the kage bunshin. Yugito was jealous and called him a cheater. That led to an exchange of words that made him glad that he bought the steel version of the groin guard that neatly broke her foot when she lashed out. He healed her afterwards to mollify her anger, but he could never quite get a decent reading on his fellow jinchuuriki. She was still as of yet unable to access the Nekomata's power, which was puzzling to all involved. Naruto had the oddest idea that Kyuu was staying strangely silent, but for self preservation purposes he also offered nothing on the matter.

"Ah, ah, good luck Naruto-kun." He turned and found Hinata giving him some hopeful looks.

"Ah, same to you Hina-chan. I'm sure you will pass this easy, I mean you are pretty much top of the class."

Which was the kami honest truth. Her confidence had gone right up thanks to Kurenai and Naruto's efforts, letting her take second place after Haruno Sakura. How that happened was just the way things were scored in the Academy, and Naruto knew that if he ever needed a kunoichi to watch his back he would probably kill Sakura (or knock her unconscious), strap her to his back as fodder while asking Hinata for help.

That was how much he liked her.

The day passed pretty much as it always did for the last three years. Naruto's aim with kunai and shuriken had taken massive leaps after getting Ten Ten to help him out. He actually managed to understand things such as trajectories, wind resistance and parabolic flight paths so he could actually form patterns on his target, as opposed to just hitting it.

The taijutsu test managed to be a disappointment, where he was paired up with Shikamaru who just gave up than actually fight. Naruto just sweatdropped before shrugging.

And the time came for the ninjutsu test. The deal breaker that separated children playing ninja to, well, children playing ninja who could actually use chakra, poorly.

_Hmm, henge and bunshin. Useful and all, but should I really give it a shot? I mean, Hinata is in this class, so I would hopefully be paired with her in a team; and Kurenai has been promoted to a jounin sensei... but then again, there is Sasuke, Ino and Sakura..._

He gave a quick apologetic look to Hinata. _I'm sorry, but it looks like our paths split up from here. You have done well, and I'm sure you won't have any problems._

"Naruto,YOU FAIL!!"

Just like a metronome. Feeling bad at seemingly abandoning his friend, he merely shrugged before taking off to the swings. Hinata was utterly confused as to how he could have possibly failed with all his talent. Hell, he was the rookie of their entire generation from their sparring sessions alone. She knew that he was holding back on all of them.

_Just why are you hiding Naru-kun?_

As Naruto sat back and saw the rest of the children around him being embraced and congratulated by their parents, he wondered how things would have turned out if he desperately wanted to become a genin and attention from Konoha.

_Man, I would have taken on any offer no matter how stupid or suspicious it would have been._

"Hey Naruto, I think that Iruka-sensei was a bit harsh on you. I mean, you have been here for three years so I guess I can do you a favour. How about I tell you a little secret?"

_Mizuki-sensei?_

Fin.

* * *

A/N

That trafficking scene was hard to write. I felt compelled to do it after seeing Eastern Promises with Naomi Watts and Vigo Mortenson. I hoped it went off well, but damn me if the subject matter is a bit touchy. And will Naruto keep his promise? If so, when will Ayumi and Miku make their next appearance?

The Twin Snakes and Foxhound references goes out to Hideo Kojima and the Metal Gear Solid series. 'Mi' probably resembles a younger Naked Snake, though more sarcastic and... having ninja powers. Possibly a closet pervert, though having adult mags in the MGS games makes me wonder... 'Hebi' will probably end up looking like the Big Boss with her CQC techniques that will be passed on to Yugito.

So, how does everyone feel about some side stories involving the Twin Snakes? I messed around with the idea of Ne: Sons of Liberty in my profile, which would involve the double life that Naruto and Yugito live, along with some yet unseen members of the Root division. It would probably just be a bit of fun, nothing too serious or important to this story. But hey, if there is sufficient interest then I might give it a bash.

Yeah, did Neji have a mother? She didn't ever seem to exist at all in canon... hmmm. And for some reason I felt compelled to mock myself in this chapter. And I'm not too sure why as well.

Ok, my original plan for this chapter would have covered the events after the fail, but man, this story seems to write itself at times. Now the reigning champ for longest chapter in the series.

Oh yeah, and if things kinda didn't make sense, as to why Naruto got so emotional and seemingly irrational, well, he was really conflicted and he screwed up. He is still a kid and will make mistakes, this was one of them. He wanted to help Ayumi but was told that her suffering was necessary. That is not going down well with him, making him have a crisis of faith with Ne. That will be resolved, but is an important and painful part for Naruto to learn, that he cannot solve all cures in the world. To do so will just break him. But that doesn't mean that he won't stop trying, but remains a developing lesson.

Oh yeah, people have been commented on that I have been bashing Jiraiya and Kakashi. Well, to an extent, yes. But it is necessary for me to explain why they were absent from Naruto's life in someway, and there should be good/valid reasons for why they did so. Jiraiya stayed away to protect Naruto from Akatsuki by spying on them. Kakashi did what he did for personal reasons, that will be further developed as the series goes along.

And this took me so long to actually upload. FFN hates long chapters, and this one takes the cake at 36,000 words. I had to upload it twice, in halfs, do the editting then paste it into one, so it could be done. It took more effort than should be required. And underlines refused to show up properly.

People that review would probably see the references I make to the river analogy and the raincoat. If anyone actually knows where I got that from, well, congratulations. It still remains an all too real/important/vexatious question in Australia.

As always, read and review. Or I will have to deploy the dreaded FALCOOHN PAWNCH!! Followed by the FALCHOOHN KIIICK!!

Oh yeah, I don't own Captain Falcon, F-Zero or Super Smash Bros.

Ja Ne.


	11. As the truth gathers dust

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N.

Hello there.

I am considering an IPO for 'Jinchuurikis gone Wild'. Apparently Yugito needs a lot of financial incentive to do it. Naruto is happy if someone buys him ramen before the shoot… Akina no Akuma gets a 10 allotment option if it does go ahead. By the way, read his works if you haven't, because he is on hiatus and you won't get any love from him for a while.

For some reason I felt compelled to draw people's attention to a throw away line from the last chapter:

… _Naruto knew that if he ever needed a kunoichi to watch his back he would probably kill Sakura (or knock her unconscious), strap her to his back as fodder while asking Hinata for help._

_That was how much he liked her._

I really enjoyed that for some reason, so thank you for indulging me. A shorter chapter this time. I should have separated the last into two, so people could absorb it entirely. So if things don't make sense, well, read the last chapter again, as much as I hate to say it. These massive epics are not winning me anything besides numerous headaches. That is a prize I'd rather decline.

And man, did the new Bleach screw up my timeline… And the new Naruto… well, if anything at least it's interesting. And it confirmed my feelings about Itachi all along. Except how it all ended…

On the plus side I added an omake. As an author I have the prerogative right to add anything I put to paper/publish online. This was no exception. Feel free to tell me otherwise.

Oh yeah, Yondaime Hokage fans should steel yourself for this chapter. That is all I am going to say on the issue.

Once again many thanks to VFSNAKE and Frozen Sin for their assistance with beta'ing. Without them this story would be lacking a certain something.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
_**Dialogue **_Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 02Apr08  
Chapter completed:15Apr08

**Previously on BB**

As Naruto sat back and saw the rest of the children around him being embraced and congratulated by their parents, he wondered how things would have turned out if he desperately wanted to become a genin.

_Man, I would have taken on any offer no matter how stupid or suspicious it would have been._

"Hey Naruto, I think that Iruka-sensei was a bit harsh on you. I mean, you have been here for three years so I guess I can do you a favour. How about I tell you a little secret?"

_Mizuki-sensei?_

* * *

**Chapter eleven**

_**As the truth gathers dust…**_

**Konoha  
**'**Ne' Headquarters**

"So 'Karasu' if I said that I had access to the Scroll of Sealing what would you do for me?"

The mad fuuinjutsu specialist just blinked several times before laughing.

"Oh, that's a good one kid. I thought you were serious for a second..."

Seeing the blond with a dead serious expression on his face, he stopped himself.

_Wait, is he for real?_

"You – you're not kidding are you?"

Giving a foxy grin, Naruto just nodded before rubbing his hands together.

"I have one shot to take a look into the village's greatest secrets. So, is there anything that you might want? Anything really badass?"

_Oh. My. God._

"ALL KNEEL BEFORE NARUTO!"

He went on his knees and started to bow like Naruto was a golden haired deity from above.

"Err..."

They were starting to attract attention, and Naruto was just looking perplexed at the odd sight. 'Karasu' saw them and hurried to them before pushing them onto the floor.

"Dammit, all kneel before Naruto!"

After several scenes of abuse later, 'Karasu' managed to get on wobbly knees to find Naruto missing. Panicking and thinking that he had lost the opportunity of a lifetime, he hurried to find the jinchuuriki. He managed to find him talking to 'Hebi', with him gesticulating wildly and making bowing motions before he stormed in and hugged Naruto like a fangirl.

"Ohmygod, youhavetogeteverythingonfuuinjutsu. Absolutelyeverything-"

"Get off me dammit! Go and hug 'Hebi' or something else dammit!"

The kunoichi gave a smirk, daring the other to even think about it. He gulped and let go of Naruto.

The boy sighed.

"As much as I would like to actually copy the scroll, that thing looks massive and I wouldn't have the time, even with some shadow clones. And by the time it's missing, I'm sure the IS ANBU will be on my ass quicker than you can imagine. I have one shot at this."

"How are you even getting a chance without being executed?"

"Easy, I play the patsy."

_**Flashback**_

"It's not usually known, but there are other ways of passing the Academy exam."

"Really? Like what?"

Naruto was awfully suspicious of Mizuki, even during the Academy. He looked way too alert to be a teacher and he had this aura around him that made him quite uncomfortable. He decided to draw on his spiritual sight and found something that stopped him cold. It was a localised circle of darkness of his left shoulder. It looked like Anko's cursed seal...

Hell, it was an advanced version of the seal that was only visible when he drew reiatsu into his eyes.

_What the fuck?_

"In the Hokage's office there is a scroll, the Scroll of Sealing. It has all of the villages secret and most dangerous techniques. And it is guarded by the ANBU. If you want to pass the Academy, then all you have to do is get the scroll, learn one technique and you graduate!"

Naruto wasn't going to buy that at first instance.

"Isn't that like, treason?"

Mizuki sweatdropped. He didn't think Naruto would question it too deeply.

"Well, only if you intend to run off with the scroll to Konoha's enemies. Because you failed so many times, you can redeem yourself by showing the, err, more practical skills you have that the Academy cannot test. Yes... the practical side. That will do nicely."

"And if you manage to penetrate the Tower and get the scroll, then hell, you deserve to be a genin if you can defeat ANBU defences. And manage to learn a technique usually restricted to jounins and above."

"Are you sure, maybe I should ask Iruka-sensei to get his opinion."

_Oh shit._

Mizuki adopted a sympathetic look before placing his hand on the blond's shoulder, "Now Naruto, I hate to break this to you, but Iruka-sensei doesn't have your best interest at heart."

_And you do?! How fucking stupid do you think that I am?_

"W-What do you mean?"

Mizuki put on a sad and solemn face. "He has told me many times that there is no way that you will graduate as long as he is a teacher."

"W-why does he hate me so much?" the look of pain on Naruto's face was so artfully contrived that no one would have thought it was false.

Mizuki just sighed. "Think of all the pranks that you have pulled on him for the last three years. The fact that you keep on screaming about him needing something called Viagra. And how he couldn't land a woman to save his life; how he is a chronic masturbator. You know, things like that."

"Hey, it's not my fault that he is a crap teacher!"

_Stupid, stupid modsoul!_

"Well, that might be so. But this is a chance to show Iruka that he is wrong and that you do deserve to be genin. You do want to be a genin, don't you?"

_As much as I want to get between Choji and the grand and final opening of an all you can eat buffet restaurant. Man, I should just report you to the ANBU and let Ibiki have his fun._

_**Hold off on that. We can use him as he is so obviously trying to use us.**_

_How?_

_**Well, we do have a reasonable excuse to get our hands on that scroll. It would be damned useful if nothing else. And we can blame Mizuki for it, which is going to be obvious once they find that seal on his shoulder.**_

_How the hell did that go unnoticed for so long anyways?!_

_**Who knows? The only question is whether you can pull it off?**_

_Pretty sure that I can. All that 'Ne' training is good for something._

_**But if you do, then it will raise suspicions as to how you can sneak like an ANBU operator.**_

_I guess I have to do it in a stupid and clumsy way, while using some outrageous jutsu to make it kinda plausible._

_**... if you are thinking of that absolutely stupid jutsu kit, I am going to –**_

_Hey, it's not stupid! It works perfectly fine!_

_**Against the Hokage and his ANBU?! **_

_Well… Ok, so there is a small chance that it won't work..._

_**Your definition of small needs some revising.**_

_But hey, you're the one that wanted to do it in the first place weren't you?_

_**Yes, but only with a plan that doesn't get us drawn and quartered!**_

_Fine, we will develop a better plan, but let's get the info first._

"Well, sure, I'll do it! I'll show Iruka to look down on me!" A cheesy happy face graced Naruto's features as he inwardly planned.

Mizuki gave an unpleasant grin for a split second before nodding.

"Ok, the scroll that is in the Hokage's office is actually just a dummy to lure people away from the real scroll. That is located in the Hokage's private library located on the eighth floor. To make it a bit easier for you, here is a little something I prepared."

He handed over a wooden cube that contained several seals.

"The scroll emits a certain kind of signal, that this cube is designed to locate. Be careful ok and don't lose it. It will be hidden away in a genjutsu somewhere in the room. Once you get it, meet me outside the Forrest of Death, then you can learn the jutsu in front of me so I can graduate you and tell off the ANBU when they come."

_Ok, he is defiantly a spy for Orochimaru. It must have taken his time to get all this information. Then again, why couldn't that Snake Bastard just tell him exactly where to go?_

_**Sarutobi more than likely changed the security protocols after his favoured student went rogue.**_

"Why can't you tell the ANBU to stand down and give me time to learn?"

"Well, then there wouldn't be any pressure on you at all then would there? Think of it like a real life mission, where you have a deadline to keep."

_I didn't think it would actually be this hard to convince the boy. Most kids would jump at the chance to graduate after failing for three years in a row._

Uzumaki Naruto was no ordinary kid.

_**End flashback**_

"So yeah, I figure at the very most I can get, maybe an hour or two before the ANBU hunt me down and the game is up."

"How the hell is he planning to escape with such a tight margin?" asked 'Karasu'.

Naruto screwed up his face in thought, "I get the feeling there will be a retrieval squad on Konoha's outskirts waiting for him to exfiltrate back. Anyways, do you have any idea to what is on there?"

"Hmm, a few things. Let's ask someone who actually has used it before."

"Who?"

"Who else? 'Mi' of course."

'Hebi' was developing a tick. "Are you forgetting someone here 'Karasu'? Someone standing right in front of you, fingering a kunai..."

He laughed nervously, "Or we can just ask this lovely lady here."

Naruto looked at her with wide eyes. "You have used it before?!"

She nodded happily, "Yeah, once you reach jounin they let you look at some parts of the scroll, and only parts. Usually have one of the Black Guard ANBU looking over your shoulder. No one really knows to the full extent of the scroll, but it is dammed big and contains things from _Kage Bunshin_ to the kinjutsus that are restricted to kage level nins."

"Anything that I would want?"

She snorted. "Don't worry Naru-kun, we can and will teach you everything that you might and ever need. This is an unnecessary risk that you are taking. Only an idiot would fall for it."

"No! Don't listen to her! There are many things that would be worth your while!" the man struggled to think of something that would help his argument before he made a realisation.

"Your seal! All the information about the sealing and the summoning of the Shinigami is inside the Scroll! It has valuable notes that can help you and Yugito in controlling the bijuu's power."

_Well, isn't that interesting?_

"Ok, I'm sold."

"Actually, that might not be a bad idea. The Hokage will not kill you, because the operative theory is that the Kyuubi would burst out of your chest and dance all around Konoha in some sort of cotillion number. He might punish you in some cruel and unusual fashion, but besides from that, you need a plan. To evade the damned ANBU while you get what you need." 'Hebi's' eyes were lost in thought as she planned contingencies.

"Can you find if there is a team waiting for him and direct the ANBU to them if they exist? And what do you mean by cruel and unusual?"

"I might, if I get something from you in return..." she drawled with a smirk.

"Err, what do you want? And what do you mean by cruel and unusual?" demanded Naruto.

She just gave a wide grin.

"I'm sure I will think of something _whiskers_."

"... why wont you tell me about the cruel and unusual punishment dammit!?" he pouted. The list of favours he owed to people had reached the point where it didn't faze him anymore. If he was more careful he would have bargained for a little while longer. 'Hebi' had one hell of a memory.

* * *

**Konoha  
Buildings adjacent to the Hokage's Tower  
Nightfall**

_Ok, let's do this._

The route he had memorised, thanks to 'Hebi' and he knew that he had to time this just right but make it seem like an unbelievably fortunate accident that he made it through the gauntlet of security emplaced by the IS ANBU.

And he realised that there would be complications because of the interesting chakra orb that the Hokage possessed that could hone in on a signature and remote view them. This would have been bad, if 'Mi' hadn't possessed a counter. Hell, Danzo and all of 'Ne' would have been exposed if they didn't figure out a trick.

The scrying orb worked by actually concentrating on a person's ambient chakra, but to do that it needed some actual unique identifier that acted like a beacon. Otherwise Jiraiya's intelligence network would not have been needed if the Hokage could see anywhere in the world. 'Ne' was pretty sure that the Sandaime had some sort of tag on Naruto, and he couldn't avoid that. But the remote viewing angle was limited to actually looking at a person front and centre. In reality, the mechanics of the orb were somewhat unknown, being a useful relic from the time of the Founding. It played a part in establishing the Hidden Leaf, a gift from the imperial Senjuu brothers that allowed them to forge a nation in the heart of the Elemental Nations. Danzo and 'Ne' just made damned sure that the Hokage nor his ANBU would ever tag them. They could have removed Naruto's tag, but that would have raised suspicion and would have been reapplied just as quickly.

_So yeah, have to pretend to learn kage bunshin no jutsu. Again.  
_

_**Are you sure, can't you say that Hayate taught you that?**_

_Well, I could, but that might get him into trouble._

_**Well, that is valuable time wasted.**_

_Meh. I will just pretend to do it while copying the more important things._

_**How the hell do you intend to get away with that? The more I think about this, the harder it seems logistically.**_

_Well, if it was easy then I would see others flying out of rooftops using all sorts of kickass powers..._

_**Yes, wouldn't that be a sight to see.**_

_Wait, I got it!_

_**Yeah?**_

_I will just mount a camera that will photograph the things that I see and go through the parts that I need!_

_**Woah, that was pretty ingenious of you. But can you get a camera that small though?**_

_Well, its time for 'Karasu' to earn his keep. Sending kage bunshin now. We can wait for a few more hours anyways._

So he sat there, stretching his limbs as he embarked on risky plan that they had hatched. He went over the advice given by the various Root operators:

'Sai': that's pretty gutsy of you. I think I have to promote you from dickless to micropenis.

Yugito: you're crazy, don't get yourself killed because I don't want to find myself a new best friend. You understand me Naruto? Oh yeah, tell me how I can force this furbag to actually be useful. Stupid freeloading bijuu... all you have given me is this creepy scar that I can't even show off to people...

'Karasu': if I was female I would so want your babies right now. Remember to copy everything perfectly ok?

Danzo: ... I hope your joking. This has a success rate of what? One in a thousand? The gods might smile down on you, but really... Is this really worth it? Don't do it Naruto.

'Mi': remember, the ANBU absolutely hate it when you go for their crotch. Just keep working away at it. They won't dare to hurt you too badly, so take advantage of that and make sure they can't walk properly after you're done with them. It is hard to pursue when there is significant bruising in that area. Look, it is your only opportunity to ever get away with ridiculous shit like this. Don't waste it.

'Ushi': well, make sure you take enough explosives in case, you, err, need to get away. Or some sort of distraction is needed. Or you get wet between the knees at the sight of a glorious explosion... err, were we at again? Oh, right, there is no problem in the Elemental Nations that cannot be solved with a carefully placed explosive tag. Here, take twenty. And if you don't actually use them all, then I will be very disappointed in you Naruto-kun. Very disappointed…

'Tori': for the love of god, sneak. We teach you to move silently and all that, so for kami's sake use it! The ANBU follow a rather peculiar pattern that rotates, but basically they patrol in two's in a circular fan fashion, using the central pillar as the epicentre. Since it is still kinda peacetime, they will not be as alert as they should be. And we have been having some rather quiet moments as well. If you time it just right, then you can evade all of them. Remember to hide your chakra and get the fuck out of there once you get the scroll.

'Hebi': now Naruto, at night there should be only a small ANBU detachment for guard duty. The Sandaime should be home with his family, but there is a small chance that he is clearing some paper work. But you should be able to avoid them. And if they do find you, run off to the area south east of the Forest of Death. I think I have found a contingent of enemy nins hidden under some really complex genjutsus there. Carry the mic so I can direct you if things go south. The scrying orb cannot transmit sound, so feel free to talk. If they aren't there, I can cause a fight with 'Mi' while you hunker down to copy the shit that you need. And you owe me big, big time.

_Right, and people think I'm messed up and have problems_, the blond thought with a fond grin.

He formed a cross shaped seal before creating ten clones around him. He gave them a set of monoculars and told them to take point on various areas so that they could report back to him of any incoming threats.

"Be very, very quiet."

They just nodded before taking their positions. Naruto just thanked his ridiculously large chakra capacity that allowed him to use his clones in such a manner. It was nearing midnight, but he wanted to wait a few more hours, the nadir of two thirty in the morning where people lost their initial alertness and were operating on rote responses. He tightened all of his straps, loosened his zanpukuto in its sheath, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it and relaxed his breathing. This would have been his first solo op, right in friendly territory. His clone had come back with a crimson bandanna that had a high resolution camera hidden away in the fabric. He tied in across his head and gave a foxy grin.

"Operation Informit commences in five seconds. Radio silence in three, two, one."

"Now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Woah, this place looks much creepier at night._

The Hokage's office had wide open spaces that let in copious amounts of air and light during the day. This created very few shadows for anyone to take advantage of. However, at night there were lights at regular intervals that made it clear where things were, in a general sense, but were also muted such that it wasn't a shining beacon to stand out in the distance.

_Ok, one, two, three, four and five._

The blond quickly ducked into a vacant room, his back hugging the walls as he felt a patrol pass him by. With the route memorised in his head, he knew that he was only two levels from his target. He used his reiatsu sight as it was undetectable to the generations upon generations of seals that could feel the slightest use of chakra when they were activated at night. Luckily there were a few blind spots where they did not quite cover the distance.

_So far so good..._

He peeked across the corner and saw no one. He took quickly cast three shadow clones and left them to cover his rear if anything did go bad. He calmly and confidently made his way across the floor, avoiding all the weighted boards that would have triggered a pressure signal to the ANBU OIC and traversed across the central hall.

_Ok, I need to reach the Hokage's collection. _

His soft soled boots made no sound as he gazed on the hallway, his eyes long adjusted to the low light such that everyone was clear. He took out the cube and found that it drew him to a certain location. He grinned with anticipation as he felt his heart race with excitement.

He then heard a noise.

And the feedback of a clone.

_Shit! What was that!?_

"Report!" he hissed silently.

"ANBU sighted on the north west flank, looks like a routine patrol but they are converging!"

_Dammit, they are good. Things have improved since the last few years. Have to hurry this a bit. _

Naruto flooded his eyes with reiatsu and found no signatures so he decided to wing it. It was more than likely that he would be found out. The time for caution was nearly over as the ANBU would be following standard procedures and place the Tower under lockdown when they caught sight of him. He reached the door and opened it, before finding himself stopped by a seal.

_Shit, this wasn't part of the plan._

The cube in his pocket warmed up, and on instinct he placed it to the door. It gave a silent click before the seal collapsed and released the chakra bindings on the lock.

_Thanks Mizuki-sensei. You were good for something._

He went in and saw rows and rows of scrolls all placed into cylindrical holders.

_Now, if I was a top secret scroll where would I be?_

_Hidden under a trap or in a safe?_

_Or maybe hidden in the open so that no one would suspect it?_

He placed the cube in the palm of his hand and let it guide him, his eyes roving from left to right as he tried to feel for anything that felt out of place. He went near a corner and froze. He could feel it tugging at the edge of his vision, an urge to look away and dismiss a certain spot. He just gazed at it.

_Hey Kyuu, little help._

Using the kitsune's vision, he saw beyond the elaborate neural field that was powered by five seals over one square meter.

_**That's pretty impressive stuff that he has there. A triple layered genjutsu...**_

_Wait, triple layered?!_

_**Yes. You probably know about double layered, how it is one genjutsu over another. This one is different in that it has a rather vicious cycle; it plays on your memory. If you recognise the first layer, the other layers react in increasing levels of hostility before you reach the final one. And when you breach the second, the third acts to reactivate the first. **_

_What happens?_

_**Seems to place you into permanent hypnosis. It would probably give the Uchiha problems. In fact, it seemed to be designed by them...**_

_How... odd. Why would any Uchiha be allowed to guard one of Konoha's secrets, considering the whole Itachi thing. Unless it was long ago…_

_**It looks fairly new as well. And the only Uchiha with this level of skill would be Mikoto...**_

Naruto's blood chilled for a moment.

_**Think about it. She is the last adult Uchiha. The Hokage will be keeping a close eye on her if only to guarantee her safety. This could be a way to entice her loyalty. I wonder what else he has been giving her, considering that she isn't as desperate as her son when it comes to training.  
**_

He just shrugged the thought away. _Ok, how to I get it without triggering the trap_.

_**Hmm, through the cube into it and see what happens.**_

_If you say so..._

So he did, the wooden block travelling less than a meter before being repelled back.

_Ok, that didn't work. Lousy Mizuki... the quality of traitors these days is disappointing._

_**Well, the only other method would be to use one massive chakra burst, which will get the attention of everyone around you. And this is getting more difficult as time goes along. The Sandaime will be awfully suspicious to how you disrupted that kind of sealing arrangement.**_

_... fuck._

_**Quite. Actually, get the cube and lace it with your chakra.**_

Naruto obediently did so. The wooden box seemed to drain his chakra with little problem, making him very suspicious.

_**Whatever that cube is, it's interesting to say the least. Acts like a battery as well... Throw it at the seals, it should unravel and disrupt the entire fuuinjutsu matrix. Then get ready to run.**_

_Well, here goes nothing._

He tossed it, watching the parabolic arc as it ever so gently fell onto the area enclosed by the trap. As it reached the passive range of the seals, the cube burned and started to disintegrate. The chakra stored in the medium discharged itself in a burst of bright, blue light as it overloaded the shields in a disruptive wave, making the floor shake and reverberate from several meters of the epicentre. Naruto opened his eyes and found what he was looking for.

The Scroll of Sealing was standing on a pedestal. Towering over two metres tall, his mouth started to water and the thought of discovering all of Konoha's precious techniques. Who knows, he might find a dirty little secret as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the flare went up, all the latent chakra sensitive equipment went into overdrive. The OIC was enjoying some tea when the seals activated and glowed red.

"Alpha alert!"

He swore and grabbed a ninjato off the rack before slamming a button on his command console. Throughout the building alarms went off, sending an alert for the ANBU team on standby. The team en route from a mission received a message on their headsets.

"Code alpha, lockdown Hokage tower ASAP."

Yuugao cursed. She wanted nothing more than to debrief after the mission and enjoy a hot bath. Her hands went up and formed signals as she got them to take point around the Tower.

"Everyone, eyes open!"

"Hai taichou!"

They separated and formed an equilateral triangle as they waited for any suspicious movement out of the building. She was awfully pissed and would gladly take her anger out on the presumptions intruder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Well, crap. No more need for stealth I guess._

He slung the scroll across his back and dashed out side. He didn't expect to run into the Sandaime when he was just about to exit the door.

"Naruto?!"

_Ah, nuts._

He jumped back, with surprise on his face.

"What are you doing with that scroll?"

"Just doing what Mizuki-sensei told me to do! I've got to go!"

Sarutobi hardened his eyes and made his way to bar his path.

"What is going on Naruto?"

The blond just smirked before his hands formed a seal.

_Orioke no jutsu!_

_**Dammit, you promised me that you wouldn't use that stupid move!**_

Naruto's form was covered in smoke before a vision of perfection took its place. Lithe and buxom, the blonde Naruko had a delicate elfin face that looked coyly at the Sandaime. She was as bare as the day she was born, with wisps of transparent cloud doing nothing to hide her from the Hokage's incredulous stare. She bit on one of her fingers and gave a winsome look before pouting.

Sarutobi's eyes travelled further down south as Naruko slowly shifted her body, unveiling inch by glorious inch every bit of her sun kissed body as everything was threatened to be revealed. She pushed out her chest before stretching luxuriously. As the veil shifted lower, he could just make out the cleft of her...

Naruko just gave a petulant pout before winking ever so slowly.

"See something you like Hokage-_sama_?"

The elaborate striptease was probably a bit too much for the old man, a fountain of blood bursting from his nostrils that literally propelled him three feet backwards and sent him tumbling like, well, tumbleweed. Naruto released his jutsu and looked at the incapacitated Hokage.

_Well, that was easier than expected._

The inspiration for the _Orioke no jutsu_ really came from Kurenai and her love of bandaged clothing. Naruto noticed how men seemed to be attracted more to her than Anko, who wore scandalously little in comparison. That had led to arguments that he had not wanted to be part of. Like hell he was going to judge who was more attractive, the violet haired snake kunoichi against the crimson eyed genjutsu mistress. It didn't help when Anko got into provocative poses in public that led a mortified Kurenai to consider casting a demonic illusion so Naruto would remain uncorrupted. That was her job, possibly Hinata's. In private. Knowing that giving an answer either way would have led to painful consequences, Naruto just laughed sheepishly before running for his life. But all of that gave him some insight into the supposedly adult mind. He figured that men were attracted to the idea of a near naked woman, rather than one that was fully nude. They wanted to fantasise about what could lie beneath and wanted to mentally undress them with their eyes. And he had pretty much formed the rough body shape off his crimson eyed tutor anyways. If he ever used the technique based of Anko then he would never live it down once she figured it out. And it helped that he just had to modify the bandages to transparent wisps of smoke. Who would have thought cloud gazing could have such utility?

_**You could have always asked me,**_ Kyuu pouted.

_What?!_

_**I would have modeled for you. But no, you had to choose her**_, she spat.

_Are you jealous?!_

_**...**_

Trying to avoid thinking about what the hell that could have meant, he was aware that time was running out and he could continue the conversation at another time. _Well, time to get going._

Realising that he had under a minute to get out before he would have been caught without a chance, he secured the scroll over his back and left the room. Not really questioning why the Hokage was in his office at three AM in the morning, he tapped his headset to transmit.

"I need a sitrep now."

"ANBU team watching all exits at the moment. Movement in the floors above and below you. Better haul ass boss."

Naruto cursed. He couldn't afford to waste anymore time. He reached the north west side and burst through the window before landing on the adjacent rooftop.

_Now the fun begins._

He hadn't had a decent ANBU chase in several months, though this time it would be far more serious. And he really wanted to see how far he really was from those elite killers.

He then noticed a familiar looking operator with a neko mask.

_Oh shit, Yuugao?!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The team observing the tower were antsy to actually move in, but knew that in close quarters, the more people doing the searching gave rise to mass confusion that could have been capitalised upon by the enemy. So they sat down, on high alert for any signal or sign that they had managed to evade the search teams.

Suddenly a black figure burst from a shuttered window and was running at remarkable speed towards the city limits. All of them moved at once, falling into a pursuit pattern as a well oiled machine as they went to stop the intruder at all costs. There were far too many secrets in the Hokage's tower to be complacent.

They then caught sight of their target.

_Naruto!?_

There was no mistaking the spiky golden locks, his signature zanpukuto, or the grace that he had demonstrated every time he got himself into trouble. Naruto didn't wear any mask or disguise for this reason alone. He would have been caught anyways and knew that they wouldn't dare to hurt him too much if they knew him as Konoha's resident jinchuuriki. Having a mask or balaclava would have transformed him into a faceless target just asking to be neutralised.

Yuugao barked out some orders.

"Ok, keep on pursuing. But no one hurt him at all, do you understand?"

"But Yuugao!"

"No! I will deal with him once we corner him. There is too much that we don't understand before we can jump to any conclusions. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes taichou."

"Good, because if any of you hurt him..." the threat was left unspoken as they all knew better than to cross their captain. She wasn't promoted to taichou because of her attractive features.

_Dammit Naruto, what the hell are you thinking?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Sandaime woke up from his 'unconsciousness' before hurrying to his office.

_That was quite the trick you got there Naruto. Now why the hell do you want the scroll in the first place?_

He reached his desk and uncovered his scrying orb. Channelling chakra into it he discovered that Naruto was leading an ANBU team into a merry chase near the Forrest of Death.

He called the OIC ANBU to him as he watched Naruto's progress.

"Sir, your orders?"

"Tell the pursuing ANBU to keep their distance. I doubt Naruto is acting on his own. He would more than likely be used by some other group. Better that he leads us to them than actually remaining in the dark. There is no way that he could have circumvented those wards by himself."

"Yes sir!"

The old man sighed to himself. Maybe this would explain the seemingly odd things in Naruto's life, his changed personality, his reluctance to be a Konoha genin... Maybe some answers would come from this night.

"Also, get me Iruka from the Academy. We have things to discuss right now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was out of breath as his pursuers were keeping him on his toes. They established the standard ANBU pattern where one lead operator keep the target running at their top speed while the two others lagged slightly behind, conserving their energy. They would rotate every once in a while to eventually exhaust the prey's endurance, leaving them out of stamina to allow the ANBU to take the easy kill, or capture.

They didn't think that Naruto could actually outrun them all and still be standing on his feet. To their credit, even his seemingly unending reserves were being sorely tested.

"Hey 'Hebi', you found any rendezvous teams yet?" the blond puffed out.

"Well, yeah, we have. They are about two kilometres out to your north by north west."

"Two kilometres!?"

"Yeah, they are keeping out of sight. Looks like me and 'Mi' won't have to get our hands dirty tonight."

Naruto just groaned. How the hell was he supposed to pull them into a trap before getting out without any of them chasing him down? The scroll on his back was making him a colossal target for both parties.

_Fuck, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all._

He discarded such thoughts as he put on a burst of speed. The quicker this was done then the more time he would have to browse through the dammed thing.

And it had better have something useful for the hassle that he was going through.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Man, why did Orochimaru-sama trust this to that dipshit chuunin anyways?"

"Who knows? As long as he gets the job done we can bug out of here. We are way too close to Konoha for my liking."

"It can't be helped. The ANBU are not going to take the theft of one of their valued treasures lying down. Any single operator would have been taken down. We provide some insurance if things go south."

The masked man tensed. "Do you feel something?"

"Yeah, it's like –"

Eight kunai with explosive tags burst from their surroundings as they lodged themselves into the trees around them, before detonating with prejudice. The Oto nins managed to _kawamiri_ out of there before facing their attackers.

They were two masked figures, one male, the other female, clad in load bearing vests with digital camouflage and combat boots. They just nodded to each other as the man drew out a long knife and a sword, while lightening seemed to flicker over the girl's body.

_Time to buy Naruto some time and get them to engage the ANBU._

'Hebi' and 'Mi' saw the four of them getting into position to face the two of them down. They just smirked before giving each other a look, signalling a mental count down.

_Three, two, one._

_Mark!_

They blurred into action.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Iruka, do you have any idea at all why Naruto might want to take the scroll?"

The scarred chuunin was just as confused as the Sandaime was.

"Honestly, I have no idea." That question haunted the teacher and he realised that it didn't make particular sense.

"Where is Mizuki? He might give us an insight onto what happened. Naruto mentioned that he was acting on his orders. I wonder what it could mean..."

Iruka frowned. "I tried to get him but he wasn't in his apartment. What could he be doing at three in the morning?"

"Strange, I will have to get the ANBU to find him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Man, I am so sick of this motherfucking chase throughout this motherfucking forest!_

"Yo _Fokkusuhaundo_ (Foxhound), are you ready?"

"Dammnit, you try evading Konoha ANBU for two kilometres dammit!"

"Oh quit your bitching. We are leading the hostiles to your area. Then we will disappear and leave the ANBU to clean up afterwards."

"Roger."

This was going to work out perfectly. The ANBU would think that the hostiles were intercepting him and he could get away scot free. His spars with Yuugao had shown him how powerful the kunoichi actually was. She shouldn't have any problems with dealing with the interlopers.

He could feel several chakra signatures in front of him and grinned. This was going to be every entertaining, if he actually had time to sit back and watch. His reiatsu vision caught sight of the _Tsuin Hebi_ before boosting his speed.

_Time to make an entrance._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The four interlopers heard an eerie pervasive voice that tittered on the periphery of their auditory senses.

_This is Konohagakure!_

_This is our home, our land, our village, our nation!_

_You stand us down at your peril. The forest is where we grew up, where we trained, where we bled and learnt to be shinobi. Where we can hide. Can you find us?_

The rather enraged party suddenly lost sight of their two tormentors and stopped. It was like the forest had actually just swallowed them all up.

_What the hell?!_

Then they saw a blond with a ridiculously large scroll waltz past them, waving at them before leaving just as quickly.

And then they saw the ANBU converge on them, ninjato drawn.

_Oh for kami's sake, what else can go wrong tonight?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuugao told her teammates to split off and to flank the four nins as she rushed into the centre.

_Katon: Karyuu Endan!_ (Fire Dragon Flame Projectile)

The ember dragon launched from her mouth before spiralling lazily in the air before almost perfunctorily landing in the middle of the group. They scattered and drew kunai with a grim expression on their faces.

_Doton: Doryuu Taiga!_ (Earth Flow River)

A large mud river cascaded throughout the forest, fouling any nins footing on the ground. They all jumped and latched onto trees with chakra. This was going to be one fight that was going to be messy.

The neko masked nin decided to shorten it.

"All, engage hand to hand now!"

There was a reason why all Konoha ANBU were required to actually be proficient with the ninjato. It was near perfect for a stealth kill when chakra was depleted or detectable. And Yuugao pushed her team to go beyond competency; they were near masters of the blade.

Not like Gekkou Hayate, or even Uzumaki Naruto. But good enough that in close quarters they could keep the enemy occupied so that they couldn't use hand seals. Enough that they could capitalize on any breaks in the enemy's defences and make them bleed.

And so they did. They jumped all over trees as they denied them any time to actually recover and space to reform.

Yuugao slashed and feinted to her right. The opposing nin dodged before trying to form seals.

_Fuuton –_

Just to be interrupted by a thrust to his chest that broke his concentration as it nicked him across the ribs as he twisted his torso to avoid being impaled.

_Fucking hell. This is not what we bargained –_

Yuugao decided to end it quickly just in case there was a reserve team that would intercept Naruto. There was no way that her surrogate brother would be hurt if she could help it. That was a right solely and utterly reserved for her. And possibly Anko.

She drew out a kunai and began to dual wield the weapons, her arms flailing in a blur as her attacks were reduced to glimmers in the air as the enemy could not hope to cope with the whirlwind of blows directed to his body.

Yuugao took off his right arm with her ninjaken before stabbing the kunai into his chest, penetrating to the hilt and giving it a rough twist for good measure.

Before it transformed into a wooden log, with explosive tags primed and ready to go. She just substituted herself as well before landing a safe distance back, keeping her back to a tree as she cursed the plethora of things around them that allowed for _Kawamiri_ to be used.

_Kami, this is going to be a stalemate if we don't end this quickly. Time for the dealbreaker._

Hatake Kakashi might have been a slovenly, chronically late open pervert, but he was one hell of an ANBU captain. After being reinstated for light field duties after his 'administrative leave' he was appointed to Yuugao's cell. Her awe of the legendary copy nin soon fell into grudging respect after having him fall from the pedestal that she had placed the man on. But there was no denying that he was a powerful and supremely capable shinobi. He was just an appallingly bad teacher. But something useful that he did impart onto the team was the potential to use their abilities in tandem, to fuse them to create something greater than the mere sum of the parts. Her achievements led to her being promoted to the captain of their squad when Hatake completely retired from the corp.

Yuugao liked to call it synergistic ninjutsu. Teamwork at its finest. The product of many sessions of training, elemental manipulation and timing. Not to mention screaming and shouting and her acting like an overbearing dominatrix to her long suffering teammates.

She controlled her breathing and gave the order.

"Enter formation epsilon."

Hearing sounds of affirmative response, she knew that she had to make herself into a bit of a target.

_Fucking hell Naruto, you better have a damned good explanation for all of this, or there is no amount of massages, chocolate or favours you can do for making me go on this stupid chase!_

She jumped out into the open, sword drawn as she met the four who were observing her in a quad formation.

"Nail that purple haired whore now!"

_Oh, I am so going to stab you, your mauve haired bitch!_

Ignoring that for now, she reached into her pouch and withdrew two miniature flashbangs that she had field modded to double the active ingredients. She grimaced, knowing that it would be hell for her eyes and planned to further punish the blond for the bullshit that she was going to be put through.

_Naruto, you are so going to pay through your pockets for this. _

"You want me, come and 'nail' me." She said suggestively.

The three males just looked at each other and shrugged.

_Why not?_

They rushed to get her before the neko masked kunoichi grinned. Reasonably sure that they were real and not just clones, she ripped the fuse on the bags and tossed them in front of her. She then whirled around, her blade travelling an arc before they split open the bag and exposed the mixture to the air. What happened was a bright flare that was hot enough to blacken Yuugao's mask as she hurriedly _kawarimi'd_ out of there. The four enemy nins were cursing before the two remaining ANBU finished their seals and slammed their palms onto the mud that was still on the ground.

_Akki Yama Gogyou Supairaru_! (Demonic Mountain Fire Spiral)

The mud on the forest floor coalesced into solid webs that shot out in all directions, hardening into spires that could have stabbed through ANBU armour as they covered the whole length of the surrounding forest. It was so sudden that the enemy did not have enough time to actually replace themselves, some of them suffering flesh wounds as they managed to avoid major injury.

Yuugao was impressed. They were pretty good.

_But better than us?_

_I doubt it._

While she was a bit dazed, she had practiced this manoeuvre such that she could have done it while blindfolded. Her hands blurred in seals, as she recompositioned her chakra into elemental fire. She shoved her hands and made it flow into the cooling earth. She superheated all of the spires before clenching her hands together.

It exploded, the fire burst from the interconnected strands that sent shrapnel in the from of jagged pieces of earth that travelled in all directions, covering the span of twenty meters as dust and wooden fragments littered the field, creating low visibility as the jutsu ripped though each chain before it was over. The external parts of the earth splinters were hardened by doton, while the katon element was used to create a miniature firestorm.

While she did that, all three ANBU managed to cast _doton_ shields to weather the worst of the blast and managed to _kawamiri_ out of the blast zone. This technique usually worked because of the speed of execution. _Shunshin no jutsu_ took too much time and it was hard to replace yourself with something that was being ripped apart by shrapnel.

They waited for the dust to settle, fairly confident that they had neutralised the targets. They were breathing heavily, most of them having used over three quarters of their chakra for that finishing move.

They were awfully surprised to see that there were four figures still upstanding, barely.

Sure they were bleeding and looking murderously angry, but they managed to survive.

_What the fuck!? What the hell are they?_

"That cocksucking slut of a whore is mine."

The four were tired and frustrated. And they were holding back for way too long but knew that if they didn't up the game, they would be captured or dead. They were barely holding themselves after being caught by that impromptu maelstrom.

The figure took out a flute and started to play it. The other figure seemingly drew out a bow and started to fire arrows. The team scattered to find a vantage point.

One doki burst from the ground and engaged Yuugao in combat while she tried to avoid being shot at by the enemy nin. Her two teammates moved to pull her out, laying down support as he sought to extract her to get a better position.

Then another nin burst forward from concealment and slammed his hands onto the ground.

_Doton kekai: Dorou Doumu_! (Earth Dome prison)

The earth swallowed the team up, each of them cursing but were unable to do anything as a perfect sphere formed around them.

The remaining four of them looked exhausted as they had barely survived the encounter with the ANBU.

"R – remind me, to – to fuck up Mizuki as soon as he gets that damned scroll."

Jiroubu didn't feel inclined to chastise Tayuya for her language.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Sakon.

"Oi fatso, how long can you keep up that orb for."

The boy scowled. "I can give it enough chakra to last for half an hour, if I drain it from the people inside."

"Good enough. Ok, here's the plan."

"Who died and made you the boss?!" Kidoumaru demanded.

"Oh fuck up you piece of shit, you think with one thing only, and it's not very big either!"

"Why you foul mouthed whore!"

"Whatever. The boy with the scroll is far more important than those fuckers. Just plaster the orb with explosive tags and we will get out of here." Tayuya grinned viciously. "Return the favour with compound interest you bow-legged cum slut."

All the males just sweatdropped at that comment.

"Let's do it and get going. That boy has one hell of a fucking start on us and it's his home territory. And I don't want to be the one to explain to Orochimaru-sama why we don't have the damned piece of paper."

"It's a scroll Tayuya-san."

"Does it sound like I give a shit?"

She then sighed. "Ok, the element of surprise is lost. The ANBU must have heard the bang and will converge to this point soon enough. Those leaf hugging bitches aren't going to let us walk away, so we might have to write this one off. We can see if we can salvage anything. But if anyone asks, Mizuki is the wanker that fucked up the entire op."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto finally managed to decrease his pace and take a breather. Running non stop for nearly five kilometres under the space of ten minutes left him exhausted. He leant back against a tree and finally opened the Scroll that was the source of so much excitement over the last twenty four hours.

_Interesting, there are no protections on the scroll, figure a seal at least…_

_**Yeah, but the problem might be that the paper can only hold so many seals before interference occurs and the whole things is rendered useless.**_

Naruto shrugged. He didn't really care. Holding it like a book, he unravelled it and saw what it contained.

_Hmm kage bunshin no jutsu. Whatever, I might just have to 'learn' this just to explain how I can use it. _

Knowing that he had an audience, he mimicked the actions while surreptitiously unravelled the other ones and stared. His eyes widened as he saw the true extent of over one hundred years of research, experimentation and ingenuity so neatly and thoroughly detailed onto parchment. He remotely thumbed the camera in his bandana by pretending to brush his hair out of his eyes. But the more he read, the more he realised that the more important things were located in the centre of the scroll. He had taken over one hundred images and that had taken over thirty minutes. And he hoped that they were in focus because he couldn't exactly use a viewfinder or anything like that.

_Well, if I was a dumbass idiot, I wouldn't be able to learn the shadow clone technique at all. But to do it too quickly would be suspicious. I wonder…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hokage-sama, is it alright for Naruto to learn from the scroll?!"

Sarutobi frowned. "Normally not, but it looks like he is learning the kage bunshin technique. Which makes perfect sense as his chakra capacity would prevent him from using the bunshin technique. And I doubt that he would learn it quickly enough in any event. The rest of the scroll will be fairly useless to him as there is no way that he has the skill to learn it by himself."

He sighed. "The ANBU report some sort of extraction team had fled after encasing Yuugao's team in some sort of chakra absorbing earth cocoon. They were freed before the tags exploded. One team is in pursuit as her team is being brought back for treatment. Mizuki is still missing for some reason…"

"Could it be?"

"Perhaps. We will need to observe further to flush all the traitors out. And I will have another ANBU cell on standby to ensure Naruto's safety."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Well, what do we have here?_

_Shiki Fuujin_ (Corpse Spirit Sealing Method)

_Kami, so this is what the Fourth used to summon Urahara-san?_

_**Yes it is, read further. We need to know about this.**_

Naruto agreed.

The note seemed hurried, like they were directly written onto the scroll without the benefit of being properly transcribed. The technique was absolutely ingenious and deadly in its application; truly it was the ultimate kenjutsu. If it actually worked as it was supposed to in the first place.

_**Hmm, seems like you were quite the fuuinjutsu master Namikaze. It was a pity that if what you wanted to summon actually did make it, it wouldn't have helped you at all.**_

Naruto was confused.

_Kyuu, is this what I think it means?_

_**Well, that depends. What do you think it means?**_

_Somehow the Fourth managed to actually think of a summon for the Death God to remove a person's soul. But if that is so, why did Kisuke appear instead?_

The Kyuubi was strangely silent.

_Why did that happen?_

_**I'm not sure**_, she said carefully. _**Probably because no human can summon the Shinigami, or it actually doesn't exist. And instead, all the potential chakra and enforced intent had to find someone to fit the description.**_

_Alight, that sounds right… but to do that, he had to cross dimensions…_

_**Which means that the seal was one really complex form of space/time ninjutsu… But yeah, that was ballsy. And I have no doubt that Shinigami of legend would actually demand the soul of the caster before they would help. Funny how things turn out.**_

**_So I was right. Kami, what have we done?_**

Shrugging those thoughts away for a later time, she continued on. _**Hmm, how about the seal on your stomach?**_

_Hakke no Fuuin Shiki_ (Eight Divinations Signs Seal Style)

Before reaching that, he found a letter covered in blood and mud stains all over it. Curious, he took it out and started to read.

Konoha,

If you are reading this, then it means that I was successful and Konoha isn't a smoking pit in the ground. And that is probably the only thing that I can take comfort in.

By now the Kyuubi should be dead, and so will I. My summoning did not quite work out as I had intended to, but I have found help and a way to get around that problem. My only regret is that this will take the life of me and my son.

By using something called the hgoyoku and the _Hakke no Fuuin Shiki_, I am intending to flood my son's body with an energy that seems inimical to the Kyuubi's. This process will…(tear stains) kill my son, but will also destroy the Kyuubi, or send it off to its realm to be reborn. I am told that there is a slight chance that Naruto will survive it, but I think that is a forlorn hope at best.

I, I have done many things for Konoha that I am proud of. But I cannot say that this is one of them. I am willing to give my life, but when it comes to my son, I, I (writing becomes shaky) must do what needs to be done. I believe that only a newborn child can handle the influx of the fox's chakra and this new energy that needs unsoiled pathways to actually work.

Kushina, please forgive me for what I am about to do. I love you, so much. And if Naruto does manage to survive, please let him know that I am sorry for what I had to do. And please make sure that he will be happy. I know that you will be there for him, even if I cannot be. And if I do die, please, try to understand why I had to do it, to protect you and everyone else that couldn't defend themselves. It was my duty, it, was, my duty…

And if Naruto does pass away… Never forget. Never forget the sacrifices that I made. Especially not the one that Naruto was forced to take up. He is Konoha's true hero, the one that kept every single one who called Konohagakure home alive through his sacrifice. Remember him, if only because it is my last wish as the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha.

Namikaze Minato

There was dead silence as Naruto observed those words. Around him he could hear the gentle sounds of the cicadas as everything came together in his head to its most logical conclusion. And then it happened, something snapped inside of him that unleashed a burning torrent of revulsion and loathing that would have made a certain red haired jinchuuriki stop and take notes on the nature of hatred.

_**Oh my.**_

_That, that, fucker intended to kill me?!_

_**Well, it sure looks like it.**_

_That, that bastard! No, there is no fucking way that he is my father!_

_**Well, if you look in a mirror then can see a 'slight' resemblance-**_

_Oh, hell, no. I don't believe it. I won't believe it. That son of a bitch! He sacrificed me so that I could spend the rest of my life being ignored and deny me the right to breathe! And leaving me to a 'mother' that tried to kill me in my sleep and abandon me like a used tissue?!_

_No, fuck him! Fuck him to hell! Why couldn't he have got it right with the Shiki Fuujin and spent the rest of his life suffering in the Shinigami's belly!?_

The amount of anger that Naruto was experiencing surprised even the Kyuubi. He was usually rational and careful, but when his blood was up… she had never seen him so angry before.

_Why the fuck did he choose me?! He could have killed himself, that was his choice to make. But why me! Why not some other orphan, or some other volunteer! Someone else, but dammit, why did you choose me?!_ Naruto's voice was so lost that he had subconsciously formed his mindscape and sought out his zanpukuto.

Kyuu was sitting down, looking on in sympathy and offered her arms to him. Naruto just collapsed into a hug as the shock of the revelation numbed him to his bones. The fox then grew devious. _**He might have thought that he couldn't have asked any other person to bear that terrible burden-**_

_Of what, being a child killer?! That he could bear the sight of my blood on his hands, but couldn't ask anyone else to do the same?! What the fuck, he was the Hokage! He could have asked anyone to do it! And they would have gladly have done it! They loved him like their favourite son, and what the fuck does that make me?_

_**Well, he was weak. He didn't want to ask anyone else to do it, couldn't bear to look a parent in their eyes and ask them to give up their child, so he decided that it would be easier to choose you.**_

_**It wasn't like you could have said no or actually do anything about it. That way he could avoid it entirely. And as he was going to die he could avoid the fallout of his actions…**_

_He, he would have gambled away his only 'son' on a stupid experiment that was intended to kill me! He was no better than Orochimaru with Anko!_

_Me!_

_And my 'mother', how the hell did she agree to this!? And even if she did and I still managed to live, why did she try to kill me afterwards! Did his words mean nothing to her?_

_**He probably didn't give her the option kit. **_

_And is this the kind of place that ignores the last wishes of its heroes? If it is, then this place is not worth dying for!. It is not worth living for!_

_He was going to give up his life, but for what?! _

Naruto continued to rant in his mind, a cold and vicious anger festering against the Yondaime Hokage and his mother, though his outside face was keenly still studying the _kage bunshin no jutsu_. He didn't even realise that he was doing the two things at the same time.

Inside the Kyuubi was conflicted. To sacrifice your own child like that took a certain kind of coldness that she never thought that Minato had in him. She was wrong and wondered to how desperate the man was to stop her on her quest. And in a single act managed to change all plans, across two universes.

_**I can use this.**_

_**You gave him to me Minato. And so did you Kushina. You cannot complain when the fruits of neglect taste like ashes in your mouths. He is mine and together we will do great and terrible things… I wonder, if you knew how this was going to turn out, would you have done anything **__**differently? **_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

To outside appearances, it looked like Naruto had completed the jutsu in under an hour. He was just lying back, seemingly exhausted as the truth continued to fester in his mind.

_**Kit, you have to hide your knowledge.**_

Naruto gave a bitter laugh. _Of course, can't have anyone defaming their precious Yondaime can they?_

_**Think about this kit. Even you didn't know who your father was –**_

_Don't call him that. I have no father. _

_**Fine, your blood relation then. It seems to me like it was kept a secret from you, for kami knows what reason. Here's an idea, ask if Danzo knew.**_

_You're right… why didn't he tell me? He must have known as well…_

_**Maybe he had good reasons. Who knows? But now we have to concentrate on what we are going to do next.**_

_The ANBU are taking their time. I don't think they would have that much trouble with the intruders._

_**They are probably observing. Which is a good thing. What about Mizuki?**_

_Hmm, good point. I wanted to confront him and let the ANBU take over; maybe force him to use the cursed seal to make him look as guilty as sin._

_But I really feel the urge to do violence on something. Since I can't drag my dead sperm donor from wherever the hell he actually is and beat him bloody, I guess Mizuki has to do._

_**So, is there anything else interesting on that scroll?**_

_Oh, many things. Some of those jutsu's will be absolutely badass if I can manage to learn them. __Some of them use a lot of control and chakra, but that is a work in progress. There are some pretty high level futon jutsus that are just mind blowing. But everything seems limited to Konoha's secrets, and are all katon based…_

_So yeah, you feel the ANBU observing you in the distance? Funny, Yuugao isn't there... _

_**For the last half hour. Are you just screwing around to make Mizuki more antsy?**_

_Well, yeah, pretty much. It's what, nearly five am? Daylight soon so he would probably be shitting his pants right now. Oh well, I've had my fun. Let's get this show on the road._

_I wonder what 'Mi' and 'Hebi' are up to?_

* * *

**Konoha  
Outskirts of commercial district  
Kobayachi's Diner **

The two of them were now dressed in civvies at a twenty four seven diner. It was actually a popular place for shinobi as they finished missions at all times of the day, and sometimes they wanted a hot meal right away after living off rations. And all sorts of civilians used it as well for a convenient feed.

"So, what are the odds that this goes down well?" asked the blond woman.

"Hmm, fair to good actually. The presence of the ANBU will no doubt keep him safe until things are resolved. But really, those four that we fought, did you get the feeling that they were holding back?"

"Yes, I did. But it made sense that they wouldn't have unleashed all of their powers so close to Konoha unless they wanted an entire division to converge upon then."

"I saw through their henge's, and it was quite interesting. They were all Oto nins…"

The woman raised her eyebrows. "So that bastard is making a play…"

"All the more reason to step it up. It's time."

'Hebi' took her mug of coffee and took a deep sip.

"I don't like using children to fight our wars. Not for this world that we adults have created."

'Mi' just grimaced. "The world won't allow us the luxury of that kindness. He has the power lying within him to make him Konoha's ace in the hole. We just need to coax it out. He is already a monster with a blade, but that is just one part of his power."

"Did Danzo give you permission to…?" the question was left unfinished.

"Yes, he has. We have carte blanche to turn Naruto and Yugito into our own little namesakes."

"I doubt that they would take on our names. But I get your point. How are we going to do this?"

"We will swap every so often with our teaching. I will teach Naruto to improve on his speed and hand eye coordination. Also tactics and strategy for an assassin. Then the true ninjutsu training can begin. You might want to develop Yugito's taijutsu so that she can match Naruto's level in kenjutsu. That shouldn't be too hard, hell you taught Maito Gai didn't you?"

"I wouldn't say taught, but we learnt together. I'd rather not think of those times..."

'Mi' grinned, then sobered up. "Keep a very close eye on Yugito. We can't be too sure of her loyalty to anyone except Naruto at the moment. That makes her a bit of risk, but she has power that we cannot ignore."

She nodded. "Oh, I know. She has no love for Kumo, but I can't see her dying for Konoha anytime soon. For our Foxhound, she might, but nothing less. I guess I will work on her taijutsu and her elemental affinities." She then smiled.

The man just shuddered. _Oh no, please not that. _

She just grinned at his reaction.

"Please, don't tell me that you are going to teach her that stupid technique?"

'Hebi' just had an artful look of innocence on her face before growing serious and asked "We have what; maybe two to three years before things start to go down?"

"Probably. Except this time there will not be a nicety of a declared war. This one will be fought as unconventionally as only ninja can fight. This will be a true war where no responsibility will be taken by any nation as proxies will do all the fighting."

He sighed. "It has been coming for a long time. And we haven't helped the problem much either, but with the outsourcing of military power means that a price needs to be paid. Suna felt this the hardest when their Daimyo lost confidence in his own village and gave us their contracts. This left Suna in a crap position as their skills have grown rusty because they can't afford to eat well if their economy is in the toilet. They can't focus on fighting and maintaining their strength. And they are not very happy with us, even though it isn't really our fault that their Daimyo is an idiot. If they are invaded, what happens then?"

"They would have to hire nins to hold off the enemy… if they don't have the skills anymore."

"Yes, and what happens if we decide to invade? If they do not have an autonomous force and are relying purely on private military companies, then they are sitting ducks. Hell, people would just hire away any potential sources of aid to screw with them. And the shame that they must feel at the loss of confidence… hell, it might force them to act against us."

"That's just speculation."

"Possibly," he allowed. "But still, it's not too far fetched. We are a target because we just haven't had the time to recover from the Kyuubi's little jaunt throughout Hi no Kuni. If they ally against us, then that will become… problematic. Everyone seems to hate us for good reason."

'Hebi' laughed bitterly. "We are so successful at winning that the losers just let it fester and pass it onto the next generation. How long can they hold onto their hate?"

"It's hard to let go of loss, especially Iwa and how Namikaze Minato demolished their divisions single-handedly. If he had given them some measure of pride, then the future might not have been so bleak. But by utterly and completely humiliating them in the field of battle, he ensured a vicious cycle would continue."

The woman shook her head. "I disagree. He did what he had to do to end the war. And that was by using total force to achieve a victory that was so decisive that they had no choice but to surrender. Why hold yourself back? We were at war, why handicap yourself?"

"Because all actions have consequences. Ones that go beyond ourselves and our time. Now children in Iwa will grow up with an inherited anger for Konoha nins, and our shinobi have a thinly veiled contempt for a nation that was humbled by one man. Sure, he was probably the greatest genius of all time, but he did it alone. He unintentionally created a problem that goes beyond all of us and our lifetimes. Our will of fire. The only thing is that our children, kami willing, will be ones to pay for our sins."

"Funny how the bastard isn't alive to deal with the mess that he left," he reflected softly.

The blonde frowned, "I doubt that he had a choice when that all happened. He would have been a great Hokage, if things turned out differently."

Mi was sceptical, "I'm not so sure about that. Everyone thinks the best of Minato, but there was a darkness in him that he hid remarkably well."

"What do you mean?" 'Hebi' asked curiously.

"Nothing, forget about it. And isn't it funny how no one really knows or understands what happened that night? We know the basics, the Kyuubi was trapped in Naruto but could escape if he died. But that all came from the Hokage six years after the event, and who knows, he might not have been above lying to save Naruto from the misguided knives of the grieving. He had some protection when his mother was in the picture, but after she left, all bets were off."

"How could she have done that? He is such a cute kid; hell, if I ever had children, I would want them to be like him. Minus the ramen fixation though, and the whole spending significant time with you thing as well," she teased.

'Mi' shrugged. "She may have had good reasons, but I doubt that. Or I can't see it. And Naruto was never really open about that part of his life. She isn't around to explain herself and because of her, everything is in its right place. I even think of him as a surrogate son at times"

'Hebi' just grinned. "The day that you have children is going to be a scary one indeed. I pity the mother. So what is the answer then? If we make enemies by wining all the time, what do we do instead?"

The man just stared into his cup. "There is no answer. Not one that I can see." He looked at her. "We do what we think is right, because we cannot really do anything else. And we make sure that we do not lose. That the enemy does not succeed."

"We're not tools of the Hokage or anyone else. Not even Danzo's, something that he implicitly recognises. Fighting is the only thing... the only thing that I am good at. We are not farmers, scholars or engineers. Working with Danzo has allowed me to do something very important."

"It allowed me to always fight for what I believed in."

"Because if we create these many problems by winning, losing will do us no favours. It may be stupid and illogical, but that is the reality that we find ourselves in."

'Hebi' was just silent as she digested his words. She had a faraway look in her eyes before closing them. She said softly, "When did things become so complicated? I remember back in the old days, things were simple. Orders were orders and things were so damned clear. Black and white. Now, look at us. Are we doing the right thing?"

The pensive man just gave her a sympathetic look. "Age gives us many things. We got older." Seeing a dangerous look on 'Hebi's' eyes, he rushed to qualify his statement. "Well, I did anyways. You're still as young as you were back in the ANBU." They both smiled in remembrance of the time they had spent in the corp. 'Mi' grew serious and continued. "Clarity comes with maturity I suppose. We are soldiers, and if you don't question the things that you are doing then you are nothing more than a murderer. Are we the solution, or part of the problem? I, just, don't know anymore."

He leant back and sighed. "Enough of this talk. It is not helpful, so we need to focus on the things that we can change. Naruto is one of them. We all know that he will be something special. In some ways he will surpass the Yondaime if he has the right mindset. We just need to show him the way. And Yugito will hopefully follow. He needs to see that Konoha is worth saving."

With a bitter laugh he added, "Hell, I would settle with not being worth the effort to destroy."

"He doesn't hate Konoha that much, does he?" she asked sceptically.

"Probably not, but who knows? Things change with the blink of an eye. We live in a world where enemy and friends are labels that have little meaning. Would you want to save a place that would deny you the right to be happy when your existence is the only thing holding back certain death?"

"Well, if you put it like that..." the blond trailed off as her thoughts grew dark over Naruto's general treatment by the civilian populace.

"That is why we have been bringing him on ops outside of Konoha, so he can see how bad things really are in other places. That it could have been so much worse if he grew up in another village. And I think it's working."

"I just hope that it sinks in so he can see the truth for what it is."

* * *

**Konoha  
Forest of Death**

_Where the hell is that brat?!_

Mizuki was getting really impatient, waiting for the whole night for his plan to actually come through. He figured that this opportunity was really three years in the making.

He had watched Naruto throughout the time that he was assigned as Iruka's teaching assistant, and he couldn't really say that he liked the blond. There was something a bit off about him, and coupled with the seemingly random and spontaneous need to actually pull pranks, he would have gladly used corporeal punishment if he could get away with it. But the thing was that Naruto occupied a soft spot in the Hokage's heart and he knew that he could take advantage of it. So that left him and Iruka with limited options.

If he were to try and infiltrate the tower to get the scroll, he would have been killed when the Scroll was removed or bleed out trying to get out of Konoha. But if Naruto did it, well, the Sandaime would probably just follow him to see where he went before punishing him. If he punished him at all. The near blatant favouritism that he saw Sarutobi show the blond sickened him.

The again, lots of things sickened him. Teaching sickened him, Konoha sickened him. But things would change, and it's ironic that the person that he disliked the most would be the one to help him achieve his dreams.

And that was the attainment of power. Plain and simple. It was what kept people on the top, and the lack of it meant you were at the bottom of the heap.

It was a lesson that he learnt as a shinobi. When words or logic do not suffice, might makes right. But then again, why bother with all of that if you can use the default method of force first? But that was something that Konoha seemed to stress was the last option. Something that could only be deployed when it was the final resort. Those fools, what are they, blind to the real world around them?

In some ways Mizuki would have made a great 'Ne' operative if he was actually mentally stable. But being a megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur kind of automatically screen out such people. And marks them for quiet 'accidents'. And like most people who want power, they didn't want to earn it. They wanted it to be given to them (because they deserved it of course) or they would steal it. None of it really was his fault, his actions. It never was.

It wasn't his fault that he killed his teammate when he was injured. His blood and scent would have exposed their presence to their pursuers. Sure, it might have been a light wound that could have been treated and all that, but why should he take the risk? It wasn't his fault that the man was incompetent and couldn't handle himself in a fight. Hell, he was asking for it, trying to play a man's game when he wasn't ready for it.

And things all changed when he met him. Konoha's reviled traitor, Orochimaru. Yet for some reason, he wasn't put off by him. He always felt that Orochimaru had gotten the raw end of that deal when he was forced to leave Konoha. Or was that chose to leave? He was doing things so that he could live forever. Who the hell were Konoha to deny a man in his search for immortality?

And Orochimaru had power. Something that made him very, very useful in Mizuki's eyes. The Snake Sannin found a twisted enough soul for him to use, one who gladly took on the cursed seal of heaven to gain more strength. And he wasn't even phased by the loss of control that he had to pay. They had equal goals in moving towards the pinnacle of their abilities, and they wouldn't let anyone stop them. Not something as elusive and subjective as morality.

_All of them are fools. But they can wallow in it, while we walk on the true path. _

He felt Naruto's presence and allowed a predatory smile to graze his lips. He had four rather giant shuriken strapped to his back, along with some of his belongings that he kept sealed away. He wasn't too sure of the blond's strength, as he was sure that he was always holding back. He didn't particularly care why and only saw Naruto as a tool to an end.

And hell, if he killed him then Konoha would have the worry about a raging Kyuubi no Yoko instead of a fleeing traitor. Sometimes he wondered how things seemed to fall into place ever so nicely for him. He would have been surprised that karma was just setting him up to be supremely disappointed.

"Ah Naruto, your late! But don't worry, if you learn a technique then I can still pass you." He said with a false smile.

Naruto just gave a foxy grin before jumping up and sitting on the scroll, surprising the Chuunin.

"Oh don't worry Mizuki-sensei, I already learnt one technique from there already."

"What?! When did you have the time to-"

"Well, the ANBU chasing me got distracted and I had some time to read it. And I thought that I could go and surprise you by how awesome I really am!" He smiled so hard that his cheeks started to hurt.

_I wonder, if I give you this scroll and you went off to Orochimaru, how badly would that screw up Konoha? Would it be worth it just so screw with the Fourth's memory?_

Kyuu was in agreement, of sorts. She would gladly see this place burn, but it would be by her hands, not that pale faced bastard's. Or anyone else's. Hell, if Naruto held her hand while they both did it, she would be immensely happy. That would be the greatest insult that she could hurl upon the Yondaime Hokage, the mortal that dared to interfere with her plans and circumvent her autonomy.

_**Naruto, think of Hanabi, Hinata, Ayame, Teuchi, Anko, Kurenai, Hayate, Setsuna, Yuugao, Yugito, Danzo, Mi, Ten Ten, and everyone else that you call friend. Can you let them suffer for this?**_

In honesty, she didn't really care for them and saw them as being people that exerted too much influence over Naruto for her to be comfortable. But a Konoha that was alive and well was much more useful than a smoking crater in the ground.

Naruto stopped himself.

_Shit, what was I thinking?_ He calmed himself down and saw some sense. _Ok, not everyone was terrible to me, and they don't deserve what will happen if that scroll does go missing_.

**_Let's just redirect that hatred shall we?_**

_**Naru-kun, just think of the most immediate causes of your problem. That is Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. They are the ones who were responsible for what happened to you. They were supposed to be your parents, weren't they? They should have looked out for your best interest. I don't think that killing you or leaving you would qualify them for being parents of the year. **_

He grimaced. The wounds were much too raw for him to consider that her words were not entirely true, and that she forgot to mention her presence in Hi no Kuni was the proximate cause for everything.

"Oh really," Mizuki drawled casually, for some reason becoming quite nervous, "What did you learn?"

"Why don't I show you sensei?" the boy then formed a cross shaped seal before slowly and deliberately stating:

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_

Out puffed ten copies of the blond who looked around them before eyeballing Naruto.

"What the hell are you eyeballing me for?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, he did it." Iruka said with amazement.

"Yes, he sure did. And in under an hour… absolutely amazing," the Sandaime said softly.

"I guess this qualifies him as a genin, right Hokage-sama?"

The old man chuckled, "Most definitely."

The scarred Chuunin then frowned. "What the hell is Mizuki playing at though?"

"Good question." In came the ANBU commander and made his way to the Hokage's desk. He gazed intently on the orb before stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I have two cells monitoring the situation, where one of the Hyuuga's are lip-reading and transcribing the situation."

"Can't you lip-read?" questioned the half curious Hokage.

"Yeah, but this orb doesn't have a great viewing angle. The cell can give a report on how the conversation went about. Well, better than just using this alone."

"What is Mizuki saying?" asked Iruka.

"Well…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mizuki was surprised beyond words. He never expected an Academy dropout to master that kind of jutsu as quickly as Naruto had done. _That would mean... _He tried to cover his emotions and gave another false smile.

"Good work Naruto, you pass! Now give me the Scroll so I can give it back to the Hokage and get your hitai-ate."

"What, didn't you have one here when I did pass. You have no faith in me Mizuki-sensei?" The boy acted hurt and gave a childish pout.

_Oh for kami's sake, stop teasing me, the sun will nearly be up soon dammit._

"Well, I wanted a special one to be made for you, a brand new one just, err, minted for the occasion. And for the Hokage to give it to you personally. So stop sitting on Konoha's greatest treasure and let's get going."

_As much as I would like to see you scrambling for answers, I'm bored as well._

"Sure, I trust that you will pass me, I mean I did do everything that you asked for, didn't I?"

The Chuunin gave a forced chuckle before agreeing. "Yes, yes you did Naruto. You did good."

_So, you think that is good enough for the observing ANBU?_

_**I'm surprised that he is so blinded by the scroll that he can't see that they are there. **_

_No kidding. Ok, might as well let him touch the damned thing. It is the closest that he will get to it._

Naruto just jumped up, went over to Mizuki and handed it over. Mizuki carefully took it and placed it into a sealing scroll before grinning sadistically at the boy. Out of nowhere he grabbed a kunai and stabbed the jinchuuriki in the stomach.

Naruto looked at him in surprise, before it dispelled into shadow.

_What the fuck?_

"Mah sensei, what did you do that for?!" Naruto asked with a hurt look in his eyes.

The white haired man looked at the blond with suspicion. "What the-"

"Haven't ever seen someone _kawarimi_ with _a kage bunshin_ before?"

_Shit, this makes it more difficult. No matter, he is not even a genin; there is no way that he can stop me._

"You know, you are an annoying little shit. You made me wait all night for this scroll, when I could have been in a warm bed or doing something else. And why wont you have the good grace to just die!?"

"Geez, what did I ever do to you?"

A malicious grin formed on his face.

"Have you ever wondered why?"

_What is it with people and their cryptic questions?_

"Why what?"

"Why everyone hates you, why none of the children really want to speak to you, were never your friend when you were older –"

"How do you explain all those fan girls that give me side looks when Hinata isn't around?"

"Oh, so you weren't as clueless as you appeared to be." Said the surprised Chuunin.

Naruto just continued, counting off his fingers, "And I do have friends, even a foster family of sorts."

Mizuki was flustered. His speech wasn't going as planned.

_Oh fuck it, I'll just wing it._

"Anyways, haven't you ever wondered why the villagers look down on you and would gladly deny you your right to exist if not for the Sandaime? Why Iruka hates you so much, why –"

Naruto just blanked out the following list of people that were purported to hate his guts.

"Do you want to know why, why this is the case Naruto?"

"I guess so."

Being put off by how nonchalantly he was taking it, he decided to go for the shock and awe approach.

"YOU ARE THE KYUUBI NO KITSUNE!"

The boy just looked at him as if he was crazy. He then looked at his body, touched himself and looked back at Mizuki.

"Bullshit. I call bullshit on that one."

"It's the truth!"

Naruto just shook his head. "Bullshit. That was one hell of a crappy lie sensei."

If Naruto was intending to piss off the Chuunin, then he was doing an admirable job of doing so.

"Oh, for kami's sake. The Fourth couldn't have hoped to kill an immortal beast like the Kyuubi so he did the next best thing. He sealed it into you when you were a baby."

"Rooight, so how does that make me the Kyuubi?"

"Oh no you don't, don't you dare try to apply logic to this one! Accept it as a fact!"

"Well, if you think that a prison that houses a convict is the convict, then you're a dick. A stupid, stupid limp dick. Need some V sensei?"

_**I love you too Naru-kun.**_

_Hey, I'm just saying…_

Mizuki looked like he was going to have an apoplectic fit. "You know, I was going to kill you to cover my escape, but now I think I'm just going to do it because you piss me off."

_Join the line._

"You sound awfully confident about that Mizuki-sensei." Taunted Naruto.

The Chuunin scoffed, "You might have received some training, but I am a field qualified Chuunin while you are not even a genin. You don't stand a chance. Hell, most people would hail me as a hero when I manage to kill you."

Naruto just shrugged. "Bring it."

Mizuki took out this giant shuriken and threw it at Naruto. They spun and looked awfully intimidating as they reached Naruto. A fear stricken kid would have had no chance.

But hey, this is Uzumaki Naruto that we are talking about here.

_Too slow. They might be big and do a lot of damage, but they have to hit me first. Are you overcompensating for something sensei?_

And Naruto was just itching to hurt someone, but not reveal anything beyond what was plausible.

_I guess I could just spam like a thousand clones and beat him stupid, but that doesn't have that element of style that I want. I want him to remember that he thought he could look down on me. And how wrong he really was… _

_**Remember that you have an audience.**_

_I'm surprised that the ANBU didn't move in when he stabbed my clone. They don't really like me…_

Naruto just crossed his hands again.

_Kage Bunshin no jutsu._

"You might be a Chuunin, but I was trained by Uzuki Yuugao and Gekkou Hayate. I may have looked like a crap student, but I was just faking it."

_Dance of the crescent moon!_

Three of his clones moved in unison in a wedge formation and Mizuki stood his ground. He had always wondered about that style and figured he could incorporate it after seeing it in action. The three of them separated into six different paths, each body splitting into two directions as they went to his flanks and rear. The afterimages moved in non linear patterns as the Chuunin tried to determine where the real blond actually was.

_Shit!_

But all Mizuki saw were visual blurs before Naruto came from his blindspot and slashed at his chest, the blade penetrating into his vest before being stopped by a kunai.

"N – Not bad brat. But you are going to need more than that to stop me!" he managed to gasp out, the wound being slightly more than a flesh wound, but not quite enough to cause death.

Naruto just smirked. "Did you know for kawamiri to work you need to have an object of equivalent mass?"

"No shit, I only taught that to you little bastards for the entire year!"

The boy smiled. "Yeah, but you also need direct line of sight. Look around you sensei."

He found himself being surrounded by a circle of clones.

_Shit, they are solid so I can't substitute myself with a log, branch or trunk! Wait, I can just use them instead –_

That thought didn't get to finish before he received a punch to the solar plexus, a slash to his arm and a kick to his floating ribs. This concentration was too messed up and he realised that Naruto was actually substituting himself with all his clones in tandem. He couldn't escape as the jutsu needed a specific target, and anything in the way would disrupt it. And he couldn't use one of Naruto's clones because it was moving too fast and he couldn't lock onto it. And then he felt it, the searing agony of the jinchuuriki's blade as it severed across his arm. The zanpukuto cleanly and utterly cleaved through muscle and bone as gravity worked its magic and Mizuki realised that he lost his forearm. Blood began to spurt out sporadically as he wasn't given a chance to comprehend the wound that he had received, his body mechanically trying to avoid the rest of the blond's blows. He had the sudden and seemingly incredulous thought that he might actually _die_ at Naruto's hands. For the first time that night, he felt fear.

_Fuck, I hoped I wouldn't have had to use this, but you deserve to die you little prick._

And he drew upon the cursed seal of heaven on his shoulder, and felt power flowing to his pathways. Borrowed power perhaps, but power nonetheless. An eerie and odd sealing script seemed to erupt over the silver haired Chuunin's skin as the power burst from within and dispelled the clones that were trying to tag team him. His wound sealed up, leaving nothing but a stump as he turned his snarling visage onto the semi surprised swordsman.

_Well, what do you know, the tiger shows his true colours. Come on ANBU, do your fucking job already. _

"Now prepare to die you little shit!" the monster roared, letting his power consume him as he unleashed his rage towards his target.

With speed that surprised Naruto, Mizuki dashed towards him and landed a punch. Tensing his body and reinforcing it with chakra, Naruto used it to get some distance before landing on his feet. The blow was more annoying than painful, and he didn't want to fight at a handicap anymore.

_Fuck this; if the ANBU won't come to me, then I will go to them. _

He rushed forward to engage his former sensei, avoided a blow that would have crushed his skull and grabbed the sealing scroll that contained the hidden treasure. He ripped it free and he jumped into the sky, somersaulting and he twirled his sword in a defensive pattern to ward away any attacks while he was airborne. The power went to Mizuki's head and retarded his higher level reasoning functions, combined by the sheer anger he had towards the boy. He wanted to have the pleasure of eviscerating the blond with his bare hands, and deny him the grace of a quick and painless death. By the time he realised that Naruto had taken the scroll, the blond sprinted towards the hidden ANBU with a satisfied smirk on his face.

_Let's see them do their job for once._

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office  
The morning after**

Mizuki was finally restrained when Naruto brought him near their location, with the blond looking surprised at the presence of the six animal masked killers who did look pretty intimidating. Mizuki lost another arm and a leg as they subdued him, drugging him with an anti-chakra potion before sending him off to Morino Ibiki's rather tender mercies in the ANBU headquarters. They all recognised the signs of his transformation and had absolutely no sympathy towards the nin who turned to the Leaf's greatest traitor. How he ended up teaching Konoha's future generations was an abhorrent thought to them. Naruto just thought to sneak away before he was firmly taken by the shoulders and escorted to the Hokage's tower for the inevitable confrontation with Sarutobi. Suffice to say he wasn't looking forward to it at all.

And a part of him was still itching for a fight, especially over the revelations over his parentage. His white hot anger of the last few hours had now just boiled down to a resentment that he couldn't quite scratch.

_**Go on, follow 'Mi's' advice. Work the crotch. **_

… _No. as much as I want to, they don't deserve it._

_**They were willing to let you die out there.**_

_Maybe, but I get the feeling it was all part of some test…_

The ANBU made sure that he was in the office before giving a salute and leaving. Naruto just sighed and gave the Sandaime a tired smile.

"What's the problem old man?"

Sarutobi just stared down at the blond.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"I think that it is time that we really had a talk about your life Naruto."

"Err… could we not?"

"What were you thinking?! You could have been killed trying to steal the Scroll of Sealing from the office. How did you end up doing it anyway?"

The ease that Naruto penetrated the security at the Hokage's Tower was deeply disturbing. If an Academy student could do it, then there was something seriously wrong. And he would not let such a breach go easily.

Naruto just shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, Mizuki-sensei explained it all to me and it sounded safe enough. I just had to avoid the dummy scroll, the weighted boards, the ANBU patrols and use that chakra cube to get the scroll."

"Chakra cube??"

Nodding happily, he continued, "Yeah, it was this thing that guided me to the Scroll. He told me to throw it to get rid of the traps and make my way back to him. And so I did. Seriously old man, what were your ANBU doing?"

"Good question." He muttered softly. He had seen the transformation using the cursed seal and things were making some sense to him.

_How did Mizuki, an Academy tutor manage to find out where it was?_ He thought back wistfully to the days when the _Dennsetsu no Sannin_ were one, and he had shown them parts of the Scroll. The avaricious hunger in Orochimaru's eyes should have sent alarm bells to Sarutobi's consciousness, but he chose to ignore it. Instead he saw the same inquisitiveness for understanding and developing ninjutsu that had lead to his nickname, the Professor; the God of Shinobi.

_So you are making your moves now, aren't you?_ He thought sadly. He had always held out a fond hope that someday the Snake Sannin would be redeemed. He knew it was as likely as Tsunade declaring herself to be alcohol free and quit binging, or getting Jiraiya to respect the bodily privacy of women. A sudden cold feeling came over the Sandaime.

_Kami, I hope he never turns his attention onto you. He would find you to be an unbelievable test subject, a person that can seemingly heal all injuries…_ This just hardened his determination to make Naruto a shinobi. He wouldn't be left helpless while the vultures circled, hidden in the shadows.

He could accept that Orochimaru had instructions to defeat seals crafted with the aid of the Sharingan. Indeed, that chakra cube would have been interesting to take apart, but it was now just a small pile of ash. But the opportunity was here to do something right.

_But this still doesn't asnswr how you could have avoided ANBU patrols, instructions or not. That requires a level of skill that you don't have. What are you hiding Naruto?_

"How did you avoid the patrols?" the Sandaime asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.

_Ah crap. Well, you see, I'm really ANBU qualified when it comes to sneaking around and the patrols were pretty lazy anyways._

"Well, Mizuki told me about the pattern that they follow and I just figured out to hide and go when there was a gap. I guess they couldn't see me as I didn't use any chakra."

_Ok, that's plausible. Given the inside information and doing it like a civilian, I guess the ANBU might be fooled. But there is something off about this. And I will find out Naruto. But I guess I can accept it for now. More important questions await. _

"Why did you do it?" he asked sternly.

Naruto just shrugged. "Mizuki said that he would graduate me if I did, so I figured that I would give it a try. And I hadn't really played a prank in a while. Now nobody will ever forget what Uzumaki Naruto did!"

With disbelief, the Sandaime just shot back, "That's just nonsense. If you had wanted to graduate, you could have done so years ago. Why, why are you holding back?"

"I don't know what you mean jiji." Naruto replied disingenuously. His face radiated pure cherubic innocence that the old man would have swore that it was a genjutsu of some kind.

_So Kyuu, how's the genjutsu holding up?_

_**Just fine, geez kit, don't you trust me? I know what I'm doing. Just lie more convincingly. You're not quite off the hook just yet. **_

_Fine, if you wish to play this game, then so be it_, thought Sarutobi.

The Hokage spoke up, "Then for your meritorious services to Konoha in revealing the traitor in our midst, I am giving you a field appointment to genin. Congratulations Naruto." That said the old man pressed a newly minted forehead protector into the surprised blond's hands, who looked shell shocked.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck! _

Naruto had thought that the faux test that Mizuki made up would be null and void, letting him play the charade for a little while longer. He didn't think that the Hokage would get around it with a promotion.

"Umm, I'm pretty sure that Mizuki tricked me, now that I think about it, with the whole trying to kill me thing and all. So I'll just have to do the exam next year. We can't play favourites can we?"

The Hokage disagreed, "Nonsense. You deserve this and you have the skills to be a genin. You managed to avoid an ANBU patrol, which certainly qualifies you for the position."

Deciding to be blunt, the blond stood a bit straighter and replied, "Ok. Then I don't want it."

There was no way that he would serve Konoha as a registered nin. In some ways he felt that would make his father happy. And he would be _damned_ if he did anything to honour the Fourth's memory.

"Why not, why do you not want to be a shinobi?"

Naruto just looked at him. "Did you ever ask me if I wanted to be one in the first place?"

_Ouch_. The Hokage winced.

"No, I just assumed…"

"That I wanted to be a nin, putting my life on the line for money?" the boy said dryly.

"How about serving your village? Duty, loyalty and service are things to be proud of Naruto." Sarutobi replied with conviction. .

"And what a village it is too," Naruto mumbled darkly. _Serving this village, like my 'father'? Ha!_

Ignoring that pointed comment, he continued, "Naruto, you need to become a shinobi if you want to take care of yourself in the future," the Hokage tried to convince him. "You know that in the future there will be people that are going to wish you harm and becoming a shinobi will let you protect yourself. You will meet friends and develop bonds that will be there to support you for the rest of your life."

Naruto just snorted. "Right, but that is my choice to make though. You enrolled me into the Academy because my 'mother'", nearly spitting that word with enough contempt to make the old man flinch, "left me alone when I was six, and you are the defacto guardian for all orphans in the village. Ok, so I know a few things, but why do I need to be a ninja to protect myself? I'm fine right now."

"The training that you need is only available to official nin. And you would receive the protection of Konoha if you were a registered shinobi. As a civilian, that is just not possible."

_**Right, then why did the ANBU hold off for so long until Mizuki decided to go and have a skin pigment change?**_

_You're telling me… Kyuu, help me out here._

_**Well, why don't you use ethical or moral considerations?**_

_Will that really work, I mean, he is the leader of a military village here._

_**I don't see you having any better ideas kit.**_

"I don't want to be a shinobi because I don't want to kill." Naruto said simply and solemnly.

Sarutobi looked at Naruto to see if he was genuine or if it was just words that he was saying to get out of it. He couldn't really tell but it was a consideration that he gave some weight to.

"Why don't you want to kill? You nearly did the same to the Kumo representative all those years ago didn't you?" he asked softly.

"I don't want to kill for money. I did what I did to save Hinata, nothing more, nothing less. I wasn't really thinking about it at the time; I thought that Hinata was going to die. But this, this is different. With missions, are we saying that if you are rich enough, you can do anything you want?"

The Hokage staid silent. It was the more unfortunate aspects of the contracting system that what Naruto was saying was true. But they always had the discretion to accept or reject offers. He told Naruto that.

"But what if I don't agree? What if you choose to accept and choose me, but I don't want to do it?"

This was one of his primary concerns. 'Ne' were not private contractors that dealt with the assorted bullshit of civilian missions. That included escorts or industrial espionage. They did things that were important and vital to Konoha's security. They did kill, but at least it was for good reasons. Naruto just didn't want to be placed in a position where he had to take a life when it wasn't necessary.

"That is part of being a shinobi. Following orders for the good of Konoha."

Naruto realised that he couldn't honestly persuade Sarutobi that he had moral qualms about killing people. He couldn't even convince himself; some people just deserved to die, which brought to mind the haunted eyes of Ayumi in that borderline hovel in Kirigakure. But if people were to die, then it would be for good reason. Money would never be one of them, not for him. Ever. And if he was going to do it, it would be because he chose to do it, not because someone told him to.

Naruto disagreed. "Everyone expects me to be a genin, but I don't want it. I don't want my name, my face, my birthday, my blood group to be known by anyone that can afford a mission." He tossed the hitai-ate that the Hokage had given him onto the oak desk.

"I know all about my tenant, Mizuki told me enough." He neglected to mention the bits about Kyuu and Kisuke. "Most of the villagers would gladly betray my existence if they could get away with it. Why the hell do I want to serve such people in the first place?"

"Because they are good people, Naruto. They just need someone to show them the light…"

"Roooight. And that would be me, wouldn't it. Because no one else can do it but me. Kami knows that you can't, even with all your powers as Hokage. Because I have to be the one that changes the opinions of people that I do not like, for people who don't like me. Why should I bother?" the blonde demanded.

_Because it is what your father would have wanted. Your father would have wanted you to be loved and respected, for you to be the villager's protector. It's guardian. And I may have failed in trying to keep some of his last wishes, but I won't in this._

Hardening his heart against the boy's arguments, Sarutobi pressed ahead, "Naruto, you knew by doing what you did that you would have been promoted. Hereby you are promoted to genin. It is as simple as that."

"What?! How can you do this?! I. Do. Not. Want. It!" he shouted out, nearly loosing his temper as his plans of three years were being dismantled in front of his eyes.

"It is for your own good Naruto. I'm sorry."

"No it isn't! What's the matter, won't you protect me with your life, I'm a citizen of this village aren't I? Isn't that what the Hokage does? Do you force other people with ability to become shinobi? Isn't this slavery?!"

_After being a sacrifice, it would be nice for someone else to return the favour._

"I would, but I will not always be around to protect you Naruto. My successor might not be as kind." He smiled sadly.

"Then they shouldn't be Hokage in the first place then should they?" the boy challenged.

"We do not always get what we want in life Naruto."

The jinchuuriki narrowed his eyes. "You don't need to tell me that Hokage-_sama_."

He winced internally at the sheer formality of Naruto's voice. He was angry, and he couldn't really blame him. He was effectively taking away his choices, which he had precious little in the first place, but it needed to be done. Naruto was too young to actually know what was in his best interest. And he didn't want the boy to regret a decision made in his youth that he would give anything to redo in the future. He couldn't let him go astray and unguided. His eyes went back to another team that had such potential but eventually fell apart. And he would never really know who was to blame for the first cracks in the family. He had a bad feeling that he was more responsible than anyone could have thought possible.

"Your father would have wanted you to be a Konoha nin," he started off tentatively and wistfully.

"Oh yes, my _father_. Who the hell is he!?" he demanded.

Sarutobi tried to vacillate, "I will tell you when you are ready."

"Oh, and when is that?"

"Well, when you are ready." The old man said in a reasonable tone.

Naruto just narrowed his eyes, "How about this, you tell me who my father is and then I will promise you that I will be a genin. The best genin that Konoha has ever seen. And you know that I don't go back on my word jiji."

_Catch twenty two old man. How will you handle this?_

Sarutobi was seriously contemplating that, if only to keep the peace and get Naruto into the right mindset to actually be serious about his training. He perceived Naruto's indifference as stemming from the arrogance of youth. Sure, he had some skills from Yuugao and Hayate, but in the future he would face enemies far more dangerous and ruthless than he could ever imagine. And Naruto could not rely on any one else for his protection, as much as he would have liked to give Naruto the luxury of ignorance. And if it took the revelation of his parentage... He had a good idea that Minato would not have wanted the fame of being the Hokage's son to go to Naruto's head, but there was a fat chance of that ever happening. The village would be unlikely to repent over the treatment they had put Naruto through.

But Minato had made many enemies, both in Konoha and externally. Iwa were still smarting from the loss that was nearly solely attributable to the Yondaime, and many were still sore that the brash seals master become the youngest ever Hokage. And many others would seek to use the boy for political or financial gain, even though he was protected by the patron of the Hyuuga clan. It would just place an even bigger target on Naruto's head, if Jiraiya was right and Akatsuki were lurking on the horizon. It was probably best if it was left as a secret for now. When Naruto could protect himself, then the truth could be revealed, not any time sooner.

"I'm sorry, but you just have to trust me when I say that your father would have been nothing but proud over your appointment."

_I'm __**sick**__ of hearing about that man. I knew there was a reason why I targeted him on the Hokage's monument. But now I know, kami, I know… _

"Well, how do I know that if you don't tell me who he is? What if he was some traitor and the Fourth decided to punish my family by putting it into me? I will never know, will I?" challenged the boy.

Sarutobi winced. That made a lot of sense, even to him. But Minato was not that kind of man. How could he get that across to Naruto though?

"And I'd say that my mother wouldn't want it as well, but since she wants me dead, and has tried to kill me before leaving me, I won't bother. Actually, she might be rooting for me to become a nin so someone can take my life quickly and legally as well," he laughed bitterly.

"Now Naruto, she didn't try to kill you, she just –"

"She did," he said with quiet hurt and confidence. "I remember it now, the times when I felt a person above me when I was sleeping, with the kunai…"

This horrified the old man. _Surely not, she did suffer from post natal depression, but she wouldn't have hurt her son, Minato's son, would she?_

"And when she left me, she made no arrangements and left me to die." Naruto had a faraway look in his eyes as his fists tightened.

The day's events were getting to him. He needed to get some rest and maybe talk to someone about his problems. And the only one that he could think of that would understand was Yugito.

The Sandaime, with a heavy heart, got up and went to Naruto with a kindly grin. He forcefully pushed the hitai-ate into this hand before sighing.

"I'm sorry to hear about Kushina-san, it seems like we need to have a long chat with her when we do find her."

Naruto was skeptical, "It's been seven years old man, seven years. Are you even trying?"

While he understood his anger, he wasn't going to take his abuse lying down.

"Of course I am, she is important to Konoha and the ANBU have an open order if they even find a hint of her presence."

Naruto's voice turned sly. "Why is she so important to Konoha? She never told me who my father was, so is that the secret?"

The wizened Sandaime just shook his head slowly, trying to think up of an excuse. "She was a former ANBU taichou and knew a lot about our operating methods and abilities. Konoha cannot afford for her to defect."

_That was pretty smooth old man. I guess you are going to insist on it, and who is really going to stop you? Danzo might, and he might be supported from people that hate me on the council to try and veto it. But would it be worth it? Some of them would prefer me to be out of the village and die in some nameless backwater… I guess I have to speak to Danzo later on as well._

The Hokage brought him out of his reverie. "Naruto, you are more than qualified to be a genin. I have my trust in you but I cannot allow someone with your training to be unregistered and not subject to the Code. The training that Hayate and Yuugao gave you was for this event. You are a shinobi of the Leaf, be proud of that fact."

Naruto just got up and left, before giving one last parting shot. "Whatever. I want a new name. Seeing that I have no parents, call me Hyuuga Naruto!"

He left an old man looking pensively into the dawn as questions assaulted his consciousness. The primary one being:

_Who are you Naruto?_

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

"So, did you get it, did you get it?"

Wordlessly he tossed over bandanna before moving away. Nearly jumping for joy 'Karasu' scrambled off to get the film developed while the boy just wandered around, looking for Yugito. Anyone familiar with the blond knew that something wasn't quite right with the boy as there was a lost look in his eyes. He eventually found her sparring with 'Hebi' and just stood back on the sidelines and watched.

While Naruto had tried his damned best to convince his fellow blond that weapons were the way to go, she had just shrugged him off and continued to go for pure taijutsu instead. She said that she was never too comfortable in using weapons, even when she was roughing it on the streets. It didn't seem to matter as she was really too fast for any weapons to be of any use; they usually got in the way. It was basically a problem of coordination, the lag time with swinging or thrusting a weapon was appreciably slower than the rest of her body movements, leading to openings that would not have existed if she was going hand to hand only. The problem was somewhat ameliorated if she used very close range weapons like sais or long knives, but it wasn't her preference.

And Naruto knew from painful experience that her blows could actually pack a punch, and they weren't even chakra assisted. When she did they were a nightmare to shield against. But her style was that of a brawler, lacking precision, style or any sort of grace. It was pretty much based off anything that would work. While effective, it was limited by her experience and had no formalised kata system for muscle memory purposes.

That was where 'Hebi' had come into play. 'Mi' wasn't kidding when he said that she was a master of taijutsu, developing a system of fighting called Close Quarters Combat (CQC) that required the use of a small bladed weapon. When Yugito had protested she was placed in a submission hold in under a second, her arm hyper-extended while the blade was hovering over her neck. She was released and was left with awe. She could track some of the movements, but it was all a blur to her and her body was manipulated into a position where she couldn't fight back. It was just not possible for her to resist any of it. Needless to say she accepted the necessary evil and took on a long knife.

Naruto saw them going through basic grappling and joint locks and gave a small smile at the concentration on the girl's face. She was awfully attractive when she was so serious and leaned back, bracing himself against the wall. His eyes grew contemplative as he finally let the past revelations of the morning be absorbed. From the initial feelings of anger and betrayal came nothing but a dull feeling that he didn't understand. Maybe Yugito could help him understand what he was actually going through.

'Hebi' just noticed Naruto and froze at the sight of his body language. She had never seen the boy look so seemingly defeated before, not even after the solo assassination mission with 'Mi' those months ago. She stopped the lessons and walked over to Naruto.

"Heya, did everything go ok?" she asked.

Giving a ghost of a smile, he nodded. "Yeah, 'Karasu' got the camera and if we hear any high pitched girly squealing, well, we would know who it is wont we?"

She grinned before growing concerned. "What's getting you down? It seemed like everything turned out for the best. Your not in the ANBU Interrogation cells, we got the film and everything is in its right place."

Not really wanting to tell her the truth, Naruto just took out the hitai-ate and showed it to her.

"Oh, that. So he gave you a field promotion did he?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, everyone seems to forget about that option. Was quite popular during wartime when we don't have the luxury to hold such things as exams to actually replace the ranks that we needed. Really, the Chuunin exams are just a circus that allows the Daimyo's to show off and circulate contracts around. But don't be too worried about that."

Curious, the blond asked, "What do you mean?"

"For a genin, the test is pretty strict in the sense that there are two examinations that a person has to pass before being a Konoha shinobi. The first is what you have been familiar with. The secondary test is done in a cell of three that determines true passage into geninhood."

_Finally, some good news._

"So, that means that I have to fail the next?" reasoned the jinchuuriki.

"Yep, that shouldn't be too hard, unless you get a Jounin sensei that is slack or wants a team. I suggest that you really, really piss that person off."

Naruto gave a wicked laugh before rubbing his hands together in mischief. 'Hebi' just smiled at seeing the fire being reignited into the boy, but she knew that he had bigger problems that he wouldn't share with her. While it hurt her that he wouldn't disclose, she accepted that she wasn't close enough to the boy for him to confide in her just yet. Not that she wouldn't be taking steps to remedy that. Part of it was selfish; she wanted to make a good impression on the jinchuuriki who had undeniable potential and strength and seemed to be destined for important things. And another was the sense of righteousness that seemed remarkably out of place for a thirteen year old boy, particularly over the Yuugao incident. The would be rapist was not particularly well loved in the Root division, but he was competent enough that she had to swallow her distaste to work with him on a professional level. But Naruto would have been the only one that could have taken such actions without rather serious repercussions. No one had questioned too deeply to how a tourniqued body could still bleed out, but she knew enough about 'Mi' to make a qualified guess as to what had really happened. That act alone had won the blond her respect; along with his rather modest behaviour and restraint of the power that he was capable of exercising. But for now she would leave Yugito to talk to him. She could always tease it out of the girl later on.

"Ok, I'm going to take a break for a few moments. Actually, after lunch we can go into the fancier things. If you need me, I will be in the cafeteria."

Naruto was just waiting for her to leave so that he could speak to the teen girl. He suppressed a sigh of relief before looking at Yugito somewhat timidly.

"C-Can we talk?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were sitting down, Naruto with his head being cradled by Yugito as Naruto stared at the tears that had fallen from his eyes to his palms.

_What the hell, why am I crying?_

It hadn't happened for a while, not after he made a promise that no matter what life may throw at him, he wouldn't bend, and he wouldn't break. The last time he did so was when he was crying out for his mother after a nightmare and realised that she wouldn't be coming back. It was a cold feeling that left him empty for several days before he swore to himself that he would live, if only to show her that she made a mistake. And regardless of everything that had happened since, his tear ducts were as dry as a desert, besides the moments when the pain had made his eyes water.

"Why am I crying, why does it hurt so much? Why can't I just not care?"

Yugito just hugged the boy harder as he told her his story.

_**Flashback**_

"I-I found out who my father was."

"Really?! That's great news, wait, did you say was."

With bitter satisfaction he nodded.

"Well, who was he?"

With a grimace, Naruto answered. "Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage."

Well that was somewhat unexpected. And the following explanation of how he was intended to be the one that killed the Kyuubi made her feel sick to her stomach. The sheer thought of any one using her best friend like that, let alone by his father, made her feel ill. And she then understood the pain that Naruto went through.

No matter how tough he was, or pretended to be, he always had this fond dream that one day his father would come back from somewhere and give him the love and affection that he was starved of since his childhood. From the little that Naruto had told her about his mother, she wasn't very impressed. It wasn't too difficult to see that having your dreams do a complete one eighty would have been distressing to anyone.

"He, planned to have me die… _what the fuck?_" that last bit came out as a tortured whisper.

"I always thought that he was someone special. Someone that loved me, but couldn't be with me because of… Oh I don't know, some kind of long term mission that meant he wouldn't be back until it was over. Or that he was in hiding because his enemies would have used him against us."

He laughed hollowly. "I didn't expect him to be the son of a bitch who was willing and able to sacrifice his son when I wasn't even a few days old. Did that mean that he didn't love me?"

"He probably did love you in his own way…" inside Yugito was tempted to say no, that it wasn't the act of a loving father, but she knew that it wasn't what Naruto needed to hear.

"Then again, should I be surprised?" he said cynically. He had seen parents who had sold their children to pay off debts, parents who abused their kids because they had drug or alcohol abuse issues, hell even ones that offered their kids to deviants for a quick fix. Even the Hyuuga clan practised ritualised slavery on their own family.

"Maybe he did love me," he allowed with reluctance, "But he loved the village more. He could love the idea of Konoha more than me, his flesh and blood, that he was willing to see me die along with him…"

His eyes hardened to glaciers. "And I just can't forgive that."

And that was the image that he could not reconcile in his mind: Namikaze Minato standing above him, balancing the village on the one hand, and his life on the other. And how he was found wanting. His fantasies of having at least one loving parent were forever destroyed, leaving nothing in its place. The care and affection that he had always hoped for were now just a forlorn dream. And it was another reason for him to hate Minato; even the comfort of a lie was denied to him.

_Damn you… kami, damn you… _

_**End flashback**_

After that he had just stayed silent as he tried to deny the longing in his heart and regain control over his emotions.

Yugito felt somewhat honoured that out of all the people in his life, he chose to come to her. She didn't want to examine it too deeply, but it was a nice feeling to know that she was wanted and valued. It was a novel sensation, one that she enjoyed immensely. Especially when it came from someone who she felt indebted to.

"D – Did you ever figure out who your parents were Yugito-chan?"

The girl just shook her head. "No, I was pretty much an orphan from birth. Kumo didn't really keep records over these kinds of things, probably because they didn't give a crap, or were just lazy as hell. Probably both. But let me tell you something Naruto."

She made the boy face her directly, gently wiping his tears away with her forefinger as she spoke to him, gazing deeply into his eyes so that he understood that she meant everything that she was going to say.

"Family is something more than just blood. It is a bond created by love, by care and by want. Sometimes a blood link makes it easier, but that doesn't mean that because of that alone a family exists. I'm an orphan and I never knew my parents. Though sometimes I might wonder about who they were, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter to me. It doesn't change a thing, though in your case, it is quite different. And growing up in Kumo like I did, I was pretty much used to the idea of being alone."

Her voice then softened. "But then I met you, and you saved me from the hell of being lonely. The pain of having no one but yourself."

She reached out and held onto his face delicately, feeling the warmth flowing to her fingers. "You did that and more, you are my best friend because you alone understand what it is like, more than any of those kids that play in the street without knowing how precious that actually is. You felt responsible for me even when you didn't know what I looked like; you risked your life to get me out of Kumo so that I could be safe. And you made me feel welcome in Konoha and staid with me, even throughout all my insecurities."

"You are my family Naruto. In fact, you are closer to me than any bond based off blood could ever be." With that she gave him a kiss on his forehead, then on both cheeks, letting her lips linger as she hugged the strangely quiet blond in her arms.

_And who knows, maybe something even more special in the future._

"There are people that care for you," she whispered into his ear, "Please don't ever forget that. People that like you and will be there for you. I know I will be there, but will you let me?"

Naruto was shocked by that announcement, and froze up.

_Family is what we make it_… It made a better sense to him than any connection forged by genetics alone. He thought of all the people in his life that he had a kinship with, and realised that they were worth more than anything that he ever had with his birth parents.

When he felt Yugito's lips on his cheeks he blushed and quietly asked, "Does this make me your younger brother then? Are you my older sister, nii-san?" A hint of a teasing tone marred the otherwise innocent question.

Yugito mocked scowled before giving him a fond grin. "Well, maybe. I think of you as the brat that couldn't cope with anything without my help. Mah, you're such a burden do you know that?"

Naruto sulked, "Says the girl that can't go shopping by herself and uses a little boy's money to buy luxuries that are wasted on her."

"W-what did you just say?!"

"Err, crap, you're still holding onto me aren't you?"

"Oh, I think you did say that. Well, I guess nii-san will have to punish you!" Her hands wandered and reached for his whiskers.

_Ah nuts!_

And she started to stroke it. Naruto tried to fight it, but as he grew up his whiskers had gotten more and more sensitive, to the point that they nearly became erogenous zones. He was literally purring as Yugito skilfully manipulated him with her fingers.

_Damn you Kyuu, I'm sure this is all your fault somehow!_

_**Err, probably is actually. Just relax and enjoy the feeling.**_

_**Note to self. Sensitivity of whiskers is increasing as he reaches maturity. Interesting...I guess I will have some fun later on.  
**_

Knowing that there wasn't quite anything else that he could really do, he gave up the struggle and quickly started cuddling into Yugito. The girl just smirked before an honest smile graced her face. As she held the boy she knew that he would be alright. Eventually. Naruto just relaxed and let his body go limp. Even after the talk, the day's revelations were taking a toll on his body, and he wasn't quite sure of how he felt about all of it. But he was ever so thankful that there was someone who understood him and was able to give him comfort. It was a very welcome change because the next few days were going to be vitally important. He had an unwanted promotion that he had to get rid of as soon as possible.

So things didn't quite go the way that he planed it. It wasn't all lost. The old man would keep a very damn close eye on him now, and his gigai use had to be monitored more carefully. He had to figure out a way to get a tag onto his gigai so he would be able to act with secrecy. Actually, that idea would need some work. He would play along until the secondary exam would be in play. He remembered that Iruka had given them a week of grace before they were to be examined by their senseis.

_Screw that; I have a test to fail. And a jounin sensei to piss off. I wonder who it will be?_

Fin.

* * *

**Omake**

_Dedicated to the Master of Cheese Graters. This goes out to you. And anyone that doesn't know about Super Smash Bros. Honestly… get a Wii and start brawling. _

"Now Yugito, what I am about to teach you is an ancient and powerful technique that is passed on from generation to generation of practitioners of my Art. It makes people jealous just thinking about it. Be honoured that I am about to impart it onto you."

"Really, what is it?" she asked excitedly.

Hebi stood up and raised her shoulders high. 'Mi' just sighed and hung his head.

_Here we go again._

"It is called the FALCOOHN PUNCH!!"

Naruto, 'Mi' and Yugito all sweatdropped.

"What?! The falcon punch?!"

"No, no, no, you have to say it right. FALCOOHN PUNCH!!" The shout/cry echoed in the chamber, resonating off the walls.

"That, that is just ridiculous," she spluttered back, thinking that she was being had.

The older woman just looked shocked and scandalised. _How dare she mock the trademark move of Kyaputen Farukon! The greatest pilot and bounty hunter of all time! _

She calmed herself. Yugito was just ignorant. She would understand, if someone would show her the light.

"Stand back and watch."

Dutifully, Yugito complied as 'Hebi' channelled chakra into her fists. Though it took a while, she managed to get enough such that her entire body was literally on fire. The flames took on the aspect of a fiery falcon she cocked her fist back. She took a running step and yelled out FALCOOHN PUNCH!! The chakra twisted as the elemental avian surged forward; impacting on a training doll, ripping through it cleanly and utterly destroyed it. The falcon seemed to do a victory dance of sorts, cawing away before 'Hebi' released it, still in the trademark pose with her arms outstretched as the room was suddenly quiet.

Yugito stood there, her mouth wide open as she saw how utterly badass that move was.

"Oh. Hell. Yeah! That beats the crap out of any sword technique, any day of the week!"

Naruto looked slightly jealous at that undeniably awesome move and looked expectantly at 'Mi'.

"So Naruto, have I ever told you how useful cardboard boxes are?"

Naruto face faulted and fell to the floor.

"The cardboard box that you have is ideal for fooling your enemies. It's a very important tool for infiltration missions."

"Really?" he asked with disbelief.

"Of course. I can't begin to count the number of operator's whose lives were saved by a cardboard box..."

"You mean everyone's using them? Did 'Karusu' make some sort of freaky alteration to them?"

"No, just an ordinary box. Look, I'm not exaggerating when I say the success of your mission hinges on how you use that cardboard box. But in the end, a cardboard box is only made of paper. Handle it with care or it won't be of much use to you. Don't think of it as just another box. Treat it with love... Don't be rough. Okay?

"What the hell?! Why can't my tutors be sane, is that too much to ask -"

FALCOOHN PUNCH!!

Naruto turned his head to meet Yugito's fist right across his cheek. He was propelled across the room before impacting on the wall, creating a crater nearly four meters in radius. Yugito just had stars in her eyes as she squealed at how useful the technique was. Naruto's body just slowly slumped to the ground before landing in a very uncomfortable position.

"Oh thank you, thank you sensei!"

"Oh don't thank me, thank Nintendo, Super Smash Bros and the F-Zero series. And if you think that is awesome, wait till I teach you the FALCOOHN KICK!!"

As Yugito had trouble breathing 'Mi' went and checked on the seemingly unconscious Naruto.

_Dammit, why don't I have something as awesome to teach the kid? Maybe I should give him the infinite kunai bandanna…_

* * *

A/N

If you think that I am indulging in perennial Yondaime bashing, well in my AU Minato knew that the sealing would have likely led to Naruto's death, when his chakra was converted to reiatsu and placed into Naruto's body. But he did it anyways for the greater good. And that is one phrase that Naruto will learn to hate as he grows up, the victims created by the majority so that they can survive and benefit. Who would have thought that he would be the precursor to Ichigo by taking on shinigami powers just as forcefully and while he was still alive? Well, besides me… And how will Naruto's hatred for his father affect his relations with Jiraiya and Kakashi?? And who will be his jounin sensei?

For those indefatigable readers who want to see Naruto's shikai, well, it's coming sooner or later. Think of it this way, he is the youngest person to ever manifest a zanpukuto, talk to it and create a mental mindscape. If that isn't prodigy territory, then what is? I doubt that Hitsugaya could match Naruto's progress right now at the same age. Right now he has forgotten all about Kyuu's true name, and she is going to keep that secret close to her as she possibly can. And no one is there to tell him otherwise.

Have to thank Super Smash Bros and MGS for parts that I have integrated into the story, particularly in the omake. KNEEL BEFORE NARUTO! comes courtesy of WDCain and the fics that he had written that use that phrase.

This is just over half my last chapter length, but yeah, there is not that much that I can write for this scene. Hell, it lasted for one episode in the damned anime that didn't yet span for ten minutes. At least that is how I remember it... And I hate that dammed scrying orb. It is so potentially useful that it makes intelligence gathering a joke. Thankfully its promptly forgotten in canon. I was tempted to make it absolutely exhaustive in its chakra use to dumb it down. Which I will have to.

If anyone has some reasonable omake requests, feel free to send them over. They will have to be retrospective though, in that they will be posted on the next/future chapters. I have one that I am dying to use but only occurs after the Sound Invasion. Oh yeah, I have interviews to prepare for so be prepared to wait a few weeks before the next instalment hits.

So read and review, or the BRUE FALCOOHN will come and bump you off the road of life. PK fire!

Ja ne.


	12. Momentum is overwhelming

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N.

Hello there.

I hope you enjoyed my attempts to realistically describe how Naruto could have stolen the scroll. But like all things, all acts beget consequences. This is the fallout. For Naruto and for this author.

Judging from my reviews, I have probably lost a few readers because of the 'excessive' angst in my last chapter. I would respond to that, but it seems futile as those people have, well, stopped reading to actually see this. It's amazing how forgiving people expect Naruto to be. To summarise it like this, they would expect him to accept the burden in his life right there and then. They disregard Minato's intention (to kill his son) like it didn't matter. I have to ask the question: can we expect the lamb to be happy while its throat is cut for the majority? And what happens when it survives? While he may understand the reasons why (eventually…), it doesn't mean he has like the man.

Even in the best case scenario, it kind of boils down to this:

Oh yeah son, I'm going to mess with your chakra system, which pretty much forms the basis of a human beings survival, when you're a newborn (read, young and helpless). But don't worry, this won't kill you, or retard your growth in any way. Why? Because I'm Namikaze Minato dammit, the greatest genius to ever grace Konoha. Sure, I have never really done this before, or know of anyone who has done the same thing, but I'm sure I'll be successful because I'm that damned good. So much so that I choose you, my only son, and we will never know if your mother agreed to this because she is never mentioned again in canon. Even the bijuu will learn to fear my awesome mad fuuinjutsu skills. I'm just going to summon the Shinigami now and die a hero, and they will consider you to be a hero as well. Because you are my son and living experimental legacy. Hope you enjoy having a monster stuck in your belly, but don't worry, you can use its powers. Just don't use too much because it will probably, just probably turn you into a mindless beast of slaughter… Sayonara.

Ok, I'm going overboard. But really, consider the series of events holistically. Imagine your parents doing the same thing to you and tell me you would forgive right there and then when they revealed it to you. In paper. If you can, then you are a better man than me.

Sorry to say but no Bleach parts in this chapter either, the pendulum continues to swing backwards and forwards, revealing the sins of the past and how they will haunt the present. And I can't continue until I know what really happened all those years ago.

Many thanks to VFSNAKE and Frozen Sin for their efforts. My mind works faster than I can type at times, leading to incoherent nonsense.

Anyway, getting on with it, the long awaited question will be answered. And more people will be upset with my decision of jounin sensei. Onwards!

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_ **Kyuubi speaking aloud  
_**Dialogue **_Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 18Apr08  
Chapter completed:03May08

**Previously on BB**

So things didn't quite go the way that he planed it. It wasn't all lost. The old man would keep a very damn close eye on him now, and his gigai use had to be monitored more carefully. He had to figure out a way to get a tag onto his gigai so he would be able to act with secrecy. Actually, that idea would need some work. He would play along until the secondary exam would be in play. He remembered that Iruka had given them a week of grace before they were to be examined by the jounin senseis.

_Screw that; I have a test to fail. And a jounin sensei to piss off. I wonder who it will be?_

* * *

**Chapter twelve**

_**Momentum is overwhelming**_

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Household  
Hinata's room.**

_Naruto-kun, why did you fail?_

The plaintive question haunted the lavender eyed girl as she sat moping in her room. She had looked forward to this day for so long, where she and her crush would be able to graduate together, possibly end up in the same team together, and then have his pants beneath his feet…

That tangent brought a blush to her face as she tried to suppress her awakening hormones and undeniable attraction to the blond jinchuuriki. All her hopes and dreams that she had waited so patiently for had died just as agonizingly slowly as the bunshins Naruto had conjured for the ninjutsu component of the graduation test. And for that moment she knew that Naruto was hiding something. Something important in his life that he would share with her.

_Did, did he tell Hanabi?_

That thought caused her to grip her fists in anger, before she felt guilty and tried to calm her mind.

_No, he couldn't have, could he? _

As much as she hated to admit it, Naruto had a very easy relationship with her sister that she was deeply envious of. Hanabi was so seemingly carefree and innocent around Naruto that it made her deeply wonder why she was so hesitant around the boy who had spent so much of his time trying to help her.

That thought made her smile.

_He helped me, not you. He trained with me and knows me better. But, but why am I so afraid then?_

Hanabi was never afraid. She boldly told Naruto what she wanted and he was happy to oblige. She could barely request _anything_ from him before breaking down in a nervous stutter and revert back to her finger tip poking self that the blond found to be remarkably endearing.

And it all seemed to be moving away from her. Now that she was a genin and Naruto was back at the Academy, things were going to change. And not for the better. She would have a team now, of strangers that wouldn't understand her, who she would have to work with. That meant that she would spend less and less time with the boy.

The more she thought about it, the more frantic she got. Sure they might live in the same house, but she was terrified that she would drift further and further as they walked different paths until they would be acquaintances, but nothing more. He might reflect on the moments that they had shared as kids, but nothing more significant would result.

And it was those feelings that motivated her, gave her the courage to go and confront Naruto about why he did it. Anyone that was around him knew that he had a hidden strength and an odd sense of experience that no other kid his age should have had. She had asked Kurenai about it on many occasions who agreed that there was something different about Naruto. The bouts of insight and maturity that he showed was something much more fitting on someone much older than him. The genjutsu mistress had always liked a puzzle and Naruto proved to be no exception. Her mind had served her well in her genjutsu training and for work in Counter-Intelligence ANBU. She had mock seriously confided to Hinata that she would be taking a sabbatical to take on genin team and she had her eyes on her and Naruto. The happiness in her eyes when she heard that was both genuine and heartfelt.

And the truth was that she had become attached to the two of them. They had worked well as a team, with Naruto giving silent support and encouragement while Hinata had tried to work on his taijutsu. The operative word was tried as the boy adamantly refused to learn a proper style. He had never drawn his zanpukuto in their presence (barring the Kumo incident that was fading into an unpleasant memory in Hinata's mind) though the way he carried the blade created no doubt in her mind to whether or not the jinchuuriki was competent in its use. Naruto had a sense of fun and playfulness that brought a smile to her face, which made her look absolutely beautiful. The fact that he didn't mentally undress her with his eyes or make suggestive comments just softened the spot that she had in her heart for him.

As Hinata approached Naruto's room, her newfound courage faltered as she got closer and closer to the door. She hesitantly raised her hand to knock before doubt hit her.

_What am I doing?! How can I accuse him of … whatever it is I think he was doing._

As she struggled between her timidity and her overarching fear of losing connection to the honoured son, ironically enough one fear managed to override the other. She gently rapped her knuckles on the slide door. She did so several times without hearing a response.

_He, he should be home right? Unless he was with…_

Refusing to complete that thought, she steeled her courage and activated her Byakugan. While it was generally frowned upon to do so inside the residential quarters to invade the privacy of others, she had rather casually used it to gaze lovingly at her idol at a distance. Hell, it's not like the Branch members did anything differently. And she saw him, standing in front of a full length mirror. Quickly releasing her doujutsu, she knocked loudly and waited for a response.

She didn't receive one.

_Is, is he ignoring me?!_

Hinata was used to being ignored. By members of the Main Branch, by her schoolmates, hell, by her father at times. But Naruto had never, ever done so. It just reaffirmed her irrational fear that it was the beginning of the end for them. She grabbed the door and slid it to the side, her rarely seen anger giving her the push to get the answers that she needed. After everything that they have been through, he owed her an explanation. Didn't he? Didn't he always say that he was waiting for the right person? If it wasn't her, then who could it be? It wasn't like Naruto spent much time with other kids his age. In fact the only other person that he was close to was Ten Ten and Hanabi. Seeing that the bun haired brunette was already in a team with Neji, that only left her-

Naruto was just looking in a mirror, twirling his hitai-ate through his fingers as he looked at himself. He was feeling slightly better after confiding in Yugito, but he knew that he was nowhere close to resolving his problems with his blood father.

_Maybe, maybe this wouldn't be that bad. I mean, it's not like the world won't know about me soon enough. Yuugao, Hayate, 'Mi', 'Hebi', Anko and Kurenai are all Konoha nins, in one way or another. Maybe, just maybe…_

As Naruto tried to convince himself that his carefully laid plans of three years were not being destroyed in front of him, he failed to notice the incredibly stealthy approach by the Hyuuga heiress. She just stared at the intense expression on his face and lightly blushed at how cute he looked.

_I don't want this. I really don't want this._ Naruto continued to twirl his forehead protector. He gave a mirthless smile before snapping his hand over the indigo cloth. _Then again, I don't want many things but they happen anyway. _

_I guess I got too greedy. I guess, maybe things would have been better if I didn't know at all._ He reflected on the truth revealed by that bloody piece of parchment and felt lost. The feelings of betrayal and sadness were now a dull pain that throbbed inside of him, an ache that would never truly go away. He opened his hands and stared at the metal and cloth bundle.

He could never have thought that such a simple thing could have such significance. It was more than an open show of allegiance to a village, a hitai-ate was a declaration to the world of ones identity. Of duty and service to a nation. And Naruto was not quite sure that he wanted to actually take that on. Regardless of what he thought about his father, he realised that he had people incredibly close to him that he would protect, if only because he _chose_ to. But he wanted to keep a low profile, to stay relatively hidden. His time at 'Ne' was first of mutual convenience. He wanted to get stronger so that he could be independent, but along the way he created bonds stronger than blood. With Yugito, his two mentors, even the pale faced Sai who was slowly breaking out of his shell. Hell, the more time that Sai spent with the Nekomata's jinchuuriki created endless moments of humour for him to enjoy.

Deep inside of him, a part of Naruto understood why his father did what he did. But a larger part was disgusted and holding the forehead protector was a reminder of that. That by donning it, he would have to make choices that he might not agree with. And in a way it would make his father happy by honouring his memory. A measure of acceptance of his father's act that he couldn't help but feel resentful over.

_What do I do now? Do I fail again, and for what? Jiji will be so suspicious if this keeps on happening, that maybe it just isn't worth it._

As Naruto was engaged in thought, Hinata saw the hitai-ate and gasped.

_He passed! He really passed!_

With sudden elation, all the fears and misgivings over the last day lapsed and she went to Naruto, startling him and he got into a defensive stance before recognising Hinata. Relaxing, he gave her a quizzical look.

_Odd, she normally knocks._

And he was not expecting the semi crazed and relieved hug that threatened to shatter his ribcage. He had trouble breathing and was about to speak out when he realised that she was sobbing against his chest. He gently wrapped his arms around her and drew her to the ground, rocking her gently as he rested his chin on top of her head.

He heard her mutter about him passing and he let a fond grin escape from his mouth before frowning. _I thought that she was ready to walk by herself, I guess I was wrong. _He knew that Hinata was somewhat shy and introverted, but there was no denying that she had improved over the years under Kurenai's instruction.

He sighed and wondered if he was being selfish in ignoring Hinata and for seemingly hurting her like this.

_I had to do it. I just had to. Kami, what do I do now?_ _It had seemed so easy back then with Yugito and 'Hebi'. I mean, how hard was it to fail a test intentionally?_

Naruto would learn later on not to ask those sorts of questions in case some divinity from above was out to get him.

Hinata had never felt as content and happy as she did right now. She wished that this moment would never end, that they could spend the rest of eternity like this.

Everything was in its right place.

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

Danzo sighed as he looked at the financial statements of his well diversified portfolio. As much as he had tried to take advantage of leverage and his good name in all of Konoha's lending institutions, things were not looking good on his side.

_Crap, I know accounts payable shouldn't be that negative. Looks like I have no free cash flow to meet the next payments. Kami, who would have thought that a vigilante, err, paramilitary group would be so expensive?_

Actually, Danzo knew the truth of that long ago. It was why he was patient in setting up everything for all those years, building networks, connections and diverting money away so he could establish 'Ne'. But along the way he had gotten impatient and expanded Root's reach so that they were dangerously stretched. After the Kumo incident 'Ne' had operated like he had always envisaged it, a dangerously efficient, silent and dedicated machine that that had somehow managed to consume more money than his projections had allowed for.

But he couldn't deny the results. Things were holding tentatively, allowing the more mainstream ANBU to regain their ranks and pick up the slack. But the wages, bribes and other expenses had taken its toll.

_Kami, we can keep operating for maybe one year, likely less until something happens._

His goodwill running short, he knew that he might have to divert some ops till he found some sort of solution. He touched his pager and waited for his commander to arrive. A short time later 'Tatsu' made his way into the office, gave an informal salute before standing at ease. Danzo pushed the reports his way before sitting back. With a cursory look, he glanced at the reports before looking at his wizened leader.

"Err… what is this?"

Danzo scowled. "It is our operating expenses for the last six months. Tell me what's wrong with it."

'Tatsu' just looked blankly at him, "What am I? An accountant? You pay me to fight, not count."

The bandaged figure resisted the urge to roll his eyes and took out a marker. He circled the figures and pointed them out, "Ok, red is bad and is an outflow. Blue is good and is an inflow. Tell me, is there more blue or red?"

"Well, red wins. Oh…"

With a grim nod, Danzo continued, "Yes. We need some ways to find money to keep this whole operation afloat."

The 'Ne' commander rubbed his chin in contemplation, "Bounty hunting?"

"Normally I would be inclined to agree, but all the good targets have been taken out by mysterious pairs of nukenins in black robes. There are whispers that they are called Akatsuki."

'Tatsu' nodded, "Yes, there have been reports about them, I believe that Jiraiya-san is investigating them. They apparently have an interest in the bijuu. Or so my reports indicate."

"Do they know about Naruto?" the older man asked with concern.

"That's unknown at the moment. They have been off the radar and we have nothing concrete on them as of yet."

Danzo got up and started to pace. He finally stopped and stared at his commander.

'Tatsu' was one the old guard, the shinobi that had served in the beginning of the second and third secret ninja wars before they 'retired'. He was one of Danzo's closest associates, giving his support throughout the years with dedication and service. He had a fine mind and took care of the deployment details that were delegated onto him. And as he reflected slowly, they were one of the few left who really remembered the precarious position Konoha had occupied when it had held off enemies at all frontiers, the proverbial stormed fortress. Those nightmarish days were long past, and there were so few of them left.

The _Dennsetsu no Sannin_, Hatake Sakumo, the Sandaime, Danzo, 'Tatsu'… the list was depressingly small and seemed to be decreasing with no end in sight. Just below them lay 'Hebi' and 'Mi', the _Tsuin Hebi_ who had served in the ANBU together before 'leaving' as disaffected as they were to find a new purpose in life.

As they looked at each others eyes, they realised just how tired they were. They were fighting a seemingly unending war with no relief in sight. Without a word 'Tatsu' got up, retrieved the hidden decanter of spirits and poured a generous amount into two tumblers before setting it down. They looked at each other, nodded and clinked their glasses.

"To Hatake Sakumo and lost comrades. Lest we forget."

"Lest we forget."

They poured it back into the back of their throats, grimacing slightly as the potent liquor burnt its way before leaving a pleasing warmth.

With a bitter laugh, Danzo swirled the reaming liquid in his glass, "We are getting too old for this shit."

His counterpart could not help but agree, "Yeah, it seems that our job never ends. It keeps on asking more and more until we have nothing more to give."

"You know, I have always wondered why Sarutobi didn't stand down or appoint a new Hokage after the Yondaime died. I thought that he wanted to keep onto his position, to take on and lead Konoha into his idealistic vision. But now I realise why he did it."

"Oh?" asked 'Tatsu'.

"Simply, there is no one else that can take his place. Tsunade and Jiraiya are totally unfit to hold office, until they start to accept the truth and act like adults. Given time, they would have the stability of a diamond, but right now… Kakashi might be appropriate, but he's still horribly lost in the past and running from himself. So where does that leave us? Looks like our hopes once again lie with our children."

"Why the maudlin thoughts Danzo-sama?" the question was whispered.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the bandaged leader just sighed, "We are not going to live forever. One day we will die and that means that someone will have to take our place. But who is ready and able to do it? No one in 'Ne' is really appropriate to fill in my shoes. Because when I do die, I'm afraid that Root will die with me."

"Finances are just the beginning problem. We have a mandate, to protect Konoha at all costs, beyond judgment from the Code, beyond moral dilemma. But that is not direction; it is just an excuse to do what is necessary. It was born from us, the old guard that refused to see Konoha and all that it represented be burnt to the ground because Sarutobi decided to embrace delusion. The next generation haven't seen what we have seen, the suffering inflicted on our civilians as they moved into Hi no Kuni, burning, looting and raping their way towards the capital. That is why if something similar happens again, no one will have the sufficient strength, the iron necessary to protect Konoha."

'Tatsu' just remained silent. Taking that as agreement, Danzo just continued. "I need a successor. Someone that I can groom into taking the mantle when I go and there is no one I can comfortably leave it to. Not anytime soon."

Staying still, his commander nodded. "I know that I can't do it. I can implement orders and logistics, but I was never really creative enough to devise strategy. We need a leader, someone who can communicate effectively and someone who commands the respect of the Root division."

With an amused chuckle, they both gave an amused grin at each other.

"There is only one person that fits that description anytime soon."

"Kami, this is rich. Given time though…"

Danzo nodded, "Yes, time. But I can think of no one else better."

They finished the last drops of alcohol before Danzo sighed again. "The money problem is not going to go away. Even reducing wages won't cut it for very long. We have operated legitimately to stay under the radar, but we might have to engage in a few… illicit activities to support ourselves."

'Tatsu' grew uncomfortable at that, "What do you mean?"

With an unreadable look, Danzo steepled his fingers before answering, "Did you know that the greatest victory achieved by the Senju brothers wasn't actually achieved by force of arms. It was by stealth and preying on the weakness of their enemies. One clan, their names were forever removed by the two, refused to join the Hidden Leaf, but they were too powerful to be openly opposed. The bloodshed would have been immense and left the winners weak, weak enough to be preyed upon by others. But they were too proud to work together, so they worked to undermine them completely and entirely by introducing a little something called heroin into their region. It flourished and they grew addicted to its soporific effects. The Senju grew rich over that and importantly, it sapped their will to live and fight. Even in a simple market barter economy things were disintegrating as fractional infighting increased due to the delusions that they were suffering. And they were eventually wiped out by Kumogakure who pounced on their weakness. The clans under their banner panicked and turned to the Senju for protection. And once united with the Hyuuga, Uchiha et al Konohagakure took its place as one of the great hidden villages in the Elemental Nations."

"That… isn't the story they tell at the Academy."

Danzo barked a laugh, "Of course not. Never tell children the truth, because they will not understand. But the point remains, what they did was hidden of course. The money was all handled via proxies and was never really directly attributed to the Senju. But they eliminated their political opponents and grew rich from it. Why don't we do the same?"

"Who do we target then?"

"Iwagakure."

"Well, isn't that just fine and dandy? I'm sure this thing was thought of before. And Iwa seem to have holed itself up as tightly as Amekagure."

Danzo smiled, "Yes, it isn't a unique tactic. But 'Karasu' has been working on something quite amazing for a period of time. I believe he calls it cocaine."

"Cocaine?"

"Yes, apparently it is one hell of a drug."

* * *

**Konoha  
Residential Sector  
Yuugao's apartment**

Naruto just wondered how his life had went from complicated to a complete and utter clusterfuck. The whole Mizuki thing was supposed to be a one off event, with a slap on the wrist afterwards. He didn't expect to find out about his father and get promoted. He certaintly didn't expect to be chased around by Yuugao after he did it as well. Which is why he found himself walking to her apartment in the afternoon.

Naruto didn't particularly want to be there, but he knew that if he left it for any longer than one day there would be hell to pay. And he knew that Yuugao would not have any mercy in her if she was made to pursue him. So he decided to nip the problem in the bud and 'explain' things to the violet haired kunoichi as soon as he could.

_It seems like the both of us are hiding things from each other_, he thought sadly.

Once he thought the world of Yuugao, for giving him purpose when he was lost, but his faith in her was shattered when her loyalty to the Hokage proved to be stronger than anything that she might have felt for him. And that hurt. As much as he had hoped beyond all hope, he was disappointed that once again he was found wanting. It would forever be on his mind and weighed heavily in his thoughts as he walked to her apartment. But for some reason he still tried. He knew that he could have easily have slipped into the cracks of her life and parted off as a memory. He could have done that ages ago when he sealed up her memories in the past. But inexplicably even to him, he still went back to maintain the connection that he had with his mentor.

In part it was because they had great times together, and that had to mean something. He wasn't willing to let nearly eight years of friendship be lost just like that. But now it seemed even clearer that their paths would probably not cross again. He was a 'Ne' operator, she a member of the Hokage's own. But he felt that he owed her an explanation for everything. And he was also disappointed that she didn't tell him that she was promoted to taichou. While it wasn't immediately apparent, he recognised the discrete solid bar that marked the rank of captain on her epaulette.

_Then again, those things are not supposed to be common knowledge_, he mused. A part of him was happy that she had finally reached her goals. And ironically enough, she would never know what Naruto had to do to make it all happen.

_I, think its better this way. This way we both get what we want. I just want her to be happy._

And he genuinely did. She, along with Hayate, were responsible for a great part of his development as a kid and he considered that he had a debt to repay. Sure, they may have been under orders to train and keep an eye on him, but he knew that they went out of their ways to make him feel welcome and a part of their lives. That he would never forget, even if events in the future would mean that they might have divided loyalties.

His mind conjured back nostalgic images of a simpler time when the most complicated thing he had to do was surreptitiously cheat Yuugao out of her savings, with Hayate playing along. With a sigh he realised that he was at the door, and couldn't avoid the issue any longer. He knocked on the door and waited for it to be answered.

_Ok, just keep your cool. It's not like she will kick my ass or anything, I think._

_**Could she though?**_

_If I went all out, probably not. I would get away and everything. But that would be really, really hard to explain how I beat and ANBU captain…_

_**True, but honestly, there is the **__**point with being nice and being, as 'Mi' would say, pussy whipped.**_

… _I am not pussy whipped._

_**Sur**__**e, of course not.**_

**_Hell, I can do it often enough that you think its in the form of advice, and feel bad when you don't listen._**

After a long while, the door peeked open and he saw Yuugao's bloodshot eyes. Naruto was shocked at how tired she looked.

"Wh – What happened Yuugao-chan?"

With a growl, the kunoichi grabbed his shirt and dragged him into her apartment in a quasi throw. She then grabbed the plastic bag of ice cream that he had dropped and closed the door ominously.

The last forty eight hours were hell for her. She had a difficult mission where what was supposed to be a stock standard rendezvous had gone deep south and turned into a fighting retreat back to Hi no Kuni. And then she finds out that her surrogate brother was the one to penetrate ANBU defences and take off with the Scroll of Sealing. If she wasn't the one that had to run him down, she would have laughed and ruffled his hair at the sheer balls that Naruto must have possessed to do that. But when she was the one to experience firsthand his amazing stamina and endure a four kilometre run before facing off with the mysterious enemy nins… it was not the way that she wanted to end her day.

And a large part of it was due to the chakra exhaustion that she and the rest of her cell had taken due to that odd earthen wall that seemed to be impenetrable and fed off their chakra. After their synergistic ninjutsu, they were not certain that they could get out before something bad happened to them. Luckily for them an ANBU patrol got them out of it before the explosive tags went off. She had paled at the sheer amount that were applied and knew that the red haired kunoichi wanted her dead, really bad. Well, she had memorized her face and the next time that they met, only one of them would walk away.

And then they were carted off to the ANBU infirmary where she had taken some soldier pills and limped her way home to collapse in her soft bed. She was still dozing off when she was woken up by a combination of knocks and the door bell ringing. Dragging her body out her bed, she gazed at the closed monitor before her eyes widened.

_Naruto!?_

Happy that he wasn't interned into the ANBU interrogation cells, angry that he had put her through all of that bullshit, she opened the door and threw him into the living room.

Naruto landed awkwardly, groaning as the impact knocked the wind from his lungs. He was about to get up but Yuugao sat on him, her eyes glinting dangerously as the boy gulped and gave a weak smile.

"Err… Hi there. Are you ok?"

The kunoichi closed her eyes in mock thought. "Oh I don't know. I was coming back after a long, hard mission, wanting to take a long hot bath. But what do I see when I get to the Hokage's Tower?"

"Hayate sneaking off with another woman?" he asked hopefully.

"…"

SMACK!

"Oww!"

"I see you, stealing the Scroll of Sealing like some kind of traitor!"

Naruto just winced at the accusation in her tone, trying to steel himself for the following lies that he had prepared for this occasion. "Well, it was just part of a test."

"What kind of test?" she asked suspiciously.

Reaching slowly and carefully, he removed his hitai-ate from his pocket and showed it to her.

"Mizuki-sensei said that I would pass if I could get the scroll, learn a technique and show him. It turns out that he wanted the scroll for himself and was using me."

Yuugao just looked at the forehead protector, then to Naruto, and back again. She did this several times before deciding on a course of action.

She reached down and gave him a deep hug. The blond was stunned at the action and did not respond as Yuugao slowly pulled away with a smile gracing her lovely face.

"It's about time Naruto. It's about time!"

With a slightly false smile, Naruto just nodded before Yuugao frowned.

"How did you avoid the ANBU?"

He repeated the story that he told the Hokage, and she seemed to buy it. There were some areas but once Mizuki's treachery and association with Orochimaru was revealed, everything fit together nicely enough for her to accept his story at face value.

"Umm, Yuugao-chan, can you get off me, your kinda heavy."

A tick developed over her eye, "Are you saying that I'm fat Naruto-kun?!"

_Ah, shit. How do I answer this one?_

_**Kawamiri kage bunshin!**_

_That's like your solution to everything!_

_**It works doesn't it?**_

"Maa, I didn't say that! I didn't say that! It's just that Mizuki hurt me there before the ANBU came and it's still a bit sore."

That did the trick. Yuugao quickly got off him, a slight flush on her face as Naruto congratulated himself on his deviousness. But that quickly turned around when he felt her take off his shirt so that she could see the damage for herself.

"It's nothing, really! I got the medics to see me after-"

Absentmindedly, Yuugao just pushed her fingers over his lips as her experienced fingers lightly probed his pectoral and abdominal muscles, trying to find any serious injuries.

_Ok, this feels… uncomfortable._

_**Who are you trying to kid here kit?**_

As she traced soft circles over his flesh, Naruto shuddered involuntary and grew slightly red. Though it was a long time in coming, puberty had hit the jinchuuriki with a vengeance, creating some rather awkward situations for the blond. This was one of them, though it could have hardly been called intentional. Any sort of physical contact that he had between the many girls that he knew left him flushed and thinking 'inappropriate' thoughts. Which was probably why he let them get away with so much stuff that he wouldn't tolerate from others.

And he couldn't help but notice how attractive Yuugao was as she was looming over him. Not for the first time he though how lucky Hayate was to have her by his side. She finally looked at his face and saw the light colouring that graced his features. She smirked, which only grew bigger when Naruto refused to look her in the eye.

_Haha, still got it._

"And don't you think you are off the hook just yet. You made me waste all that time and I _demand_ compensation."

_Oh come on, seriously?_

Naruto swallowed and nodded slowly, resigned to his punishment. "Wh – What do you want?"

With an evil grin, she held out her closed fist and flicked up a finger for everyone of her 'requests' "I want you to make sure that there is always two full tubs of the triple chocolate ice cream in the freezer at my home."

Naruto nodded hesitantly.

"Next, I want massages for all the ache and strain that you have put my poor body through."

Another nod.

"That's it for now, but I reserve the right to add things as I see fit."

"But, but!"

"Oh no you don't! Take it like a man!"

He pouted, 'I'm just a boy dammit!" It wasn't like he was particularly happy about it, but he knew that some sacrifices had to be made, otherwise things would have been unbearable for a few months. And if he was honest, he didn't really mind doing those things for her.

He tried to ignore the whipping sound effects going off in his mind, courtesy of the Kyuubi.

**_Oh well, at least I know he has a fondness for women. Hell, I might just encourage it for the sake of usefulness._**

She just laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately, "Not any more. You are a shinobi of the Leaf now. In fact, we need to celebrate your promotion."

_Man, if I fail the secondary test, she is going to kill me…_

He just gave a foxy grin in return, "Then I have to say congratulations as well Yuugao."

She looked at him quizzically, "What do you mean gaki?"

Naruto just placed his fingers across where an epaulette would have been on his shoulder, mimicking a bar as he grinned.

Her eyes widened, "How, how did you know?"

With a shrug, he replied, "I saw how you were giving orders to the others, the bar across your shoulders and how they all seemed to be afraid of you. So I figured that you got promoted. Finally. Or you're a dominatrix in disguise, but I figured that Hayate was wrong about that."

She flushed slightly. Not even her errant lover had noticed it, even with careful and subtle prodding on her behalf.

_How observant are you Naruto-kun?_

"So yeah, you want to go out or get some takeaway? You still look pretty tired…" hints of a guilty tone could be heard in Naruto's voice as he looked on in concern. Honestly, Yuugao looked pretty terrible as she had just collapsed into her bed, still in her uniform, boots and all. Her eyes were bloodshot and felt like she would fall asleep at any moment. She nodded and gave a yawn.

"We can get some lunch later I guess. But the ice cream goes in the fridge."

He nodded and moved to place it. Yuugao watched him move and not for the first time wondered who the enigmatic blond really was. It was like a mystery that refused to be solved, and that was quite attractive in its own way. She knew that he was quite headstrong and wouldn't do anything that he didn't believe in. which is why she kept her 'punishments' to acceptable levels that she knew he would enjoy as well. She smiled wickedly at the thought of having her own little masseur and desert provider for the next few weeks. It wasn't like she was going to take advantage of the boy. Or was she?

Thinking over those thoughts, she continued to lie on the floor as she couldn't get enough energy to get on her feet. Naruto ended up helping her onto her feet, before half carrying her to her bed. As she was about to fall onto it, Naruto haphazardly caught her and they both landed on the mattress.

Yuugao laughed before giving Naruto a hug.

"I'm really proud of you kid, you know that right?"

"Yeah, yeah, so am I. Could you, uh, let go of me now?"

She gave a mock scowl, "What's wrong, aren't I good enough to hug now? But you're so soft and cuddly Naruto-kun. And is this the first time that you have been in a bed with a woman?" She was having too much fun teasing the poor boy.

Naruto just flushed and tried to get away. But her arms locked around his and he just gave up, knowing that he could just kawamiri out of it later. And he couldn't really say that he was uncomfortable.

"Ok, make yourself useful and give me a massage. Now."

"But, but I don't know how to."

She just sighed and directed his hands over to her tense muscles. She told him to rub it until he could feel that they were not so stiff. Naruto rather hesitantly placed his palm over her clothed back and started to gently massage her shoulders.

_Oh… that feels so goooood._

Giving a low groan of satisfaction, Yuugao was lost in a haze of contentment the blond gained confidence as he slowly explored and marvelled at how well toned her body was. After a while, she got sick of her undershirt getting in the way of his fingers and she sat up, peeled it off before lying back down.

The blond just gazed at her skin, and felt how soft it really was he gently worked the tension out of her muscles. It was nearly flawless, marred only by a few scars that had healed over and were just faint marks. Though she was still wearing her bra, Naruto realised that this was the closest that he had ever been towards an unclothed girl. Catching his thoughts, he tried to think of anything else but their close proximity. But the continual tactile contact was not helping at all.

And after a while Yuugao just lost consciousness as her body shut down, desperate to regain the chakra that she had expended during the last forty eight hours. Before she did she almost negligently gave Naruto a grateful hug before falling asleep, clutching at the jinchuuriki like he was a plush toy.

When she later reflected on the moment, Yuugao couldn't really explain why she had held onto Naruto like she did. Maybe it was because of the warmth he provided while she was sleeping, maybe because she was fond of him. And Naruto couldn't explain why he didn't substitute his body with a shadow clone after she did fall asleep. It may have been that he had missed her after she had been exposed, it may have been the fact that his face was directly buried between her breasts…

All that the two knew was that maybe things between the two of them were not as mutually exclusive as they once may have thought. Naruto, in Yuugao's mind, was finally showing the world his talent and would be quickly heading towards the ANBU; hell he might be serving under her one day, which was a vert satisfying thought. Naruto took her affection as a reaffirmation of the trust and confidence that she had for him before that day that he had to mindwipe her.

_**Don't be too so sure kit. Do you really think that she would choose differently again?**_

_I, don't know. But I owe it to her to give her the chance._

Hopeful wishes indeed. But it gave him a sense of hope that he was unwilling to let go of. So the two of them lay there together, the boundaries between the two of them being blurred as the day slowly ticked on.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Tower**

The ANBU OIC was having one hell of a bad day. Not only was one of the village's greatest secrets stolen on his watch, it was done by Uzumaki Naruto.

He shivered. He knew his performance evaluation report was going to have one hell of a black mark against his name. Now all that he had to do was consider how it all happened. The odds of an Academy dropout doing what the jinchuuriki did were mathematically incalculable. But the boy seemed to defy all odds and penetrate into the heart of Konoha's operational hub. He had to find out what had happened so that it could not occur again. He had moved strongly to intern and interrogate Naruto until they were sure that they knew exactly what went wrong with their defences.

But the Hokage told him that it was his penance for failing in the first place. He didn't dare to risk placing the blond in the cells, especially given his current attitude. He relayed the information about Orochimaru and Mizuki, which made him feel slightly better. Though the fact that the Snake Sannin was alive and well worried him.

_That bastard... knows too much. We really need to neutralise him but all efforts have ended in failure_. He sighed as he tried to retrace the route that Naruto had taken. And surprisingly enough, it was possible for a person to slip in the cracks if they didn't use any chakra at all. That made him concerned and worried.

_Geez, did we really get that complacent? Maybe we did, maybe we really did think that we were untouchable. And __I guess we are lucky that it was a friendly that opened up our eyes._

The patrols for a start had to be randomised, with extra rotations to cover any blind spots. He needed more cameras, and more staff to monitor the things. It was chilling to think of how much damage someone could do because of their laxity. It would have been all too easy for an enemy nin to come in and secrete an explosive device to take out the ANBU and the Hokage in one blow.

Inwardly, he thanked the blond boy for the ramifications his act would have had for Internal Security. Outwardly, he cursed the fact that he got off with little to no punishment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Hokage and Iruka were sitting around a desk, comparing notes and grades as the two of them were busy deciding the genin team allocations for the graduated class. This was a reason that a weeks break was given to the graduates so that they could decide on their respective futures.

It wasn't an easy choice. Three people had to be matched to a teacher to ensure the greatest amount of utility for all involved. And then there were the various political issues that invariably reared their head when placements were concerned. And this year would not be easy as the talent that was on the table was staggering.

Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress to one of the founding clans of Konoha.

Uchiha Sasuke, the raven haired prodigy and Rookie of the Year.

Aburame Shino, the quiet, cool and collected bug user.

Akamichi Choji, the heir to one of Konoha's most faithful clans.

Nara Shikamaru, the lazy but brilliant genius that only needed motivation.

Haruno Sakura, the smartest kunoichi of her year.

Yamananka Ino, the mind walker.

Inuzuka Kiba, the brash boy whose skills in tracking were fast developing.

And finally, the one and only Uzumaki Naruto.

As per regulations, only one third of the class would actually become genin, the other would either go back or be placed in the unalloted list if there was an opening in a team. This was done for quality control purposes and to really determine the willing from those who had an idle fancy of being a shinobi.

Admittedly it had its faults, but was by far and wide the best system in place in the Elemental Nations.

But this year was especially problematic, given the certain... demand for a student. Three jounins had requested that Uzumaki Naruto be placed in their teams and honestly, he had no idea of how he was going to accommodate everyone. In fact, he was quite sure that there would be many disappointed people after he had made up his mind. He waited until all the prospective senseis had turned up into his office and gave a sigh.

He had welcomed consultation in this process, because he believed that it resulted in the best possible fit for students and teachers. So he looked at the assorted gathering and nodded.

"Once again we have a class to guide into the future. And this year is remarkable. Before I start, we will to actually divide the students into three. I have proposed the following:"

He listed down the teams in order, droning on until he had reached the names that everyone was interested in:

Team Seven: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto

Team Eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba

Team Ten: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji

"Comments or suggestions?"

Iruka spoke up, "Why is Naruto paired with Sasuke?"

"Well, tradition does state that the dead last is placed with the rookie of the year."

"And you really think Naruto is really the dead last of his class?"

The Hokage grimaced, "Kami alone knows how strong that boy actually is."

Kurenai decided to say her piece, "That makes team seven too overpowered. The balance is destroyed and the other teams are going to suffer for it. I have trained Naruto and I can say that he is holding back most of his strength. Where he has learnt it from is unknown to me..."

The Hokage grew uncomfortable. He knew that Kisuke had made his way and saw Naruto during the years and he didn't know how much assistance that he had given the boy. And that worried him. It might be that Naruto's refusal to be a genin was the result of specialised training from the death god. And that might be more than sufficient to carry him through the day. But that wasn't sufficient in ones life. There had to be something more that just strength alone.

"How did Naruto pass anyways?" asked a curious Kurenai. She didn't think that he was going to fail during Hinata's year, but after seeing the heiress to congratulate her she discovered the truth. And here they were, not yet twenty four hours after the graduation and Naruto managed to make his way into the lists.

The Hokage explained the Mizuki incident in its abbreviated form. Most of them were surprised at Naruto's daring, and shocked to consider the poor security that was supposed to look after their secrets, administrative and substantive.

"There is still a good chance he will fail the secondary test. I cannot make an exception for him, but seeing how angry he was when he left, I don't see a way around it."

"Place him with Hinata. He wouldn't dare fail in that case. He likes her too much to see her being placed back to the Academy or languishing in the unalloted ranks," suggested Kurenai.

_Incidentally, it would probably make Naruto-kun mine as well. _

Kakashi just looked up from his orange covered novella, "Well, does it really matter? The sensei chooses the test to see if the three pass or not."

The Hokage was uneasy at that thought. Politically it would make a lot of sense, to place the two Hyuuga's together. But he had the fond hope that he would be able to change Sasuke, as he had done so with a few others. His regular meetings with Mikoto had brought to light the continuing anger that burned inside the youngest Uchiha. But from Iruka's reports, the two of them did not really have a close or friendly relationship.

"Then what happens to Sakura?" asked Genma.

They all looked at Iruka, as most of them were not familiar with the girl beyond the paper reports in front of them. Iruka sighed, "Well, technically she is the best kunoichi of her year, so in theory she should be able to be placed on any team, but I have real concerns about her capacity."

"How can that be?" drawled Kakashi, "If she topped her year in the Academy? That has to mean something, shouldn't it?"

The Hokage gave an irritated look at the indictment in his words but stayed silent. It was a sore issue that most shinobi had raised issues with the quality/utility of their initial Academy training. It didn't help or really prepare children for the horrors that often awaited them on active service. But there wasn't really any other way to do it without killing the children and replacing them with something else entirely. He refused to tread the path of Kirigakure.

"She only beat Hinata because of her theory and ability to rote learn things. To be fair, she isn't from a shinobi family so she couldn't really excel in the practical aspects of the course. But even then, her attention is misplaced. She just wants to get closer to Sasuke and went to the Academy because of that. She has applied herself to get his attention, but really, in the field she will need close attention. Otherwise... she is just a target."

Anko grunted, "If she is that bad then she deserves to fail. She will just be a burden and give kunoichi's a reputation that they don't deserve.

Kurenai nodded her agreement.

The other jounin's took on their words and showed their agreement.

The Hokage staid silent before fixing them all with a tired look. "Remember, she is still a child. There is hope for us all, and who are we to deny her the chance to grow? It looks like her control far exceeds anyone else that has graduated and we should not judge her too harshly. Even if she didn't do it for the right reasons, she will learn that nature of our existence and she might surprise us all."

"Can we really risk the lives of our subordinates based off that Hokage-sama?" asked a dubious Genma.

"We were all young once. How can we be expected to know what we really want? Did any of you? We are given the chance to follow our paths. And she will not be denied that either. Whether or not she passes will be up to her now."

They all nodded uneasily.

"But Hokage-sama, it would be a real bad idea if we place Naruto with Sakura. They... do not get along."

"How so?"

"Well, she hates him. And it makes no sense to why she does, besides the possibility that it might all be motivated by her parents. The words that she uses... a lesser person would have lost it and attacked her."

"What things does she say?"

The chuunin grimaced, "The latest was that he was a useless failure who should have killed himself because no one would ever like him. She then pointed out the fact that Kushina left him and was going to go further before Ino grabbed her away. Naruto ignores it as best he can, but it wouldn't be healthy for them to be on the same team."

The Sandaime was shocked at those words and drew a deep draw on his pipe.

_Life is all about handling challenges. Will this be another one on your path Naruto?_

"Who else could we put her with?"

"Ino is an option, but that would destroy the troika that has worked so well in the past. She can stay with Sasuke I guess, and then shift Kiba onto team seven. That would leave Shino, Naruto and Hinata in one team, and the trio in the other."

Asuma snorted, "Why are we so desperate to preserve those three families? These things shouldn't matter; ability and teamwork can always be forged into new bonds and alliances. If we keep on recycling the same combinations over and over again, progress would never be made."

"Their abilities do complement each other," said the Sandaime.

Kakashi cut in, looking up from his book, "Yes, but by now most people know the distract, pin and demolish combination that the Nara-Aka-Yama trio use. One of these days a counter will be found, if it hasn't been done so already, and it will be useless."

Anko nodded in a rare display of seriousness, "And looking at the reports, it doesn't seem that they get along that well either. And they have practically known each other for the majority of their lives. We need to spice things up, we can't pander to the Council just because it makes them happy," she uttered the last bit darkly.

Genma just chewed on his senbon before asking out loud.

"What about the threesome precedent?"

"Threesome precedent?" queried Kurenai.

"Yeah, don't you know?"

"What is it?" asked a curious Hokage.

"Every genin team must exclusively consist of two males and one female. No exception."

They all reflected on that.

"Funny, I never noticed that. What is the significance though? Statistically speaking, two thirds of all shinobi are male, so probability states that -"

"I always thought there was a more perverted reason for that. You know, three teenagers during their sexual awakening, alone together. Two guys, one girl, things happen. I thought it was some kind of happy Konoha tradition…" he trailed off as he saw the incredulous stares of people around him.

The Sandaime just looked at him in shock, "Who was your sensei and teammates again Genma?"

"Kami, I had Orochimaru as my teacher and even he didn't do that shit to me!"

_Not that I remember anyways. Oh dear kami…_ Anko just shivered and tried to put such thoughts out of her mind.

Kurenai just shuddered at the memory of her two lecherous teammates that had always tried to cop a feel. It was part of the reason why she worked on genjutsu so she could retaliate through vicious visions of their genitalia being slowly devoured by snakes. She really had to thank Anko for that one. It was one of the reasons why they had become good friends in the beginning. Her teammates had quickly learnt to act professional around her.

Realising that he had placed his foot directly into his mouth, Genma hoped that no one would ever mention it ever again, "Ok, I'm going to shut up now."

"And I am going to give you a team with no chance of succeeding at all as well," the Sandaime said resolutely.

"…"

The others just nodded with satisfaction that left the senbon chewing nin feeling quite marginalised.

Kurenai decided to press an issue that had been on her mind, "Well, if Naruto doesn't pass, what happens? Does he get sent back to the Academy? How about apprenticing him?"

Sarutobi put down his pipe and shook his head, "No. I am not going to make that mistake again."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Giving a sad look, he looked at them all. "Individual strength is important, but at this time in their lives, learning to live and work together with others is the more than a skill. It is a requirement. Give them too much power, with no responsibility… or connections to the world around us, we get people like Itachi."

"We find strength in our cooperation with others. Individual strength falls because there is no support beyond yourself. Understanding the bonds that exist between people, that is the heart of the genin team. That is why I will not let either Naruto or Sasuke be apprenticed."

They all nodded at his words, seeing sense.

Growing pensive, the Hokage picked up the documents and mused, "Well, that leaves us nowhere. There are then eighty four possible combinations that we can choose to form one team. A choice has to be made somehow. How about this, I know there is a lot of interest in Naruto. Who wants him?"

The Sandaime had three requests so far and wanted to know what the options were for this. He would do what was in Naruto's best interest, if only to make up for before, and to do so would require him to know who really wanted him and who was best able to teach and guide him. It was the least that he could do.

Anko just jumped up and down in excitement.

"Oh, oh, give him to me, give him to me!"

Kurenai raised her hands, Kakashi following.

"I want him," Kakashi said, his tone for once serious and solemn.

Anko pouted. "If I said that, all of you would be giving me queer looks."

They all just looked at each other and nodded.

"Hey, it's not like I'm going to go and turn him into my own little mini me!"

The image of Naruto clad in steel netting wearing a tan trenchcoat sent shivers down Kakashi's spine. There was something just wrong about that image. Kurenai just hung her head in resignation, trying not to think too deeply on how Naruto would look like wrapped up in bandages…

Sarutobi just looked amused as he saw the three jounin's argue over Naruto. Though technically speaking, Anko was still a tokubetsu jounin, but it wasn't through want of skill. It really was that she was too unstable to be placed in charge of a team normally. She had issues that made her a live wire to deal with, which was a bad idea considering she would be taking young rebellious teenagers under her wing. They would either kill each other, or would be converted to her way of thinking and doing things. He didn't know which would have been worst.

Sarutobi laughed inwardly at how the process ended up matching teacher to student, instead of the other way around. How one genin could be the one was amazing. Then again, it wasn't too unusual. He had placed Minato as Kakashi's sensei so that he wouldn't have been lost in his own hatred. And along the way they had bonded in a unique way. Two bona fide geniuses who helped end a war and brought an uneasy peace back to the Elemental Nations.

_Hmm, if I place Naruto with Anko, they would be good for each other. She was borderline psychopathic__ before, now she is just playfully psychopathic…_

_But with Kurenai, he trusts her and might open up to her about his problems and what help he may have been getting with Kisuke. She seems to be losing her reputation as Konoha's Ice Mistress as well.__ I wonder who will take up that title next?_

_And Kakashi..._

_**Flashback**_

'Hokage-sama, Hatake-san is here to see you."

Looking up from his paperwork, he nodded, "Send him in."

The silver haired ANBU taichou walked in and gave a short salute and stood at ease. Over the years he had perfected a nonchalant stance that expertly hid the state of readiness that he was in. In fact, the more relaxed he looked, the more alert he was in reality. Looking at his stance, the Sandaime knew that he had something important to say. Kakashi had been on 'administrative leave' for the last fortnight, giving him time to recharge and rest.

It was the loneliest weeks of his life. He had realised that he had neglected to live for the last seven years. The constant stress, strain and pressure of A and S ranked missions effectively killed thoughts beyond that of the mission. And he realised that he didn't really have anything to look forward to, or actually do once he was in Konoha. It was a sobering and painful thought, which he reflected on deeply in front of the Memorial Stone for many hours. He asked himself to what he could change for the better. His past was just that, he would remember it and pay honour to those who had served with him, but he needed to live for the future. And to do so he would pay back the two greatest debts on his soul.

Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

He owed Minato and Obito so much that he couldn't express it in words. It was the least that he could do, mentor and teach those two boys. He knew that the Sandaime had kept Naruto's true parentage a secret for good reason, but he knew that it must have hurt Naruto, the pain of not knowing. Ironically enough, Minato was probably a better father figure to Kakashi than to Naruto, and his intention to reveal aspects of the Yondaime would do nothing more than make the boy insanely jealous of the relationship that Kakashi had with Minato; resenting the fact that a relative stranger was treated in a more kindlier fashion than him.

And Kakashi saw too much in Sasuke that reminded him of himself to let go. He had pushed himself to the limits to prove to Konoha that his family were worthy of being shinobi after his father's 'disgrace'. By loosing everything, Kakashi remade himself into a weapon that only started to live again after Obito showed him the way. He remembered Itachi during his ANBU days, and wasn't that surprised that he pulled off the massacre. He had his doubts to how he could have done it singlehandedly, but the investigation from the ANBU couldn't prove otherwise. He had tried to ignore it, seeing as he wasn't directly related to them. He felt sorry for their loss, but Sasuke still had his mother to look after him.

But after his confrontation with Jiraiya, he realised that life had to be more than just duty and obligations. It was the things that we voluntarily enter into that define us. Obito chose to become his friend, it only took his death for him to realise it. Minato chose to make the effort to become something more than a sensei to him, even before Obito's death. And it made him question what he had chose to do willingly. And he was left with nothing, which created an odd sense of shame. It made him feel inordinately selfish that Konoha had given so much to him, but he preferred to lose himself in missions instead of facing tomorrow. Granted his missions for the ANBU were valued and important, but many people just said that Kakashi was finding for a way to die. That he was taking on missions in the hope that one enemy nin would be the one to end it. And they wouldn't have been far wrong.

He gazed steadily at the Hokage and spoke out in an uncharacteristically serious voice, "I want them."

Sarutobi just sat back and stared back, "Who do you want?"

"Naruto and Sasuke. I want them both on my genin team."

Truthfully, the Hokage was expecting this conversation a long time ago, and was disappointed that it took Kakashi so long to make this request. He was inclined to give it to him, but he needed to know that it was for the right reasons.

"Why do you want him Hatake-san?"

"I want Naruto because he is my sensei's son. Why wouldn't I want him? And for Sasuke, he can't be left without guidance."

"Sasuke still has his mother. And for Naruto... you do hold the longest record for continuous ANBU service. Seven years, and not once did you ever see Naruto during that time. Not even after the Kumo incident."

Kakashi winced at the silent indictment.

"I know that I have made mistakes, but I am not the only one," he said mildly.

The Hokage winced slightly, but gave no other indication that it had affected him. He nodded slowly and responded, "Be that as it may, I still require reasons to why you want to do this, besides the fact that you want them."

Hatake grew serious and stood up straight, "In all my years, I have done my duty carefully and faithfully. Whenever Konoha was in need, I answered the call. Is it so much for me to ask this one thing?"

The words did resonate within the Sandaime. His loyalty wasn't something that he could deny or discount in any way. Konoha did owe a lot to the Copy Nin who had held things together after the Kyuubi's incursion into Hi no Kuni. And it wasn't a bad idea per se. They would both benefit immensely from their relationship. Naruto would gain a... 'reliable' authority figure (actually, scratch that) and Kakashi could find new purpose in his life. But as always there were other considerations on his mind. Naruto's intransigence was one of them. His continual failures for the last two years might mean that he would never graduate to have a team. He had a custom made hitai-ate burning a hole in his desk compartment, and he was more than eager to place it over Naruto's head. But he just didn't seem to bite.

His consultations with Iruka and Kurenai hadn't really revealed anything concrete, and the few times that he spoke to the jinchuuriki he avoided the issue. Not that he pushed too hard, as the operative theory was that he was waiting for Hinata. So he was content to wait out another year. It would eventually happen, even if he had to push the rules so that he made the grade.

He nodded and said, "I will think on it. Consider yourself reinstated on light duties. I have an ANBU member that I would like you to mentor for the next few months. And if things turn out as I hope..." he left the thought unsaid by Kakashi picked up on the implied promise.

"Oh another thing, meet with Maito Gai in the Uchiha Compound tomorrow at 1800 hours. There is something that you two need to do with Mikoto-san. It is very important that you do so."

"Hai Hokage-sama," giving a seemingly lazy salute before turning on his heels and leaving.

"Oh and another thing."

The Copy Nin stopped and faced the Sandaime, to be met with a pleased smile, "Welcome back to Konoha."

Kakashi blinked a few times before giving his patented eye smile. Regardless of anything that might happen, Konoha was still his home, and it was a good feeling to be back after his self imposed exile.

_**End flashback**_

"Oh please, Naruto-kun likes me more that he likes you!"

Kurenai just shook her head, "I have been teaching him for the last three years. I am the most qualified to do so. And he likes me better."

"Prove it! He buys me dango all the time, doesn't shrug me off when I glomp him, hell, I was going for something in his pants the other day and he was getting har -"

The crimson eyed kunoichi grinned deviously, which attracted every single male in the room. It was indescribably sultry and attractive. "Have you seen his _Orioke no jutsu_?"

"No. What does that have to do with anything?"

Kurenai just tried to act like she was talking about something as casual as the weather, "Next time, get him to show you it and ask him who he modelled it off from."

"Hah, you're on! There is no way that I'm going to loose to you!" Anko said confidently.

All the guys in the room were amused and depressed at the same time. Amused that they saw their resident Ice Mistress acting so playful for once. Depressed that it was over a thirteen year old boy who managed to break into her shell.

_Man, why do I feel so inadequate all of a sudden?_ thought Asuma. Luckily he wasn't alone in those thoughts.

The Hokage just wished more of his meetings would be as entertaining as this one. It beat the pants out of reading from past minutes and laboriously going over documents before wishing he could use kaage bunshin more responsibly. He know that if Jiraiya were to have been here he would have commemorated the occasion with a shotacon Icha Icha novella, which might spawn into a whole series that could support ANBU operations for years afterwards.

He coughed to get their attention and announced his decision.

* * *

**Konoha  
**'**Ne' headquarters**

Naruto walked into the headquarters in a pensive mood. The hitai-ate in his pocket was forming an unwelcome weight and reminder that he had to make a choice soon enough. He was still tending to fail again for the third time, but he didn't have the same vicious need to revocate his genin status as he did a few days ago.

But right now, he wanted some answers from Danzo. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy or pleasant, but Naruto just couldn't accept that the Root leader didn't know of his parentage once it was revealed that it was the Yondaime. In the past he thought that he was simply a victim of circumstance, that his father was a civilian or a shinobi, then he might have not known. But he refused to accept that Danzo didn't keep track of a Hokage's son, especially combined with all the other things that had happened to his life.

And along the way he bumped into Sai, who gave him his patented smile.

"Hey there micropenis."

Naruto just gritted his teeth as he forced himself to be polite to the pale faced 'Ne' operator. Over the years the boy had mellowed out so that he at least understood human behaviour. The thing was that he just ignored it and took a perverse enjoyment in annoying people with his blunt observations. In his case, he just made a totally uneducated guess to his genitalia. There was no way that he was ever going to expose that part of his body to Sai.

"Hello bastard. What are you doing?"

Sai just shrugged, "Not much, good thing to see that your not imprisoned and tortured. Would you have screamed like a choir girl if that happened? I hear that they do this certain operation where -"

Before Naruto could lose his temper he was stopped by Yugito's arrival.

"Ah, here is the bitch herself!"

The blonde's left eye twitched as she tried to control herself.

"What did you call her?" asked Naruto dangerously.

"What, that's what you call a female cat right?" he asked innocently.

"... That's a female dog, teme."

"Oh, sorry, my mistake. Anyways, I have things to do. Bye."

He walked off, seemingly shrugging off the glares directed at him.

"Naruto, how do you stand that son of a bitch?"

The boy just shrugged, "You learn to ignore it I guess. Hell, he recently promoted me."

"Really? How?"

With a laugh, he responded, "I used to be dickless, now I'm a micropenis," Naruto made a face, "Whatever that means."

Yugito developed a wicked grin as she approached Naruto, "Now, that may be a very _large_ problem in the future if your are ,err, not developing properly. Why don't you let nee-san take a good look at it for you?"

Naruto was shocked into silence. After several moments, Yugito waved her hands in front of him, seeing if he had any reaction. She was shocked to see that it was just an afterimage that slowly dissipated.

She pouted at seeing that. _Dammit, teasing him is always so fun._

Naruto just moved in a hurry as he wanted to reach Danzo's office before he was interrupted again. He reached the door, knocked and made his way into the room. He found the bandaged man reading over after action reports and gave a smile at Naruto's arrival, before a frown appeared on his face.

"What?"

The older man just sighed, "Why didn't you listen to me? Why did you have to take such an unnecessary risk?"

The blond shrugged uncomfortably, "I figured that I could pull it off. And I did."

"You were made into a genin. More importantly, you have exposed your abilities to the ANBU who must be suspicious to how a kid bested all of their defences," he pointed out.

Naruto winced at that, "Yeah, I know... But it was worth it. And I guess I can always fail the secondary test."

"That is not the point. You didn't need to do it, what did you achieve as a result of it? Some jutsus that we could have taught you? Some fuuinjutsu that you couldn't really use anyway?"

"I know about my father." That shut up Danzo quick enough. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked silently.

Danzo was silent for a few moments. "I thought you knew. Haven't you ever noticed it when you looked in the mirror? There are very few blonds in Konoha, and if you grew your hair slightly longer…"

Naruto's face screwed up in anger, "Dammit, if I knew it then… then…"

"Then what?" the scarred man asked. "What would have changed?"

"I – I don't know, something, anything!"

Danzo sighed. "There were very few people that knew the entire truth of what happened during that night. The message that Minato left was pretty much hidden away for secrecies sake. Couldn't let any other village know how we sealed away the strongest bijuu. And the fact was that Minato probably didn't intend for you to live... He wanted to, but he knew that it was unlikely. But, well, you did."

He faced Naruto and asked delicately, "Do you hate your father Naruto?"

"He is not my father." The blond returned acerbically.

The man nodded. "I guess so. You have his genetics, his DNA. But that does not make him your father I guess. But he did what he did because he had no choice. You might not like him, or ever love him for what he did to you. But can you at least understand why he did it?"

Naruto just turned away bitterly, "Understand!? He tried to kill me, sacrificing me for what?"

"For people to have the chance to love and care for you," Danzo replied gently. "Because that is the only thing that we are guaranteed in this life. The chance to find happiness and people precious to us. The majority of people may have treated your poorly, but think of all the friends that you have made."

And he did.

_Anko, Hinata, Yugito, Hanabi, Setsuna, Ten Ten, Kurenai, Mikoto, 'Mi', 'Hebi', Hayate, Yuugao…_

Seeing Naruto was being receptive, he continued. ""He did what he had to do. His duty, so that those people around you could have lived. That others didn't have to make the sacrifice that he had to do. That the rest of Konoha could have survived the Fall. Can you at the very least understand why?"

_**That's not strictly true. If he intended to kill you, he couldn't have intended for people to be your friends could he?**_

Kyuu was content with stirring the pot. She wondered how it would taste later on.

"Why me?" he asked in seeming agony. "Why me, why not anyone else? And when he did, why didn't he make sure that I would be alright afterwards? He made me a target to the world after that day… why was I only trained after my 'mother' left me?"

**_I wonder Naru-kun, who do you hate more? Your father for sacrificing you, or your mother for abandoning you? I can't really tell anymore, that anger has been there for__ awhile, it's just that you know the truth now._**

Danzo gave a bitter laugh. "Who knows, I can only really speculate. Minato was a very self sacrificing person, so much that he hated asking others to do things that he thought were required of him. Maybe this was another one of those things. And regarding the training… That was Sarutobi's fault, more than anyone else's. He wanted you to have a childhood of some sorts. Others wouldn't have been so… accommodating." He ran his fingers through his hair before facing Naruto again. "While I can appreciate why he did that, you never needed that. You never wanted it. Because the truth of the matter is that you need this. Need it more than anyone else."

Reflecting back, the Root leader sat back and reflected. "He has made too many mistakes with his past students, and he tries to correct it. He thinks that you can pick up everything at a normal pace, that your enemies are going to wait in line until you reach majority. And he was desperate to avoid another Uchiha Itachi, too much power without responsibility or conscience."

Naruto spat. "I am nothing like that bastard. Why would I kill off an entire clan, a family that _loved_ me?"

_And I am so glad that you can tell me that, and that I believe you. You are nothing like that cold sociopath, thank kami. Then again, I am being unfair. If I am right, then he is probably a bigger patriot than all of us combined.  
_

"We all might know that, but he didn't feel that he could risk it. Which is why I had to find you out, to give you what was necessary. Tell me Naruto-kun, do you regret joining 'Ne'?"

His answer would be pivotal to the next few years where his accelerated training schedule was going to be planned out. He was fairly sure that Naruto would never turn traitor willingly and take his pound of flesh from Konoha. He just didn't love the village as much as he would have wanted. But he couldn't really blame the kid.

Naruto had joined 'Ne' for selfish reasons at first. He needed to be strong and he received an offer that he couldn't refuse. But over time, he enjoyed being with the people around him and incidentally righting wrongs around the place. His rescue of Yugito was probably the proudest moment that he ever had while serving with 'Ne'. But his goals for the moment were incidental to 'Ne's' standing order to protect Konoha at all costs. He agreed with that in principle, though he didn't dedicate his life towards that goal.

Naruto slowly responded "… No. It has been important and I have learnt so much. I just wished that we could help everyone."

_And it comes back to Kirigakure doesn't it?_

"How can we?" Danzo asked. "How can we do that? We are not big enough, we cannot be everywhere at once."

"But, that doesn't make it right!"

"No, no it doesn't. But this world is not a nice place. I'm sure you have seen how Konoha is compared to other nations. That we protect what is ours because we choose to. That is the difference between us and them. If the other villages do not decide to protect the citizens that they are responsible for… then they do not deserve to exist."

"How can we just ignore it all? Why does it have to be like this? All those people…"

"Because this is the world that we live in. It cannot be changed, so we can only do our best to live in it. We do our part so that the ones we love will be safe. That was what Minato gave his life for."

Naruto just staid silent. Danzo knew that he would probably never get over his anger at the Yondaime. But that wasn't necessary, not right now in any event. As Naruto grew up, he would understand the pain necessity required at times. Maybe then, he would understand.

_I just can't accept that Danzo… Because if we don't try, then nothing can ever change. If we give up before we even start, what does that make us? _His eyes misted up with the thought of Ayumi and her sister back in Kiri, and how every moment he spent free they were still suffering. He made a promise dammit! And he would be damned if he was going to be made into a liar.

"And while we are talking about fathers, who is Sai's?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He told me about why he joined 'Ne', that people hated him as much as they hated me. But he never really found out who his father really was, or his mother. But over time, I have noticed some things..."

Trying to sound disinterested, Danzo tried to prevaricate, "Like what?"

"Well, his pale skin is very odd. In fact, the only person in Konoha's history to have that was Orochimaru..."

Danzo just staid silent, wondering on how much he could reveal. Naruto took his silence in stride, thinking that it was confirmation of what he and Yugito had speculated about for several months.

The Root leader knew that there was no point in denying it because it wouldn't serve any purpose. "Yes, I guess you can say that Orochimaru is Sai's biological father. It gets a bit more complicated than that, but I was glad that we found him. He wouldn't have had a great future if we didn't take him in."

"What do you mean it gets complicated?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Well, let's just say that he wasn't quite born in the same way that most people are. And I really can say anything more, it isn't my story to tell. Sai should be the one to tell you if he feels like he wants to."

"I don't think anyone ever explained to him who his father actually was," Naruto responded drily. "When I asked him, he said he didn't know or care."

Danzo rubbed his temples. It wasn't a conversation that he really wanted to have at the moment. "I guess not, but really, is it that important?"

Naruto caught his words. "Maybe, maybe not. I guess I think that people deserve to know about these kinds of things. And another thing, what is with his fascination with penises?"

Danzo laughed before sighing, "Ah, I was wondering when you were going to ask me about that. Well, back in selection training we had this instructor that wore a codpiece and constantly berated the recruits on how hopeless and unmanly that they were. He would emphasise the point with a hip thrust that was quite grotesque upon reflection. Sai apparently adopted the belief that to be strong you would need to have some sort of massive phallus between your legs. Hence his rather peculiar penis fetish."

Naruto just looked nonplussed, "What happened to that instructor?"

"I had him replaced when the recruits started to worship him. I wasn't going to have some sort of cult that worshipped his inflated genitalia in 'Ne'."

"Why didn't anyone tell Sai the truth?"

The man just rolled his eyes, "Trust us, we all have. He just enjoys being a prick. No pun intended."

"I would ask how big his dick is, but that would sound awfully weird and be the prelude to some sort of yaoi action. I don't know why I even mentioned it."

"True enough," Danzo mused. "You have more important issues to think about."

"Like?"

"Your secondary entrance exam."

Naruto just rolled his eyes, "Damnit, it's been the only thing on my mind for the last few days!"

Giving his first genuine laugh of the day, he got up and started to pace, going through his thoughts out loud. Despite the fact that he was crippled, his mind was as sharp as it ever was. In fact its edge was keener in his old age than when he was just a callow youth.

"There are a few options available to the Hokage. One is apprenticeship, which had suffered a sharp decline after the whole Itachi incident. The second is that he chooses a jounin sensei that is guaranteed to pass you."

"Isn't the test the same for everyone one?" Naruto asked.

"Not... exactly. It is customary for the jounin sensei to set their own test. The theory being that they will be the ones who will be teaching you for the next few years, so they get the right to set any assessment they wish to gauge your abilities."

"How many people will pass though?"

"Not many, the list will probably be about nine or so. For quality purposes, and the fact that most jounins are needed for missions, only a select few make the grade. And given your little show of skill, it is almost guaranteed that you will be shortlisted into the teachers that will receive a team."

Naruto made a face, "So much for equality."

With a bark, Danzo agreed, "But the people who aren't good enough will just get hurt once they go on a real mission. So it really is for the best."

"I guess, so who are the likely sensei's then?"

The older man closed his eyes, deep in concentration, "I can think of four possible candidates."

"The first is Yuuhi Kurenai. You know all about her, and they figure that you will not fail with her as your sensei. Would you?"

Candidly, Naruto nodded, "I don't think I could. She would find some way of making me pass. She has this feeling that I'm holding back and it's a puzzle she needs to unravel."

The 'Ne' leader just suppressed a laugh, while ignoring the blond's look.

"Next would be Mitarashi Anko, who was given special permission to apply this year. You are pretty close to her, so do I need to say more?"

Naruto just shook his head. A great part of his stamina training involved running away from Anko. He didn't want to make it a full time thing. And he had the sneaking suspicion that she would try to desperately convert him to the "fucking awesomeness that is dango", all at his expense.

"And then we have Sarutobi Asuma. He is a wind user, so that would be good if jounin senseis actually bothered to go through nature manipulation with their genin teams. You would have to do some great convincing to even get started, and he will be very suspicious to how you heard of it in the first place. The fact that he is the Hokage's son makes it all a bit risky as well, as he could report directly about you. But then again, they are not that close as result of an incident years ago..."

Naruto just staid silent, having nothing to contribute. He had heard about Asuma from Kurenai, but besides from that, there was nothing else he knew.

"And finally we have Hatake Kakashi. Known as the Copy Nin, he is rumoured to know over one thousand jutsus, was the Yondaime's student and is very capable. He had never really asked around about you, and he does know that you are Minato' son. But it would probably be a bad idea if he was your sensei. He is too smart to be fooled for a long time about your abilities and is near paranoid after his ANBU days."

Once he heard the word 'Yondaime' and 'student' Naruto felt an irrational hate go through him. He didn't want anything to do with his parents and was desperately finding some way to change his name. Danzo saw the grimace on the boys face when he mentioned that fact and just sighed internally.

_One step at a time I guess. One step at a time._

Naruto calmed down and had a curious expression on his face, "Why aren't you more upset that I might have to become a genin?"

"Do I look happy to you?"

"Err... good point. But that's like your default face."

With a light chuckle, he nodded his agreement. "Well, there is nothing that we can do for now. And I always had a feeling that Sarutobi would try and force the issue somehow. And it might not be a bad thing, per se. If it seems that you are under his control, then he will not be as suspicious as he would be if you were left unsupervised."

Privately, he was preparing Konoha to slowly accept Naruto. He knew that the older generation would be very unlikely to let go of their hate but he could work on their children. If Naruto was a genin, it would increase his exposure and might one day take on a team himself. And if he could have Naruto operating publicly, while he worked in the shadows, then Konoha would have been placed in a position of unbelievable strength.

In the long run, Naruto was far more useful in that role than just as a 'Ne' operator. His gift of changing people's thoughts and feelings would be immensely helpful in public political arena. He just needed to know that some fights could be finished with words alone. In fact it was ideas that were the deadliest weapons of all. While he may have wanted him to be his successor, this was an opportunity worth pursuing.

"Pass or fail, it doesn't really matter I guess. I have no idea to what the Hokage is planning, but I leave it up to you to decide what you want to do."

By giving Naruto the choice, he was really just making the boy fonder of the old man. Intentional or not, Danzo couldn't help but admit that the jinchuuriki had changed 'Ne', for the better. His personality had made the operators work harder and gave them evidence of what they were fighting for. Most of them were career shinobi that didn't have any family or a large group of friends outside their cells. He was at times the closest thing to a son/brother that they would ever have. And they provided a sense of moral compass that they needed after straddling the line of light and dark for so long. It was too easy to forget what they were doing once they embraced the shadow.

As Naruto mulled over his choices, he couldn't help but wonder about another issue that had popped up.

"What do I do about my photo?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

"Naruto, you can't have that as your official photo."

"Why the hell not?"

Sarutobi sighed and looked at the picture. The blond was vaguely visible but was entirely covered in black tribal tattoos that gave him a savage and barbaric splendour. The whorls on his face acted like eyeliner and his visage was twisted in a sneer, his hand outstretched like some kind of conquering god. Though why he needed to have swirls on his fingertips was beyond the Hokage.

_Not the greatest image you want to give to the clients Naruto-kun_, he thought wryly.

The jinchuuriki was determined to make it as difficult as he possibly could for the old man, and this was one of the ways where he could actually act out. He had toyed with the idea with holding up a solid bar to cover his eyes, but this was far more amusing than the old ANBU trick. Naruto just looked to admire his handiwork.

"What can I say, it's all me. I'm awesome. It took me three hours to figure out a good face!"

"Take it again," ordered the Sandaime, rubbing his temples as he realised that he would be having a great deal of issues in placing him with a sensei, and the boy was trying to make it as administratively difficult as he possibly could.

The boy pouted before giving a half hearted whine, "Do I really have to?"

"Yes. You are a genin now, so you must look like one."

Inwardly, Naruto rolled his eyes and grimaced. He was really resistant to the idea of having his details published as a matter of public knowledge. It made him feel vulnerable in a way that he could not fully understand. When he tried to explain that to the Hokage, he got some sympathy but was pointed out that many of the serving nins had a more damaging reputation but still had their details open to the public.

_I wonder, if I fail again, what will you do next jiji?_

As he was trying to win some concessions his senses noticed that someone was trying to surreptitiously open the door. The ANBU deliberately kept the hinge rusty to prevent anyone from sneaking up on the Hokage. A small boy with an oversized scarf charged into the room with a snarl on his face

"Old man, fight me!"

He then tripped over the hem. Naruto sweatdropped and looked at the boy with pity and condescension. Sarutobi just sighed and wondered if it would ever end. Right on Konohamaru's heels was his sensei.

Naruto just looked perplexed at the scene in front of him. It looked like the little boy was having trouble recovering from his fall. _Geez, the ground must be hard. But playing ninja... kami, how sad. Do you know what it really means to be a shinobi?_

Konohamaru scrambled to his feet, looking left, right and centre to see who could have possibly tripped him up. He saw Naruto look dismissively at him and raised his finger in accusation.

"It was you! You set up a trap!" he screamed.

Naruto just shrugged, "You fell on your scarf you idiot."

Ebisu looked at the scene with mortification but he wasn't going to let the Hokage's grandson be insulted in his presence. "How dare you criticize the grandson of the Sandaime!"

Konohamaru puffed out his stomach and arrogantly poked Naruto in his chest. "Come on, take it back." Naruto just gave him an annoyed look and stepped up to his face, "What are you going to do about it? Punch me?"

Naruto wasn't going to take crap from anyone. He had faced down enemy ANBU and wasn't going to let anyone get away with any bullshit. Especially if they didn't have the skills to back it up.

"You think I give a damn, you moron!" With that the jinchuuriki drew back his hand and bitchslapped the smaller boy. The resounding smack echoed throughout the office as the two older men looked at Naruto in shock. Konohamaru was on the floor, dazed and gazed at the blond in disbelief, his hand cradling his cheek.

The Hokage was a bit ambivalent towards the scene. He didn't like the fact that Naruto had assaulted his grandson, while on the other hand it would have been beneficial to Konohamaru. Too many people treated him like royalty and gave him too much leeway. He himself was guilty of that, spoiling him as a way of dealing with the guilt he had in his heart for the sacrifices he had made that affected his family.

Naruto just snorted before making his way to leave, before giving a lackadaisical wave to the Sandaime, "Someone should teach him manners jiji."

Ebisu was livid with rage. He turned towards Sarutobi and spluttered out, "Hokage-sama, you can't let him get away with that!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was making his way throughout Konoha central, but quickly noticed that he had an unwelcome visitor. The fact that it was so obvious made him relax his guard. He stopped in front of a storefront and checked out the glare to see who it was that was stalking him.

_Oh geez, it__'s him. What the hell does he want?_

_**Revenge? You did bitchslap him in front of his grandfather. I'm surprised that you got away with that.**_

_Yeah, so am I. I figured that jiji would yell at me or something. _

The blond just figured that he would lose the boy by taking a few quick turns. It worked until he found that the boy had regained his trail. Naruto sighed, knowing that he could easily lose the boy but he figured that he would deal with the problem now instead of having another stalker on his case. It was bad enough when the Branch members did it, but at least they were known to him and were female. Why that made a difference he didn't really know, but the thought of a little boy following him around didn't make him feel quite right.

"Stop following me dammit! Who the hell are you trying to fool?!" pointing to the sheet of cloth that vaguely looked like the surrounding wall. "Next time use a cardboard box instead!"

Konohamaru dropped the cloth to the floor and smiled deviously, "So the rumours about you are true."

_Crap, what rumours?_

Pointing out at Naruto, he continued, "Tell you what, I will let you be my boss if you teach me _Orioke no Jutsu!_ Please?"

_Boss?_ Naruto didn't know how to feel about that. But the pleading look in his eye did marginally tug at his heart. And he figured if that was all it took to take him off his case, then he would gladly do it for that reason alone.

_Why do I always end up teaching people things?_ He lamented.

_**Well –**_

_Don't you dare start. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ok, try it again, this time visualize what you want to turn into," ordered Naruto.

"Hai!" Konohamaru gathered his hands into seals and yelled out the jutsu

_Orioke no jutsu!_

_Oh. My. God. Don't tell me that he finds that to be pretty?!_

The boy had transformed into a figure that looked like a heavily overweight man with bosoms, wearing a bikini. Naruto fought the urge to gag and knew that his dreams would be haunted for the next coming nights.

"No!! What the hell is that!? More slender, more beautiful! If that is your taste in girls, then you're a yaoi fanboy!"

The Sandaime's grandson gulped at that indictment and tried to think sexy thoughts. Then again, he was a bit too young for it all.

Naruto just sighed before calling a break. The two boys just sat down and Naruto stared at the sky again, watching the clouds.

"So, why do you want to go after your grandfather so much?" he asked curiously.

Konohamaru just looked down resentfully, "My grandfather named me after the village… And when people see me, they only see the Hokage's grandson… Nobody sees me for me. That is why I want to be Hokage."

The jinchuuriki blinked before feeling an odd sense of sympathy towards the boy. He felt connected in an odd way; both of them were seen for things that they were not and each dealt with it in their own way. He had joined 'Ne', while Konohamaru wanted to be the Hokage.

"Why Hokage? Wouldn't that just make people see you as the Hokage's grandson that wants to be like his grandfather?"

The boy just blinked, like the thought was foreign and new to him. "But being Hokage will make people see me for who I am, the real me!"

_**That is some terribly twisted logic there. **_

_No kidding... What do I do?_

_**Well, do you have to do anything?**_

Naruto took pity on the boy and nodded, "I guess so, but don't expect it to be easy…"

The younger boy blinked, "What do you mean?"

"It's tough, being the strongest nin in the village. You can't take shortcuts and you will do things that you might not want to. Not everyone can do it," Naruto spoke with an experienced air.

"D-Don't you want to be Hokage?" questioned the boy.

"No." answered Naruto candidly.

"W-why not!?" demanded Konohamaru.

_Becau__se I owe this village nothing. Because they don't like me, so why should I like them at all?_

"It's not something that I want," he replied slowly. "I mean, it's great that you want to be the Hokage and all, but you have to work hard and be the best." He grinned and gave a smirk, "So give it everything that you have got, but remember that I can still kick your ass any day."

"Hey!" it was loud but there was no hatred in that shout.

Naruto had acknowledged him and his dream and gave him good advice. And he knew that the blond genuinely cared about his dream and saw how much that it meant to him. Most people would just laugh and humour him, not really believing him, or even having faith. He saw that Naruto had the skills and the patience to teach him something that Ebisu did not know. And through his constant instructions for the last few hours, he realised how hard Naruto must have trained for his skills. And that made him realise that if he didn't earn something, then he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve to be Hokage until he showed the village that he was more than the Hokage's grandson. And if there wasn't an easy way to do it, then so be it.

The swordsman grew reflective, "The Hokage is the greatest, and that needs something special. If you really want it, then there isn't going to be any shortcuts." He stared into the boy's eyes, "You need to want it more than anything else in your life. Can you do that?"

Naruto remembered having long talks with Danzo about what the Hokage really was and what they did. It was a responsibility that he did not want at all. He would protect those close to him, but nothing more. While intellectually he understood the sacrifices that the position required, after being the living reminder of the actual costs, he had no intention of following in Minato's footsteps. But that didn't mean it wasn't a necessary and worthwhile role. It just wasn't for him.

He looked at Naruto with a sense of awe in his eyes. He had found a boss. Maybe even a rival. Someone to truly show him the way. There was always a sense of disconnection when he had trained with Ebisu, almost like the tokubetsu jounin wasn't ever quite being truthful during those sessions. For all his talk of shortcuts and an enhanced training regime, he didn't really have anything to show for it.

_Maybe he was wrong. Maybe, maybe it wasn't meant to be easy... _

Naruto was getting freaked out by the hero worship he was getting and decided to call an end to their break.

And from that began the foundation of a friendship that would last for both of their lifetimes. It didn't matter that Ebisu had tried to break them up because of his twisted sense of duty, or that they would both have to fight through the prejudice of Konoha. It began with a rather perverted jutsu that created bonds stronger than steel that would last and endure.

* * *

**Konoha****  
ANBU Headquarters  
Interrogation chambers**

It was a dark and dank place that made up the cell that a certain rogue chuunin was languishing in. Located deep in the bowels of the earth, there was nothing of any comfort to those interned and placed into confinement.

Mizuki was looking at the stumps of his limbs, in disbelief and outrage.

_How dare he!_

_It was supposed to be easy, it was suppose to be fool proof, it was supposed to be…_

Those thoughts were left unfinished as the door was suddenly opened, letting in a glare of harsh fluorescent light as a figure approached him. He couldn't see any distinguishing features as his eyes tried to readjust to the light.

Morino Ibiki looked at the silver haired nin with barely hidden distaste as his two assistants grabbed him and dragged him forcibly to the adjacent chamber where Ibiki would start on trying to convince the traitor to tell them everything about his association with the Snake Sannin.

And he wasn't in any mood to take any defiance or belligerence. Then again, he had the look of a defeated man already. Having Naruto and the ANBU remove his hands and his leg would mean that he would be unable to remain a shinobi, on the off chance he escaped. His ability to use handseals was forever removed, his mobility and balance stunted beyond repair.

_This should make my job so much easier. I doubt he has any loyalty to Orochimaru anyways._

Anko looked at Mizuki with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

_This is the fucker that dared to screw with Naruto-kun. Oh, he will scream for that._

The mentally unstable kunoichi was known for many things in her life. Her addiction to dango, her quasi-fetish for blood, her attraction to young boys, her fanatic hatred against her former sensei. But one thing that people would have been surprised to know was the depth of her loyalty for those she trusted.

Now that list was awfully short. It currently included Yuugao, Kurenai, Sarutobi and Naruto. And kami help anyone that tried to mess with them in any ways. She had learnt the hard way that betrayal was one of the cruellest sins that a person could commit. It was the slayer of faith that made you question everything. She felt it keenly when her teammates would always be wary around her, treating her like some sort of leashed animal that would go rabid on them. And that hurt. She had often questioned why they treated her like that; didn't she show her loyalty by staying with Konoha? She had chosen them dammit, not her mentor, when it really counted.

But they didn't see it in that way. And a part of her died that day. That all changed when Naruto came along. If someone told her a kid nearly half her age would be the one to help her through her issues, she would have laughed at them, tied them up and then summon snakes to crawl over their bodies. But the blond knew and understood her pain better than anyone else. How someone they considered to be family abandoned them for kami knows what reason. To feel the accusation in peoples eyes over something that was not their fault in any way, shape or form.

And in an odd way, they healed each other. Naruto with his tacit understanding and seemingly endless pockets, and she by acting crazy and keeping him on his toes, to prevent him from being complacent. The truth about his 'condition' was made known to her a long time ago by Sarutobi, in the hopes that she would seek him out after Kushina left. But to be honest, at that time in her life she just didn't care enough to do something for anyone. But after Yuugao introduced the two of them, something just clicked and she discovered, to her horror and fascination, that she felt something towards the boy.

At times it was irritation, annoyance and impatience. But underlying all of that was a fondness whenever he gave a genuine smile and hug that she could feel to her bones. And she knew the danger that Naruto would face in the future because of whom he was and she trained him in her own way. It satisfied her urge to hurt people for a good cause. So everybody won in that case, though Naruto would strongly and loudly disagree.

And if she was being truthful, she was laughing on the inside over the fact that the jinchuuriki had managed to defeat ANBU defences and outran a patrol. Especially one that was lead by Yuugao. She made a mental note to give the taichou a good ribbing over for that. And she would later brag that it was her 'instructions' in 'escape and evasion' that allowed the boy to do what he did. And she would have been partially correct. Naruto's notorious escapes from Anko supplemented what he had learnt from 'Ne' and gave him a sense of hyperawareness to his surroundings. He remembered all to well that the kunoichi considered a kunai with an explosive tag as a fond greeting.

Morino looked impassively as the chuunin was strapped to a chair. The implements of his trade were laid in front of Mizuki, an attempt at intimidation that was usually more than successful. Though in reality most of them were for show and had no real practical purpose besides looking scary. It was amazing how a persons mind could torture themselves if given the right stimulus. He looked to his left and saw that Anko was subconsciously licking her lips and her hands were twitching. He gave an amused grunt before looking to his right. The attending medic had a look of distaste but staid silent.

After all they all gave oaths of one kind or another. But necessity called for sacrifices that went beyond personal integrity. A person's body could only be pushed so far before it needed to recover. The medic was there to ensure that the captive was never pushed beyond what they were physically able of handling.

Ibiki picked up a steel instrument that looked like a cross between a pick and a screw.

"I will let you know that I have no issues with hurting you. Tell us what you know and we can make it… less uncomfortable than what it can be."

Mizuki just looked up with semi crazed eyes.

_Where the fuck where the extraction team?! They wouldn't leave me behind, __I'm too important dammit. I can hold out until Orochimaru sends someone. He needs me!_

The delusional rogue nin just held his tongue and stared defiantly into Ibiki's eyes.

"So be it." The head of the Interrogation and Torture department whispered. He was no stranger to pain and knew the exquisite agony that could be visited upon a person. And he had no compulsions with punishing the traitor right in front of him.

As he got to work, Anko just stared at the scene and grinned maliciously.

_Scream for me Mizuki. _

* * *

**Konoha  
**'**Ne' Headquarters**

'Mi' casually strode along the hidden base, whistling some nameless tune as he walked towards the laboratory of their resident mad fuuinjutsu specialist. Taking the adequate precautions, he knocked at least four times, increasing the strength of his knocks before hearing a muffled 'come in' and he slowly and hesitantly opened the door, his hand lingering on his kodachi as he looked at what was in front of him.

It was a scene of normalcy, which was unbelievably rare with 'Karasu' pouring over photographs, mumbling to himself as he made notes into a book. The assassin noted that there were over one hundred photographs there and was impressed.

_That must have been one hell of a microfilm that you have there._

'Karasu' looked up and said, "Oh, it's just you," before getting back to work.

Normally he would have been insulted with being dismissed like that, but unfortunately most dealings with the specialist were vexatious and mind numbing. Squashing down his irritation he entered into the room and dragged a seat, looking over the developed film with interest and the two men mulled over the writings captured in celluloid.

'Mi' didn't seriously believe that Naruto would have been able to pull something like this off and still remain unpunished. And it was probably a very beneficial trade off, his genin status in exchange for some of Konoha's deadliest secrets. He himself had went over the Scroll a few times when he was in the ANBU, but it was a rare and highly regulated privilege that was reluctantly given out to anyone. The Scroll itself was an anomaly. Most of the secret techniques were developed by the Clans or shinobi families that tended to be guarded jealously. It was never a good idea to write things on paper in case they were stolen or transcribed. But there were some techniques that were considered useful and deadly enough to warrant a copy being made. And when a person had developed a technique worthy of the Scroll, they were entitled to learn something of equal or lesser value. He himself had placed two techniques onto parchment, A ranked ninjutsus that were deadly if used together.

'Karasu' was muttering to himself and gave a soft sigh.

"What's the matter?" asked 'Mi'.

"I should have figured out a better place to put the damned camera. Most of the pictures are of Naruto's hair or his hand. What a waste." He lamented.

Giving a laugh, 'Mi' just grabbed the notes that he was transcribing and saw that some progress was made on the issue. "Can't you just reverse engineer the jutsu's with enough time?"

"Well, yeah, probably. But it would have been so much easier without those damned blond locks! Damn it, strap him down and give him a buzz cut!" demanded 'Karasu'.

"Oh no, you're not getting me involved in that. The kunoichi love his long hair and I am not risking my testicles to make you happy."

"Fine." Giving a pout, the specialist just looked over his notes and twirled a pen in his hands. "We did get some useful things, especially some _katon_ jutsus that will be very useful. Not so much on _raiton_ or _fuuton_ though. Some useful _doton_ and _suiton_ techniques from the Shodaime and Nidaime, but the rest are fairly diversified and will be hard to teach…"

"Was there anything on the seal?" 'Mi' asked quietly.

"No, nothing at all. It looks like Naruto didn't manage to take any pictures of that. Which is strange, when you think about it. I wonder if he didn't get the chance to get to that part."

The assassin grunted, "I doubt it. It was his primary motivation for the Scroll in the first place. I'm going to guess that he found out something that he didn't like and didn't bother to snap it."

"I really wonder how the Yondaime did what he did."

"What, jealous are you 'Karasu'?" teased 'Mi'.

"No, of course not! I am just as good as he was!" retorted 'Karasu'.

With a look that said 'who the hell are you trying to kid?' from 'Mi', he deflated and grumbled his defeat.

"Ok, so not everyone could be a genius like Namikaze fucking Minato," he said bitterly. "But seriously, even after seeing Naruto's seal in real life, with Yugito's as well, I can't figure out how it works."

That shocked the assassin. Normally 'Karasu' was insufferably cheerful and manic in his demeanour, but this was the first time he saw the man in such a state, "What do you mean?"

"Ok, we know that the bijuu can inhabit the bodies of humans. It's a fact, but the mechanics behind it are screwy. Doing some research, because all of this is rather hush hush, I think Suna were one of the first to figure it out. The bijuu are really strange beasts that are both matter and energy at the same time."

"And? Isn't that the same as human beings? We have flesh and chakra as well."

"True, but we are mostly flesh. Bijuu are mostly massive constructs of energy that have a medium when in our world. They must inhabit some sort of summon realm, like the other beasts, otherwise we would see more instances of massive monsters stomping on villages like a bad horror movie."

"Ok, but what does that mean?"

"From what I can gather from that night, the Yondaime managed to split the physical medium of the Kyuubi and draw it all into a boy. Normally that is just nonsense, there is no way that a human being can take on that much energy; definitely not a baby. There are theories of how newly developed chakra coils could accommodate that flux, but this is like emptying a waterfall into a barrel. It wasn't going to work without fatality."

'Mi' remained silent, "Are you saying that Minato intended to kill Naruto?"

Giving an uneasy nod, 'Karasu' continued, "Yes, that is the only explanation that I can think of. I guess he wanted to shove the Kyuubi's essence into Naruto, and when they died together the Kyuubi would… go somewhere else to recover. I think. Maybe he expected their souls to twine together and when Naruto died, he would take the Kyuubi down with him. I'm not sure if the bijuu can be killed at any rate. Hell, the only one that knows is Minato and he isn't around to tell us."

"That was cold Namikaze," whispered 'Mi', "What kind of man were you really?"

"He always appeared happy and cheerful, but I never figured out why he studied fuuinjutsu in the first place. Jiraiya was the Toad Sage and it was pretty much required to learn the required elements. No other nins study it because it is way too hard and complex for them to pick up. It's an art, not a science and it's dangerous."

"Then why did you learn it?" asked 'Mi'.

'Karasu' just shrugged nonchalantly before looking contemplative, "I guess I wanted to understand things. The heart of all jutsu is in fuuinjutsu, which existed even before the legendary Rinnegan wielders brought hand seals into prominence. You can do nearly anything with a seal, if you can figure it out. And really, Minato made everyone else look like a joke with his skills. His _Hiraishin no jutsu_ was the most advanced space/time jutsu that ever existed and made him a legend."

"You sound envious." 'Mi' observed gently.

"You know, I am," he admitted with a rare sense of candour. "Things were so damned effortless for him, it just made me wonder why I frigging bothered in the first place. Hell, I did give it all up and went back to civvie life. But then the Kyuubi came and I was needed again. Life just happens and we do our part I guess. Duty and all that, they, they are more than just words. They have to be."

Both men looked at each other, reaching a level of understanding that they never thought was possible. 'Karasu' then shook free of those thoughts and continued.

"Anyways, then there is the case of Yugito. Now basically, by the combination of brute force and a bit of sealing the Nekomata was forced into her. It didn't really matter that much that she wasn't a baby, as the chakra from the two tailed cat wasn't as great as the nine tailed fox. It would have just hurt like a bitch and cause her to be unable to use chakra for a while. From the after action report, Kumo forced the cat out of its medium, bound its essence in a sealing circle and shoved it into Yugito."

"Now it was messy and inelegant, but it got the job done. The seal was grafted onto her skin with iron and blood, the strongest mediums in the world really. So that seal is keeping the bijuu in place."

"Can she use that chakra though?" asked 'Mi'.

"I don't know," answered the specialist honestly. "I would say yes because it is her body and it does flow throughout her coils. But then again, it isn't really under her entire control. It can choose to act on her behalf, if she lets it flow from her system, I'm guessing. But beyond that…"

Mi' stroked his chin in contemplation, "I am concerned that the two of them are hiding things from us. If they are sealed into them, then they should be faced with a sentient being, of some sort anyways. It's not just energy but the souls of those beasts. But they all have said that they haven't heard anything from them at all."

"Maybe they have to initiate contact? Or that the bijuu don't want to acknowledge their jailors?" suggested 'Karasu'.

"Maybe," allowed the other. "But if we can get them to harness the power of their tenants, then imagine how powerful they could be."

'Karasu' just happily nodded, "Yeah, it would be awesome! But, it is all just theoretical at the moment. How goes their training?"

"Good enough. The real big things are going to be given to them and hopefully we can see two prodigies under Konoha's banner. Danzo wants to see if we can create two miniature Namikaze's by the end of the year."

"Kami, that's asking for a lot," observed 'Karasu', "You sure that you can do that?"

He gave the fuuinjutsu expert a smirk, "Well, there is only one way to find out isn't there?"

* * *

**Konoha****  
Shinobi Academy  
Team announcements**

_Maybe, just maybe, I will pass if I get the right team._

_**Sure, what are the odds of that happening though? **_

_Better if you were not stuck in me._

_**That hurt kit. That really did. I thought we had something special, do you see me only as some sort of burden?**_

_Err, no comment?_

…

Funnily enough, he found himself sitting next to Hinata who looked awfully happy this morning and leaned back into his chair. He tried to ignore the assorted yelling and screeching from Ino and Sakura as they fought for the seat next to the Uchiha who tried to look indifferent to the disruption playing out in front of him.

_Kami, how does he stand that? _

_**Maybe we need to give him more credit for putting up with their nonsense.**_

Naruto thought about it, then dismissed it._ Nah, he still is a moody bastard who acts all dark and tragic. Ungrateful son of a bitch._

_**Ah, so that is what you think of Mikoto then?**_

_Wa? No, I didn't mean it like that!_

_**Sure you didn't**__**.**_

_No really. She is so much cooler than her son. Honestly, what the fuck is the teme's problem. __Can't he see that he is hurting her? What a prick._

**_You really do care about her don't you? This could be a problem for me._**

Before the mental conversation could continue Iruka arrived and gave his patented Demonic Visage no jutsu to shut up the rest of the class. Naruto just rolled his eyes at that variation of _henge_ and sighed.

_Why do people give me crap about my Orioke no jutsu when the teachers use that crap on us._

_**I think the better questions is why Anko was so deranged, needy and outraged yesterday **_

_**Flashback**_

Naruto was walking home after ploughing through six bowls of ramen, whistling as he went along until he heard a voice call out to him.

"Oh Naru-kun." Cooed Anko softly.

Inside the jinchuuriki froze up and knew that somehow, in someway he was going to be in a lot of pain.

_Ah nuts, what did I do this __time?_ He ever so slowly turned his head and say Kurenai and Anko approach him. He relaxed when he saw the crimson eyed kunoichi, knowing that her presence would tone her down somewhat.

"Yes?" he responded cautiously, his eyes darting for any and all available exits.

Noting his shifting eyes, she quickly covered the distance and glomped him, grabbing his arms and locking them in place before nuzzling his cheek, "Oh, I just heard this interesting thing from Kurenai-san about a little jutsu you made up. I was wondering if you could show it to me.

_Oh, shit. I'm so screwed._ Naruto looked at Kurenai in shock and betrayal, his eyes pleading with her to help him out in some way. The genjutsu mistress just gave him an apologetic look and mouthed 'I'm sorry' before leaving him to the snakes.

"Err, its nothing really," Naruto tried to downplay and escape with his body intact. Luckily, extended contact with Yugito had required him to invest in a decent pair of groin guards. And he now wore them religiously, ignoring the odd stares that people directed at his crotch. "I really got to go, I have, a, err, family dinner! Yeah, a Hyuuga family dinner that I cant be late for. Isn't that right Kurenai-sensei?"

"I think Naruto is right. I do remember Hinata-chan saying something about that," she replied cautiously.

Anko pouted before staring at the blond directly in his eyes, "It will just take you under a minute to show me the jutsu. You're not hiding something from me are you?" She was so intent that Naruto instantly felt bad for being so evasive.

_You bet your damned trenchcoat I'm hiding something!_ Knowing that this could escalate into something that would be very ugly to deal with, Naruto nevertheless sighed and made a movement to comply with her wishes.

_Orioke no –_ RUN!!

With that Naruto showed the two of them how he had managed to evade ANBU just three nights ago. The two of them blinked before rushing in pursuit, with Anko laughing manically and filling the air with curses. Kurenai tagged along to make sure that Naruto wasn't hurt too badly.

Anyone watching the scene would have been interested to note the amount of support the two kunoichi had while running, though many of them got really cold looks from their spouses for staring. Naruto was just panting, thinking that if he made it into the Hyuuga compound he would be safe for the moment.

Anko seemingly reached the same conclusion and drew out three kunai that she threw at him. The boy jumped up and continued on his path. He only noticed the attached ninja wire until it was too late. With an expert flick of her wrists Anko sent the kunai back to Naruto and fouled up his footing with the wire. With his speed, he could slow down in time and ended up tumbling into a heap, with Anko standing over him.

Breathing heavily, she grinned victoriously, "Anko 37, Naruto 12."

"Kami, I swear it's more like 24 to 25!" he retorted.

"Mah, those times didn't count. I still won." She gave a brief and somewhat sinister laugh in remembrance. "Enough time wasting, show me already! Unless you want me to punish you some more fu fu fu fu fu."

Naruto paled at that and sighed again in resignation. He got up and formed the required seals.

_Orioke no jutsu!_

Out puffed a buxom blonde clad in wisps of smoke while giving the two kunoichi a sultry look. Just as quickly he cancelled the jutsu and hoped that would satisfy Anko.

The look on her face was suddenly very composed and totally unlike her at all. She nodded slightly before leaving the two of them without saying a word. Inside Naruto knew that she was hurt, but he didn't think that modelling his jutsu after Kurenai would have led to such a reaction. He looked over to his bandaged sensei who just sighed.

"I know this won't make much sense to you Naruto, but she is not going to be very happy with you."

"But, but, what did I do?"

"It's more like what you didn't do. Then again, it isn't your fault at all. I will speak to her for you ok?" she gave him a warm smile that gave some reassurance, though he knew that he had to visit Anko later on to make sure things were going to be okay between the two of them.

_**End Flashback**_

_Why does it seem like I'm always apologizing to people these days?_

_**Well, to be fair, it's just that you are apologising to the significant **__**girls in your life. If you had significant guy friends, I'm sure you would sort things out with a fist fight and never speaking of the issue again**_.

_Really?! Sounds sooo much better than this … talking_. He thought the last word with distaste.

Kyuu laughed and smiled deviously_**. I guess you would say sorry by plunging your fist into someone's chest then Naru-kun?**_

_Err, I figure that's more of a saying goodbye thing._

She laughed at that, but Naruto's attention was focused back to his classroom.

Iruka had talked about the honour of serving in Konoha's shinobi forces, which the blond was glad that he had missed out and proceeded to read out the team allocations.

"Ok, team seven will consist of:"

"Haruno Sakura!"

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Yes! True love prevails over all!" Sakura shouted out in happiness. Sasuke looked fairly ill and Naruto was laughing on the inside. Ino looked strangely relieved.

_Sucks to be you teme._

"And finally, Uzumaki Naruto!"

There was dead silence. Sakura looked in horror at her third teammate, while Sasuke looked in relief, amazement and disgruntlement. Outside observers would have commented that he looked vaguely constipated.

_Oh, hell, no. You didn't just put me with…_

Sakura made her displeasure very clear, "Wha – What! How did he even pass in the first place?!"

Hinata's eyes hardened imperceptibly and gave a gimlet look to the pink haired girl. It was hard enough to get Naruto to come to class in the first place and she wasn't going to have him fail because of her thoughtless idiocy. Sure, they might not be in the same team, but the same year was better than him languishing behind.

_I wonder, if we are out in the field, an accident might just happen…_

_**Like her falling into an enemy trap with her head missing beforehand? Or how about we put explosive tags on her and claim that she just spontaneously combusted?**_

_Wow, I like the last idea._

Sasuke was torn between being indifferent and horrified that he had to deal with Naruto and Sakura.

Iruka just continued, addressing Sakura's complaint, "Now Naruto may have failed his exams, but due to special mitigating circumstances, he had to take a remedial exam which he completed."

"But, I don't want to be with that talentless waste of space!"

Nearly the whole class gave her an incredulous look, some even going to cough out 'hypocrite' which she somehow ignored. Naruto's hands were twitching at the thought of Sakura thinking that she was in any way superior to him.

Iruka tried to diffuse the situation, "Now look, these teams were chosen for a reason. Learn to play nicely with each other. Oh yes, your jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. He may have been able to accept/ignore Sakura and Sasuke, but having his attempted murderer's student teach him was an insult he wasn't going to take lying down. Or silently. The blond jinchuuriki took a few deep breaths, trying to find equilibrium as the urge to go on a killing spree was rising without a ceiling. Hinata looked on concerned as Iruka went on and announced the other teams. As he was about to finish Naruto found that the urge to scream exceeded his restraint. He made a move to leap at his sensei, but Hinata was observing closely enough to grab onto his hands and vainly hold him back.

"You son of a bitch! How can you do this too me! With him and her, what the fuck were you thinking?!"

"Ano, Iruka-sensei, Naruto-kun doesn't mean what he is saying," Hinata was desperately apologizing on Naruto's behalf, not wanting Naruto to be disqualified for his outburst.

"Oh no you don't, you bastard. You're going to pay! I am so going to get Anko onto you!"

Paling at that threat, Iruka remembered at how unhappy Anko was over the eventual allocations that he pitied the team that she was given. Realising that Hinata was loosing the battle to control Naruto and not wanting to actually fight Naruto, he decided that discretion was the better part of valour.

"Ok, this afternoon the jounin senseis will be introduced. Take a break until then." That said he quickly opened the door and ran out.

Naruto managed to break free and was going to draw his zanpukuto before Hinata took drastic action. Mentally begging for his forgiveness, she quickly struck at his tenketsu points so that his arms were paralysed from movement.

Never before on his life did he expect that Hinata would ever raise her arms against him. At any other moment he would have been proud of the fact that she stood up to him. But right then and there, the look of hurt and betrayal in his eyes wounded her deeply.

_Kyuu, little help._

_**Gladly**_.

The light rush of demonic chakra in his pathways forcibly opened up the closed points and he quietly walked out of the classroom, with a hurt sense of dignity following him. The Hyuuga heiress just hung her head, desperately afraid that she had destroyed their relationship.

"Hah! Good work Hinata, shows him right to think he can mess with Iruka-sensei. Geez, what an idiot, why doesn't he just go and find a ditch and die?"

She was met with an icy lavender stare that shut her up before Hinata stood up and left. Ino looked at the scene with sadness and once again questioned why she had done what she did nearly a year ago.

_That was uncalled for Sakura. Who the hell are you really? __Can't you see that you are being just like Ami back then?_

She looked at her two other teammates and inwardly grimaced. While they may have known each other since childhood, she wasn't really friends with them. Choji and Shikamaru were pretty tight, but she only really had an association with them because of their families. She would have genuinely welcomed a chance to start afresh with her fellow blond if they were placed in the same team.

"So Sasuke-kun, want to go out sometime?"

The raven haired Uchiha looked at her in disgust. While he didn't like Naruto, he still recognised that he was a human being and didn't deserve the abuse that Sakura threw his way on a daily basis. It didn't make her particularly attractive in his eyes.

"... No."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto just lay back against the tree that he and Hinata had called theirs from the start of the year. He had a sad look on his face as he realised that things were going to spiral out of control unless he stook a firm stance on things.

_Fuck it, why don't I just throw in the towel, make Kakashi wish his father killed him as well and just leave this place?_

_**You are a bit too young to be that independent Naru-kun. You have seen what happens to kids that run away from their homes.**_

_Yeah... it wasn't pretty._

_**And we will be hunted to an inch of our lives and brought back anyways. But give us a few more years, who knows what will happen. **_

His hands grazed the bento box that was lovingly prepared by Konoka, the current Branch chef and had a smile on his face. They were good, loving memories that he kept close to his heart. He could feel the care and attention that they had placed into his meal, even when compared to the things prepared for Hinata. For the heiress it was all duty and service. For Naruto, it was affection and willingness. It was something that he appreciated immensely and gave back in the ways that he could. He broke off some chopsticks and slowly placed each morsel into his mouth as he stewed in his thoughts.

He didn't notice the quiet approach by Hinata until she was standing close to him. Well, more correctly he did notice, but made no effort in acknowledging her presence. And that act hurt the girl in ways she could not have imagined. At times Naruto could be so cold and aloof, but it all changed when he was interacting with her.

_D-Does he hate me for what I did?_

The boy continued chewing slowly, desperately hoping that Hinata would either go away or that he would be saved by the bell. Having no such luck, the Hyuuga tentatively sat down next to him and opened up her meal. She slowly ate, getting uncomfortable with the awkward silence that had sprung up between the two. The blond just focused on what was in front of him, ignoring the attempts where Hinata was trying to initiate some kind of conversation.

After a while the timid girl just gave up and hugged her knees to her chest and started weeping. She tried to stay silent, but Naruto's awareness was too well developed for him to not notice her distress. And it also made him feel guilty as well. Taking a deep breath, he examined what had just happened with a more open mind.

_Let's see, I was going to tear Iruka a new one for fucking up my life even more so than it was alre__ady. Hinata was holding me back from doing some grievous bodily harm to a chuunin, who she probably thought I couldn't beat up and get myself chucked out of the Academy._

_Kami, she really wants me to pass. And to save me from myself._

_**Isn't it nice having someone so unspeakably loyal to you?**_

_Not really, it's kinda scary actually. I mean, its nice seeing her stand up to someone. I just didn't think that it would be me. _

_**Yeah, who would have thought?**_

Naruto just sighed. _Kami... I'm such an idiot._

_**I could have told you that kit.**_

_Oh shut up._

Thinking that she had lost Naruto's friendship, Hinata was lost in her world of misery before feeling the boy lift her chin up and face him directly. She flushed at how forward he was being but couldn't look away. She didn't want to look away.

"Why?" he asked softly.

Words seem to fail the heiress as she stuttered and gave up on speaking. She tried to gather her thoughts and looked up again, "I – I didn't want you to get hurt Naruto-kun. You – you have always been protecting me and, and I thought that this time I could do the same." She said the last bit softly and faced the ground as she ended.

There was a pronounced silence before she felt his arms wrap around her, enveloping her in a tight hug that made her catch her breath.

"I-I'm sorry Hina-chan."

Thinking back, it must have been hard for her to do what she had done. And it was for good reasons. While Naruto could have been a match for Iruka, she didn't know that. And it would not have looked good for a student and sensei to fight in the middle of the classroom. He realised that she was only looking out for his interests, making her a better friend than he was to her at times.

_Kami, not anymore. I will make it up to you Hina-chan. I promise._

"T-That's alright," the girl said tremulously, feeling inordinately happy.

"No, no its not. I, I shouldn't have ran away like that and ignored you," he said the last bit softly.

Hinata just stayed silent and leaned back into his chest, luxuriating in their closeness. She imagined that she could have heard both their hearts beating as one, before realising that she read way too many romance stories in her spare time. That didn't stop her from her fantasies however, and she was looking forward to making each and every one of them into reality.

Naruto just sat in silence, wondering what steps he should take in the next twenty four hours. Things were going to go down, but the eventual outcome was a bit beyond him. So many possibilities.

"So Hinata, who is your sensei going to be?"

"A-Ah it's Kurenai-sensei."

The boy gave a sad laugh, "Figures. I wish I could have been with you as well."

The heiress blushed at those words and sighed regretfully.

"Who else is in your team?"

"S-Shino and Kiba."

Nodding thoughtfully, Naruto concluded that it was the only team that made sense. It was highly specialised in tracking, reconnaissance and scouting. Though why Kurenai was made their sensei was a bit suspect as genjutsu wasn't used all that well, unless they needed to hide a lot. The brash Inuzuka was alright but needed to tone down his attitude or it would get him killed. Shino was silent but had an understanding with Naruto. Both of them knew that the other was hiding something, but didn't pry into affairs that didn't concern them. Naruto just made a silent note to speak to all of them and 'gently' warn them about being nice to Hinata. He figured that was what a decent big brother figure would do. And kami help any of them if they hurt her in any way, shape or form. She was important to him and he took that seriously. His new understanding of family meant that they all took care of each other.

So the two of them just stared into the clouds as the seconds clicked down, both of them lost in their thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lunch ended and the remaining graduates went back in and awaited their senseis to arrive. Anko came in with a gruff and aggressive demeanour, not even sparing Naruto a look as Iruka subtly inched away from the volatile kunoichi. Kurenai gave him a warm smile before collecting Hinata and her team and left. Soon enough, they were waiting alone for Hatake Kakashi.

"Well, Kakashi-san has a reputation for being late, so I will just leave you guys here until he comes. Best of luck." With that Iruka left.

_Okay, he wasn't an ANBU taichou for nothing. That has to mean that he __knows the importance of being on time, doesn't he?_

_**Well, we would hope so.**_

Time went in an agonisingly slow manner, which did nothing to help Naruto's mood. It didn't help that Sakura jumped from taunting him to pandering to Sasuke.

_Definitely__ an accident_, Naruto muttered darkly to himself.

Kyuu was just amused at all of that. She was all for getting the pink haired nuisance into a situation where she would be left vulnerable and alone, but she didn't figure that Naruto could be so cold hearted towards anyone. He had quite the forgiving heart, which she found to be quaint if nothing else. But when it came to Sakura, it was like a deeply hidden aspect of himself came into play. And frankly, she quite liked this hard and ruthless side that Naruto was capable of. She just hoped that he would let it out more often.

Naruto got up, opened the door and looked left and right on the open corridor. It was suspiciously empty and he was getting beyond irritated.

"Why is the sensei for team seven so late?!" he grumbled. Naruto then took out some ninja wire from his pouches and got to work.

"Idiot, what the hell are you doing!? Do you think that a jounin will fall for that?" Of course, Inner Sakura wanted nothing more than to see Naruto succeed, which she had to viciously suppress.

Naruto just waved her off absentmindedly, and got the black board duster and coated that with a seemingly innocuous white powder that had the consistency of chalk dust. He set it above the door and then strung an elaborate pressure trap using his wires.

That got Sasuke's attention as he watched Naruto skilfully and confidently set up an ambuscade that was interesting to say the least. His eyes widened when Naruto actually attached explosive notes to them and primed them towards the door.

"That's what you get for being late," he said happily.

"Err Naruto, we are in a closed room, you know that right?" Sasuke asked with the slightest bit of trepidation.

"Yeah, but it shouldn't matter. If he is a jounin, he should be able to handle this," Naruto replied confidently.

_They don't make you __an ANBU captain for nothing. And if he gets injured or hurt, well we get a new sensei. Everybody wins!_

_**Ah, my kit is growing up! Next thing I know he will be doing drugs and dragging women into his bedroom.**_

_It's a possibility_, Naruto thought modestly.

_**... you were supposed to reassure me and say you wouldn't do any of those things.**_

_Oh, then, errr, be reassured that I won__'t do any of those things?_

Kakashi strode into the Academy, his thoughts flying on different tangents as he tried to figure out what was the best way to approach the three genin who were to be in his team. The fact that they hadn't officially passed yet was an academic point in his mind. The two boys were skilled and competent, and Sakura would more than likely blossom with them.

In fact he was actually late for a reason as he tried to get his thoughts straight. He had spent much time figuring out how Minato managed to reach him back during his genin days, and was determined to do the same.

As he was going to enter into the classroom, he noticed the tell tale sign of chalk dust floating from the top of the door. He gave an eyesmile at that old Academy trick.

_Ah, that brings back memories. Oh well, better oblige them._

He opened the door and let the duster hit his head. He didn't expect it to contain itching powder to go all over his vest and into his shirt. He didn't expect to have triggered a trap that sent kunai flying into his direction. And he certainly didn't expect those kunai to have explosive tags attached to them.

_Oh shit!_

He kawamiri'd with a desk that was in the room. Naruto just placed his fingers into his ears and waited for the blast.

BOOM!

At close quarters, nearly everyone's ears popped at the sound displacement. Naruto just got up and looked at his handiwork.

_Naruto 1, Academy wall__ and desk 0._

Kakashi just looked at the blond in shock. Naruto gave a look that said 'what?' Kakashi just sweatdropped and narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm, how can I say this… My first impression is that, I hate you all. Especially you," pointing to the jinchuuriki, "Meet me up in the roof."

_Naruto 1, Kakashi 0_. Glad that he was winning the 'piss off the jounin sensei' tally so far, he whistled and made his way onto the rooftop. He saw chuunin instructors come in and figure out what had caused the damage. Naruto knew that he would more than likely be the one to pay for all the damage, but he had always wanted to play a prank like that. Just another way that Naruto would make his mark in the Academy. He fancifully hoped that they would put up a plaque with his name on it.

_Ah, the Hyuuga Naruto wall. I like the sound of that one._

His two teammates were still dazed by the blast and were glaring at the back of his head. The blond just shrugged them off and remarked, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Giving a growl, Sakura made her way to slap the blond before Sasuke held her back, in a rare moment of forethought that surprised both of them. The kunoichi flushed at the contact while Naruto rolled his eyes and turned away.

_Naruto you stupid bastard! Were you trying to get us all killed?! _They both thought. But at least Sasuke realised that if Sakura had tried to hurt Naruto he wouldn't hold back an inch. And he didn't want to be the one to rush her to the hospital after the jinchuuriki was done with her.

_Honestly, who goes into a fist fight with a swordsman?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The four of them met up on the roof and sat in a circle. Naruto looked bored and disinterested while Kakashi was trying to figure out if Naruto actually intended to kill him just a few moments ago. He was also faced with the urge to scratch himself, which he ignored through a supreme effort of will.

"Ok, let's begin with some introductions. How about you all introduce yourselves?"

Naruto rolled his eyes at the attempt to break the ice. He knew beyond all measure that he wanted to fail now, damn the consequences.

"Well, what do you want to know?" asked Sakura.

Kakashi just opened up his hands, "Well, how about… your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that."

The kunoichi just nodded slowly, "Ne sensei, why don't you go first and show us how it's done?"

_They really must have a low threshold for determining IQ if she needs help in doing that__ and be on the top of her class..._ Disregarding that thought, he continued.

"Ok, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future…? Hmm…. I have lots of hobbies... which will remain nameless."

_T-That told us nothing! _Thought Sakura.

_Well, he's smart, not giving me anything that I can use against him_, Naruto grudgingly admitted.

_How can we hear him so clearly when he has his mouth covered by a cloth?_ Pondered Sasuke.

Kakashi pointed to Sakura, "Ok pinky, let's start with you."

"Ok, my name is Haruno Sakura. I hate Naruto," pointing to the blond who just shrugged her off, smiling sardonically as if he was planning some sort of plot.

_The feelings mutual bitch._

"The thing I like is … Well the person that I like is… Umm… Should I say my dream for the future? My dream is to..." she trailed off into a fantasy that involved Sasuke and possibly bondage. Lots and lots of it. She snapped out of it and finished with, "My goal is to..."

The three males were just looking at her, calculating her life expectancy through days rather than years. Naruto wasn't so generous and preferred to estimate it in terms of hours.

Kakashi then pointed to Naruto, "Ok blondie, you're next."

"My name is Hyuuga Naruto. Don't call me Uzumaki ever again. I like all my friends, ramen and watching the stars. I hate Sakura, the time it takes for ramen to cook, Sakura, thoughtless insensitive people, which includes Sakura, certain Konoha traditions, and Ino. My goal..." with that Naruto trailed off before regaining his focus.

"My goal is to find my birth mother and have a nice long chat with her, about what it means to be a parent." He finished off darkly. "My dreams are to help all those people that really need it. My hobbies are pranks I guess."

Kakashi could feel the sheer anger and bitterness that he held towards Kushina. He himself was not particularly impressed with her abandonment without any sort of explanation. Trying to move on lest the mood be darkened even more, he moved onto Sasuke.

"Ok, your turn."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, I dislike many things. I don't like many things either. My goal... my ambition is to kill a certain man and restore my clan."

_Dramatic, pretentious bastard. Though I do have to give him points for the whole broody atmosphere thing.__ And from what I have heard about Itachi… good luck teme. _

Sakura thought that the boy was being totally and utterly badass and had hearts in her eyes.

Kakashi was wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into_. Damn, a fangirl, an avenger and ... Naruto. Crap, I can't even categorise him into something. And I'm fairly sure that he did try to kill me just then. I think..._

Trying to look on the positives, which were getting harder and harder to visualise as time went on, he continued, "Ok, that's enough of that. We will start our duties tomorrow. But first of all we will start off with a bit of survival training."

"What!! Didn't we just pass already?!" shouted an indignant Sakura.

Kakashi just gave a sadistic laugh, "Oh no, that is just the intermediate test. The real test is administered by the jounin senseis. We need to cull the numbers to a manageable number first. Not all jounin's can be called off duty to take on the sensei role."

"Didn't we do this in the Academy?" asked Sasuke bluntly.

Kakashi laughed some more, "Possibly, but this time I will be your opponent. Of the twenty seven graduates only nine will pass. The rest will be sent back to the Academy."

Two of the genin were not really impressed by that announcement.

"So first thing at nine am, bring all your gear. And don't eat breakfast, you're not going to need it and you will throw it all up anyways. Here is some paperwork with the details. Don't be late."

With that Kakashi _shunshined_ out of there.

Naruto just sighed before getting up and walked away.

* * *

**Konoha  
****Hyuuga compound  
South Eastern Training fields**

_Smack, smack._

The sound of flesh against the training post ringed into the night as Hanabi furiously worked herself tirelessly into the night. It was a near nightly routine now, when she didn't spend it with Naruto or studying her textbooks. The last few days had left her experiencing highs and lows that she did not think were possible.

When she had heard that Naruto had failed for the third time, she had an irrational hope that he was really waiting for her before he would pass the Academy. But when she found out that he actually did pass in very mysterious and suspicious circumstances, a hollow feeling was left in the pit of her stomach.

_They, they were going to be tog__ether. Always together..._

At times she had cursed her proficiency with the Jyuuken and how it ironically meant that she would be separated from the blond.

_It should be me with him, me! I try so hard and do so well, for what?!_

With those bitter thoughts in mind, she flowed around the dummy and executed thrust after thrust into its vitals as she worked off her frustration. She could still feel the bitter tang of injustice at her situation and stopped when her focus was shot.

_It, it isn't fair_, she lamented. And in her perspective, it wasn't. Her singular determination to become the new heiress had given her focus, but the whole point of it was to be with Naruto. But twistedly, her success wasn't really getting them any closer together. And Hinata by failing was in a better position than she was.

_Well, time will tell wont it onee-san?_

And at the same time, those thoughts made her feel guilty. She didn't want this to become some sort of competition between the two of them, but she couldn't help but feel that it was. And she didn't want to lose it, at any chance. Yet she was torn with the terrible feeling that her happiness would be at the expense of her sister. She didn't want that seal to be placed on a person that she loved and cared about.

_What happens now Naru-kun? What happens now? _

She gave up and collapsed onto the ground, starring at the skies as her eyes grew heavier and heavier until she passed out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was walking along with his flask of tea as he pondered on the best way to deal with the test set for the morning. He mused that he could just not turn up and fail in that way. It wouldn't require any effort on his behalf, and he would have loved to see Kakashi try and barge his way into the Hyuuga household to drag him to the test. The MP's would give him a run for his money, Sharingan or not.

Absentmindedly, he passed by Hanabi's favourite training spot and found the girl lying on the floor. Concerned that she was pushing herself so hard yet again, he made a mental note to keep an eye out for her and stop these training sessions. He did it because he had a target the size of the Hokage's monument on his head. Hanabi didn't have those sorts of issues and she should enjoy being a child for as long as she could.

"Hana-chan, oh Hana-chan, you awake?"

He lightly prodded the little girl, to see if he could get a reaction. She just lay still, seemingly oblivious to the world around her.

_Well, I __can't just leave her here. She might catch a cold._ With that thought in mind, he picked her up bridal style and carried her back to her room.

On the way, Hanabi woke up and noticed that she was being carried somewhere. Normally she would have jumped into action and confront the person who dared touch her while she was asleep, but she smelt the light musk that Naruto exuded. So she relaxed, feigning unconsciousness and enjoying the feeling of being carried by the jinchuuriki.

And they finally reached her room, Naruto pushing to door open with his foot and lightly placed Hanabi onto her futon. As her back made contact, she seemingly and instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso, mumbling incoherently about a doll. The boy was left in an awkward situation where he couldn't really get out of it without waking her up. But at this point he really had doubts to whether or not she was really asleep.

_Hmm, her heart rate and breathing seem to be too fast for her to be truly asleep. I wonder..._

With a devious smirk, he poked her cheeks. Repeatedly. While doing so he spoke lightly into her ear.

"Come on Hanabi, let me go. I can keep this up all night if I have to." Whispered Naruto softly, a teasing tone in his voice.

As his fingers was going to poke her again, she shifted her head so that it missed and along its path she opened up her mouth and lightly bit him. Muffling his shock, he stared at the girl, who was looking awfully innocent though he would swear there was the beginnings of a smirk on the edge of her lips.

_Hah, two can play at that game._

Making handseals for a kage bunshin, he was about to do his patented _kage kawamiri_ when he found himself staring into the girl's lavender eyes.

"Please, don't leave me oni-chan." It was said so softly and with such sincerity that Naruto didn't know what to do. She gripped on tightly to his chest and buried her face into his chest.

"Wh-what's wrong?" he asked, concerned that the normally happy and vivacious girl was acting in such a way.

"I-I have been having bad dreams," she lied. Well, it wasn't really a lie as she did have nightmares with him being married off to Hinata and her being shunted to the corner, branded like an animal. "I, I don't want to see those things again, could you just hold me, please Naruto?"

Naruto was already inordinately fond of the girl and couldn't really find it in his heart to say no to her. And it wasn't, in his mind, a great inconvenience.

"Ok, sure I guess. Let me get changed and I will come back okay?"

She nodded seriously, "You will come back won't you? You won't leave me alone will you? Promise?"

It was manipulative, playing on his insecurities, even if unintentional, and Naruto just smiled before rubbing the back of his head, "Of course I will. Just wait a sec."

He left and came back a moment later, dressed in loose pyjamas as he saw Hanabi wear the same. His eyes widened at the _usagi_ pattern on the cloth, though he knew better than to even speak about it in front of her. He had a spare futon underneath his arm and rolled it out next to her. Hanabi looked disappointed but didn't let it show too much.

They both went to sleep and somehow during the night she managed to wriggle up against his chest so that he ended up holding her. For the few times in her life, she was able to forget all about her troubles and relax.

_This, this feels nice_, thought Naruto as he hugged Hanabi lightly in his arms. He never before had anyone do the same to him when he was younger, and wondered on how much he had really missed out on as a kid. Kushina had a weird aversion to actually touching him, and he knew now why that was so. He noted that the Hyuuga's were not particularly physically affectionate with each other, even in private and that really made him wonder why they were so afraid of expressing their emotions.

With that thought in mind, he slowly drifted off into unconsciousness, unaware of the reactions that would result in the morning after.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata woke up with a yawn, knowing that she had her test with Kurenai and was desperate to make sure that Naruto turned up to his. She knew that he was still angry over the situation, though she didn't fully understand why. Sure, Naruto and Sakura got along like two poles of a magnet, but that couldn't have been the only reason why he was so resistant to becoming a genin.

She went and gently knocked on his door to see if he was ready, but didn't get a response. Hearing no response, she just opened it up, hoping to get a glance at something she shouldn't have but found an empty room instead.

_That's__ odd, where could he be?_

In fact, his futon wasn't even set out, meaning that he didn't even spend the night at home.

_Weird__, I saw him for dinner last night. Where did he go?_

Hoping that he actually went off for his test, she shrugged and went off to wake up her sister. She lightly knocked as well, but found again had no response. Sighing softly but fondly, she figured that Hanabi wore herself out from training once again. She always did wonder why Hanabi worked so hard, it reminded her of Naruto at times. And her skill with the Jyuuken was amazing and made her slightly jealous. She was going to let her sleep in and opened the door to check to see if she was ok, but was graced with something that shocked her.

Her sister was lying with Naruto, the two of them closer than what she thought was appropriate (though in Hinata's case, any female should be at least five meters away from Naruto at all times, barring her and Kurenai) and sleeping together.

_What the hell!_

Seeing red, Hinata was going to wake them up and demand answers when common sense reared its head and made her calm down.

_Ok, ok, __there is some sort of explanation for this. And they are both clothed, so nothing happened. Yes. I'm sure everything will be ok._

She slowly turned away and walked off, forgetting to wake up Naruto for his test.

* * *

**Konoha  
Training ground seven**

It was a curious scene that awaited the silver haired jounin as he made his way into the training ground to meet his new team. Normally he would have been excited that he had the chance to mentor the two people that he felt responsible to, if only for a debt of honour that lay upon him. He spotted Sakura easily in the distance and wondered if there was a way he could convince her to dye her hair a more natural colour. Possibly even shave it all off...

Shrugging those thoughts off, he realised he probably had a better chance of convincing Gai to dress like a metrosexual, in pink and pinstripes, complete with a fashionable haircut.

_I guess we could always have a competition on who is the best dressed, judged by the kunoichi_, he mused.

By the time Kakashi had made his way over to see his team, he realised that Naruto did not turn up. He half heartedly ignored Sakura's indignant yells and told them to hang tight so he could collect their reluctant third teammate.

He arrived later looking haggard and a bit worse for wear. He shivered.

_Those Hyuuga Branch women are scary. I never knew that they could fight like Maito Gai_.

_**Flashback**_

Kakashi knew that getting Naruto out of the Hyuuga compound wouldn't have been as easy as it would have looked like. If he had to drag the boy kicking and screaming he would have had the entire clan onto him and he wasn't that good to take on the MP's. The current gossip had indicated the fondness that the Hyuuga Branch women had for the boy and he knew better than to get between a female and those they considered to be theirs.

He approached the guard gate and introduced himself as Naruto's sensei, saying that he needed to collect the jinchuuriki who 'obviously' forgot that his test was on today. They let him in and escorted him to Naruto's room. Finding no one there, he activated his Sharingan and found two chakra signatures in the quarters a few corridors down. Trying to suppress a perverted and proud giggle at the thought of the boy with another girl, he slid the door slowly and was met with a rather touching scene.

Naruto was holding Hanabi protectively as the two of them were sleeping together. He was somewhat reluctant to disturb the scene, but realised that he had been made to wait. Naruto had dared make him, Hatake Kakashi, wait for another's arrival. Meaning that someone was later than him. And that was just intolerable.

His hands formed the seals for a light _suiton_ jutsu that wouldn't have too much collateral damage. It floated over Naruto before gravity took over, splashing him. Naruto jumped out with a yell and got into a stance, his eyes darting left and right to identify his attackers. He positioned his body over Hanabi's, the girl slowly regaining consciousness as Naruto quickly found the jounin's presence and cursed loudly. Kakahsi's experienced eye noted at how comfortable he was in that stance, and how he was coiled like a tiger. It just confirmed the fact that Naruto wasn't an ordinary genin. Then again, the same could have been said for Sasuke. Both of them were exceptional in their own ways.

Naruto quickly got sight of Kakashi and screwed his face in anger, "What the hell was that for!?"

"You're late Naruto," he said cheerfully.

Hanabi finally sat up and rubbed her eyes. Unfortunately the water had turned her shirt into something transparent and both males looked away. Kakashi did not want the label pedophile to be added next to his name, and Naruto just cared about her privacy.

"Naru-kun, what's happening?" the girl asked sleepily, not having quite regained her senses.

"Ah nothing Hana-chan, I have something to do and I'll see you later tonight. Bye."

"Bye?" she echoed, seeing Naruto leave in a hurry.

When they had left the room, Kakashi grabbed onto his collar and dragged him to the entrance, "You're late and we have no time to waste. We go now."

"What, let me get dressed first you bastard!"

"Sorry, no time. Don't be late next time."

"Dammit! Help! Help! Intruder!"

_Oh shit!_

Seemingly out of nowhere three MP's dashed forward to the cry and saw Naruto being dragged along by Kakashi. Jumping to a conclusion, they figured that he was working with Mikoto to steal their honoured son away from their clan. Righteous fury welled up into all of them and they attacked without question.

_Oh like hell we are going to let that happen! Over your dead body Copy Nin!_

_**End Flashback**_

Naruto looked like he was soaked thoroughly and was disgruntled beyond measure. He wished he screamed out that he was being molested by Kakashi so he definitely would have had to fight for his life instead of the light beating he managed to shrug off before the truth was revealed.

"Ok, now that we have everyone, here is your test," Kakashi took out an alarm clock and set it to twelve o'clock. He then took out two bells and hung them in front of him.

"Here are two bells, your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who don't will get no lunch and I will take great pleasure in eating it in front of you. And I will also tie you to those stumps as well."

All three genin's stomach rumbled at the same moment.

"Oh yes, to pass you need a bell. So one will definitely fail, if not all three of you. You can go all out in trying to get them. In fact, you will not succeed if you don't come at me with intent to kill."

Naruto laughed and gave Kakashi a funny look. The silver haired nin grew a bit uncomfortable at that gaze, remembering the trap the day before that came awfully close to hurting him. He was a bit careless, but it was hard not to after being off active ANBU service for the first time in seven years.

Naruto just shrugged and peeled his shirt off him, exposing his toned body to Sakura's eyes who hurriedly turned away lest she be tempted by Naruto's awesome physique.

_Bah, that is nothing compared to Sasuke! _

The boy closed his eyes and focused on his zanpukuto, which was located back at the Hyuuga household. It reappeared in front of his hand, with the three others staring in amazement. He just shrugged at them.

"My sword's special. Get used to it. And no, you can't have it Sasuke, find your own zanpukuto."

The raven haired Uchiha just sniffed before facing Kakashi. Realising that the team dynamics might make this test almost impossible, he continued with it nonetheless.

"Ready, go!"

All of them dove into the underbrush and hid themselves. Kakashi noted with satisfaction that he couldn't see any of them in sight. But he could sense their chakra presence easily enough. Except for Naruto's. He frowned. It was like the boy wasn't anywhere near them at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto made his way to Ichiraku's shirtless and whistling a beat as he made his way to get a meal. He saw that they were open for business and greeted Teuchi before sitting down. Ayame made her way over, gave a light blush at his state of undress and started to lightly flirt with the boy.

"So Naruto, it isn't that hot today is it? Then again, I have to wonder what else you have been hiding from me," she teased.

He laughed at that, before replying, "I was woken up with cold water, dragged to a training field and told that I had to grab a bell off a jounin. Since I hadn't eaten yet, I figured that I would grab some tasty, tasty ramen beforehand."

Giving a light smile, she affectionately ruffled his hair and smirked at his mock scowl, "So, what can I get for you?"

Putting his finger to his lips, he stared at the menu which he pretty much knew off by heart, "Two bowls of miso for now. Maybe some more later."

"Alright. Nothing but the best for our favourite customer."

She went off, with a light sway to her hips that Naruto found himself following before he saw Ayame's knowing smirk. He blushed lightly and stared at the clouds, whistling innocuously as it happened. She soon came back with his bowls and he started eating happily.

"So Naruto-kun, what are we going to do on the weekend? You haven't forgotten about me have you?" Ayame asked.

"No, of course not. I thought we would have a picnic and then go fishing."

"Fishing?" she asked sceptically.

"Yep, fishing. Trust me, its going to be a lot of fun. I promise!"

"Alright, I trust you for now. But if I don't, then I'm not going to serve you ramen for a week."

Naruto paled at that thought and hastily reassured her that she would have a great time. She laughed fondly at the boy, saw that other customers were waiting and gave him a kiss on his cheeks as goodbye. He stopped, touched the spot where her lips met his flesh and flushed slightly. He had finally reached the age where such acts had greater meaning than they once had when he was a child. He snapped out of it and concentrated on the bowls of ramen in front of him.

Happily enjoying his breakfast, he didn't really notice anything around him and gave a satisfied sigh. However, he then found a shadow looming over him. He looked up, ramen still in his mouth.

"Hi Kakashi-sensei. How's that test going?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why the hell am I the one that's tied up to the post?!"

"Because you were the one that ran off to eat ramen!" yelled Sakura, looking quite dirty after fainting into a ditch, courtesy of Kakahsi's genjutsu.

"Well, yeah, but none of you got a damned bell either, so why aren't you tied up as well? And why do you look like you rolled in a sty and fought with a pig. And lost. Honestly... I figured you would have some _experience_ with that kinda thing."

Sakura looked murderous and just slowly shoved food into her mouth, making big show of chewing and swallowing her meal, giving sounds of approval as she smirked at the blond's reaction.

Sasuke was inclined to give an amused grunt but figured that he would stay silent and eat his meal.

Kakashi stared at the blond and deadpanned, "Mah, they tried so they deserve lunch. You just ran off to eat. It's that simple."

He sulked, though inwardly he knew that there was no reasonable way that Kakashi could pass them now.

The two of them were eating from their bento boxes while Kakashi sighed at them.

"Now that all three of you are here, maybe it won't be so hopeless. But there is no need for you guys to go back to the Academy. You should all quit as ninja's."

"What?! Why?"

Kakashi just sighed, "You are all just a bunch of punks who don't deserve to be shinobi."

_Hell, I could have told you that. _

Sasuke just blurred into motion, not willing to take that insult lying down. If he couldn't be a nin, then his brother would walk away unpunished. If his mother wasn't willing to do it, then it was up to him. With a silent snarl, he cocked his fist back and threw a punch.

Which was caught without effort and he was pinned to the floor.

"Try to see underneath the underneath. You were placed in teams for a reason. That would be teamwork for those who couldn't figure it out," giving a meaningful look to Sakura who blushed. "This test will make you work together even if it is not beneficial to everyone. Who is willing to sacrifice their interests for the good of the team."

The rest of them staid silent. Inside Naruto was seething at the idea of any sort of sacrifice.

_Figures, coming from the Yondaime's student…_

**_Such hatred. It just warms my heart_**

"Hard choices will have to be made," Kakashi continued. He took out a kunai and held it to Sasuke's throat, "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke will die!"

_Oh f__uck, need to get my hands free!_

As Naruto was struggling and Sakura was looking at her kunai speculatively, Kakashi realised that it probably wasn't the best example. He quickly turned to the Memorial stone and looked at it wistfully.

_Time __for an object lesson kiddos._

"Look at this stone. There are many names carved onto here. Each and every one of these people are heroes, recognised by the village. But they are not just any heroes, they were the ones who died on duty."

A respectful silence settled onto the training ground. Naruto grew introspective and wondered about the 'Ne' operatives who risked their lives for absolutely no recognition at all. He remembered Danzo's words on the matter.

_We will know. We will bear witness. And that is enough for us. We don't need acknowledgement, as long as we do our job and keep Konoha safe. They might call us criminals and vigilantes, but we were the ones to keep the peace, bleeding so that they could breathe freely. We need nothing more._

With a sad smile, Kakashi looked at the names chiselled into the basalt, "My best friend's name is carved in here, with many others."

"I will let you have one more chance after lunch. And no one feed Naruto. If any one feeds him they will fail immediately."

_Fat chance of that happening_, he thought viciously.

He watched impassively as they both ate, while his stomach rumbled as it was still hungry from not finishing his bowl from earlier on.

Sasuke just kept giving Naruto a look from the corner of his eyes and sighed. He stood up and offered his bento box to the blond.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"Look, we have no chance against a jounin by ourselves. We need to work together if we are to even have half a chance of getting the damned bells. And you won't be any use to us if you're hungry."

_No, no, no!_

"I don't want your food Uchiha. Didn't you hear Kakashi, you would be going against orders dammit!"

Sasuke just shrugged, "I can't sense him anyways, and how is he going to know?"

_He is a fucking jounin you dipshit, of course he can hide himself in ways that you can't detect!_

"No, I'm not having food that you ate already. Thanks, but no thanks."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes, "For kami's sake." He took a sushi roll and pushed it into Naruto's mouth, nearly force feeding him in the process. Naruto fought as hard as he could, as well as any person tied up to a post could in those circumstances. But his efforts were not particularly successful.

"Ok, that's one slice. I figure at least three more before your sated ne?"

"I – I hate you," Naruto spluttered, coughing out rice as he was trying to speak, "Are you trying to choke me teme?!"

With a smirk, Sasuke gave a thoughtful look, "Maybe, but I need to pass this test. And I am not going to let you stand in my way."

_Screw you and your test Uchiha! And don't you let Sakura anywhere near me with chopsticks, I don't trust the girl to not 'accidentally' gouge out my eyes._

To Sakura, he did look pretty pitiful strung up shirtless and hungry. But years upon years of reinforcement by her parents to look down on Naruto and hate him with every fibre of her body was waring against her.

Inwardly Naruto was hoping that she would give into her hate. There was a small off chance that Kakashi would pass them if they showed some sort of teamwork. Granted, feeding the third teammate wasn't exactly the epitome of it, but he knew that Kakashi would be grasping at straws to pass them. He seemed more determined that what could reasonably be expected. Hell, most jounins would have failed him when he ran out, or was initially late. He doubted that Kurenai would have been that kind to him and she liked him. At least he thought she did. She was a hard person to read at times.

Then again, a part of Sakura was feeling tired of all the forced hatred that she had to display, day after day. And it wasn't like she actually and genuinely hated Naruto. Being exposed to her parents who constantly put him down in her presence had effected her formative years. And when she mentioned the fact that he was on her team, they were livid and demanded an audience with the Hokage. They were promptly and rather coldly denied their demand, reminded of the fact that they were civilians living in a shinobi village.

She knew that Naruto wasn't a bad person, but she had dug herself into a hole that she didn't know if she could dig herself out of. And the look on his eyes were awfully cold, turning the usually warm blue into a glacial peak that seemed to pierce into her. And she knew that if the team were to have any chance of being successful, she would have to do the hardest thing in the world. She would need to go against her parents wishes.

She hesitantly approached the boy and offered him some rice. Naruto looked flatly, somehow retaining his dignity even when he was half naked and tied to a post.

"No, I don't want any."

"Come on Naruto, don't be an idiot."

"Are you deaf Sakura? I said I don't want any!"

She just huffed and emulated Sasuke by pushing it into his mouth. He stubbornly kept it closed before the constant pressure was getting to him.

"YOU GUYS!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!"

Kakashi came out, genjutsu ablazing at it transformed him into some sort of vengeful god with storm clouds in the background.

_Yes, fail us all! I'll see you next year as well Iruka-sensei._

"Didn't I tell you not to feed Naruto?"

"Y-Yes you did," spluttered out Sakura, "But – but you also told us that –"

"Those who disregard the rules are trash. But those who leave their teammates behind are worse than trash." Sasuke finished off, giving those thoughts careful consideration.

_Ah nuts. I must have missed out on that little bit before __he strung me up._

"I see. Then I guess I have no choice but to – PASS you all."

Naruto looked on with wide eyes, with the rest of his genin teammates.

"Don't get me wrong, you have a hell of a lot of work that needs to be done. But you showed some decent teamwork and I guess the real training can begin."

"You have got to be kidding me, what kind of teamwork did we show at all!" shouted the blond.

"Mah Naruto, don't you want to pass?"

Naruto stared at him, "We don't deserve to be genin! Look at us, what are you thinking?!"

Knowing that Naruto was entirely correct, Kakashi just chuckled before ruffling his hair, "You're all slightly tarnished. Nothing a bit of polish won't cure."

Naruto was left spluttering and cursing, shooting him dirty looks which he tried his best to ignore. Kakashi's carefully laid plans were shot to hell and he was left lost. He couldn't in good faith admit to anyone that the three teens were in any way a team. Individually they were strong, at least the two boys were. Sasuke's form and technique were nearly impeccable; he just needed refinement from his mother in the Uchiha techniques and more generalisation in the jutsus that he could use. Naruto was an enigma who seemed to be as alert as an ANBU, moved like one and knew a jounin level technique that could cut training times exponentially. Sakura was just a lump of coal, not much to look at and with little utility. But with time, patience and pressure she would develop the stability and beauty of a diamond.

And that was probably why he was going to pass them despite their shortcomings. In the three of them he saw the rebirth of the Sannin, three nins destined to be something great. And in his heart, he knew that he couldn't and wouldn't miss the opportunity to guide and mentor the legacy of his sensei and best friend. He was confident that he could be the one to change things for the better. Months upon months of staring into the glassy reflection of the Memorial stone had given him a sad insight to his life.

He really had nothing left to give to Konoha besides his life. His family was extant, his father taking his life in shame and his mother being long gone; he was the last of his line. And he wasn't sure if he could ever trust anyone to let them close to his heart, to fully love them as much as Minato loved Kushina. Those days were, upon reflection, some of the sweetest and fond ones that he ever had. He had thought it frivolous and sickeningly sweet at the time, but he now envied his sensei for being able to find someone who was his soul mate. Two individuals that were only complete when they were together. The only person that he ever felt remotely connected to was Rin, and they had parted with great bitterness. A part of him always felt guilty, like he was taking something from Obito that didn't belong to him. He already had his eye; anything more felt wrong.

_Is that why you left Konoha Kushina? Were __the memories too bitter for you, seeing his face on the monument looking down upon us? If so, why did you leave Naruto here without you?_

Those thoughts were saddening and maddening to the jounin. He knew that Minato would be turning in his grave at what was happening to his family. And he honestly didn't know if he could do anything about it. Even Jiraiya seemed lost in trying to find the red head, with her presence not even felt in any of the major cities of the Elemental Nation. Then again, she was a capable kunoichi who was able to keep Namikaze Minato in line. If she wanted to disappear, he had no doubt that she would find some abandoned place that was isolated enough that no one could find her.

_This is for you sensei. You could have left me to brood and lose myself in my problems. I will not let the same happen to your son. Kami help me. _

Facing the reaming two, he became serious, "Tomorrow, 0900 hrs start. We will get straight into the training and some missions. Don't be late, anyone."

_Hypocrite_, Naruto thought resentfully. He looked up in the sky and scowled.

_Who the hell did I screw over in the past life? The Daimyo's wife or something?__ While he was watching, tied to the bedpost?_

He watched everyone leave the training ground, apparently forgetting about him. He loosened his bonds and kawamiri'd with a log and walked back to the Hyuuga compound, scowling as he went along.

He didn't notice the wide eyed and appreciative looks by the MP as he stormed into his room and sat down, lying back as he couldn't believe how, despite all his best efforts, he had still managed to pass.

_Fuck, kami damn it. Kyuu, got any ideas?_

_**I have a few, but let's just wait and see shall we? Things can't be all that bad, I mean you're a shinobi now. You will have to take on some dangerous missions and they will need to prepare you for it. I don't think Konoha will just throw you to the wolves and see if you can fight them off. What's the worst that they can do? Make you do meaningless menial chores for hours upon hours?**__** Sounds like slave labour to me. **_

_I guess not... _

He didn't notice that Hinata was in his room until ten seconds later and he jumped into a defensive position, hands straying to his blade that were stopped by lavender eyes.

"Naruto, why were you sleeping with Hanabi last night?" she asked somewhat hollowly and with an indescribable look in her eye. She was clutching her jacket tightly and looked like she had been crying.

Even though he was innocent,he could feel that this conversation could only end badly for all involved. _Crap, I just can't get a break around here._

And he got angry. He had an entire week of bullshit being shoved down his throat and he wasn't feeling particularly generous to anyone. Especially when he was passed for reasons that were were not clear to anyone and defied logical explanation. And having to face Hinata when he was innocent in this matter was the final straw. He was willing to apologise for things he had done, but he was sick of hearing the whipping sound created by his zanpukuto. And it was worse when he knew that it was warranted.

He just took in some deep breathes and faced Hinata.

"What is it to you?" he asked coldly.

Things were not quite ever going to be the same again between the two of them.

Fin.

* * *

**Omake****: Sakura must die  
**

"Hey 'sensei'?"

"Yes Naruto?"

"Oh, I found this article and I was wondering if you could tell me what it meant," Naruto asked innocently.

Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha novella and inspected the journal.

_Hmm. Internal spontaneous chakra combustion by Ren Takumi. Why would Naruto be interested in this?_

Giving a mental shrug, he placed away his smut and read through the article.

"Hmm, that's interesting. It says that people with highly developed chakra control can develop a state of efficiency that means that they will burn through too much of their reserves. That in turn creates more stores, but it escalates until the point that the body can't hold enough of it and expels itself in the form of a fire. Why the sudden interest?"

"Oh nothing, I was reading up on chakra control and found that. I wonder if Sakura would have any of those problems?"

Kakashi was doubtful, "I don't know, the theory sounds a bit wack to me. Tsunade never had anything like that happen to her."

"Well, you never know."

"AAARRRGHHHHHH!!"

Out of the bushes came a burning pink haired kunoichi who was screaming at the top of her lungs, "It hurts! It burns! Somebody save me!"

Kakashi was about to use a _suiton_ jutsu but Naruto jumped in to offer his 'assistance'.

"Sakura, quickly, drop and roll!"

She complied and was on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames.

"Here, let me help you stomp out the flames!" Naruto then trod all over the kunoichi, though it really couldn't be said if it was actually making a difference.

Kakashi just sweat dropped at the odd scene. Sasuke noticed the commotion form his corner, went up and gave a shrug at the sight. He then joined in Naruto with helping him 'extinguish' Sakura's little fire problem.

_Take that you stupid bitch!_ Both of them thought viciously.

And amazingly enough, it worked. The fire died and Sakura was left a bruised mess on the floor. She flashed the both of them a thankful grin before passing out.

Naruto and Sasuke each exchanged looks and briefly shook hands.

"You're pretty cool at times dobe."

"You're not too bad yourself teme."

Kakashi was wondering if this was some sort of elaborate set up with a TV crew in the background. When he figured that it wasn't, he quickly took Sakura in his arms and rushed her to hospital.

"You guys train or whatever. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Sure thing 'sensei!" the two boys chorused.

_Man, it was so worth it to convince 'Karasu'__ to write that damned article. That was the best use of an explosive note ever._

* * *

A\N

I realised that Kishimoto made a mistake regarding the bell test. Only one thirds of the class will pass, but there are two bells. Hmmm. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed what happened so far, but I realised that I have neglected Ten Ten for the last few chapters. And she will definitely make an appearance sooner or later.

And is anyone noticing how mothers do not really play a large role in Naruto? What happened to Hatake's mother when Sakumo took his life? Another mystery.

Well, that's it. Not really. The teams will get a bit of spicing up due to some events that will be revealed in the next chapter. Which in some ways makes this chapter redundant and an exercise for me to pad my word count... But I digress.

Isn't it funny how Kishimoto just discounts the Hyuuga in the backstory of the events leading to the formation. Oh well. And the truth of Itachi is revealed. I hoped that I have left it open enough to incorporate canon, which I think I have. It will be fun nevertheless.

I just screwed up a midsemester, so yeah, not happy. On other news, interviews for clerkships are pretty much over.

Next chapter can expect some D ranked missions, Naruto fighting the urge to go insane and lay waste to everything around him, and 'Ne' training him and Yugito up to be their final solution to Konoha's problems.

Not much left to say really, besides the usual read and review. Or I will do something unspeakably bad and treacherous. I will not update for two months.

Ja ne.


	13. Information Asymmetry

**Breaking the Boundaries**

**A/N.**

Hello there.

Have you wondered what would happen if Naruto was ever serious about teamwork. That though he had the individual skills to carry the day, he still wanted to make his teammates stronger. So that they really did work together, and solved problems together. That they really were a team in substance and not just name alone. And how they created something that was just as good as the _Dennsetsu no Sannin_. Possibly even better because they would never fall from grace. Umm, actually, disregard that last bit. Nothing is ever perfect and stable. If my rather hackneyed understanding of physics is correct, entropy is the reason for everything. If I'm wrong, eh, so be it.

Anyway, what if all that it took was a different sensei, teammates and new outlook on his position? And what happens when such bonds are broken beyond repair? What if im just kidding you all about it and just revert to the whole Naruto is the single most awesome and powerful character in the universe?

Thanks to VFSNAKE and Frozen Sin for their assistance.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_Dialogue_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 08May08  
Chapter completed:28May08

**Previously on BB**

"Naruto, why were you sleeping with Hanabi last night?" she asked somewhat hollowly and with an indescribable look in her eye. She was clutching her jacket tightly and looked like she had been crying.

Even though he was innocent, he could feel that this conversation could only end badly for all involved. _Crap, I just can't get a break around here._

And he got angry. He had an entire week of bullshit being shoved down his throat and he wasn't feeling particularly generous to anyone. Especially when he was passed for reasons that were not clear to anyone and defied logical explanation. And having to face Hinata when he was innocent in this matter was the final straw. He was willing to apologise for things he had done, but he was sick of hearing the whipping sound created by his zanpukuto. And it was worse when he knew that it was warranted.

He just took in some deep breathes and faced Hinata.

"What is it to you?" he asked coldly.

Things were not quite ever going to be the same again between the two of them.

Fin.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

The Sandaime sighed as he saw what had happened to team seven. He was kinda glad that he had no access to sound, knowing how unhappy Naruto must have been at that decision. He knew from Kakashi's expression that he had passed them, in defiance of all reason and logic.

And he had such high hopes for Naruto, in the current team seven. Though he was not too sure of Sakura's prowess, Naruto and Sasuke were destined for great things.

Though the lack of effort demonstrated by the blond was disturbing. He didn't really show any effort besides struggling while being tied up to a post, and using his patented kage kawimiri techniques. And he could read Naruto's body language enough to know that he had some sort of resentment towards the white haired jounin. And for the life of him, he couldn't think of any reason why he would.

He was left to conclude that he just hated anyone that was to be assigned as his sensei. There wasn't going to be an easy way around that, unless he was given a person who he couldn't dislike on that reason alone. He looked at his manila folder and gave a sad grin.

_I guess I was asking for too much. Why do you have to make my life so much harder than it already is?_

Sitting back, he waited for all the jounin senseis to come back and give their report. He hoped no other surprises would pop up as well. But considering his string of luck recently, it was probably a fond hope at the very best.

_I need to find a successor soon. _

Kakashi walked into his office, giving a nod as he stood easy. He reached into his pouch and retrieved his dog eared copy of Icha Icha Paradise and started to read.

"Must you read that in front of everyone Kakashi-san?" Sarutobi asked with exasperation.

"Yes, yes I do," he answered absentmindedly.

_Which leads to the perpetual question to why you are single and unattached. I have seen what you look like under that mask, and really, what the hell do you have to hide?_

Soon enough, the rest of the assigned assessors made their way into the room and he spoke up.

"Who has passed this year?"

"Team seven passes," said a distracted Kakashi, pointedly ignoring the indignant looks by Kurenai. Anko didn't really care that he was reading his pornography in front of them. She figured it would be a precedent when/if Icha Icha Shotacon came out.

"Honestly Kakashi, I couldn't in good faith pass your team, not after seeing that performance. There has to be some minimum standards."

"But Hokage-sama!" he protested.

"Please, Naruto would either go crazy and go on a killing spree, followed by Sasuke, or I can expect to pay the Haruno's a visit and an awkward explanation how she was the victim of friendly fire."

Kakashi deflated, knowing that he had no answer to those statements of facts.

"How did the rest of the teams go?"

"Fail."

"Same."

"Didn't pass"

"No good."

"Another three back to the academy, do not collect two hundred dollars."

"They were begging me to fail them by the end of my test. I wasn't feeling so generous. "

Everyone just winced and had pity for the poor genin who were assigned Anko as their sensei.

"Well, that is to be expected I guess. How about your team Kurenai?"

"Well, I would pass them, though something was distinctively off about Hinata. She seemed really distracted. Shino was just silent for most of the test, while Kiba got himself hurt a lot. In very stupid ways. And I am not too sure why you gave me that team in the first place."

_Seeing how it was your first team, I thought I would give you the three that fit perfectly together._

"Oh?"

"Well, none of them are suited towards genjutsu, besides Hinata. And I am not really a tracker per se. I can do ambushes, but it looks like my skills are wasted on them."

_Which is true, but what else could I have done?_

"Asuma?"

The jounin just shrugged, "I guess they get on well enough. I don't expect to see them as the next Yama-Nara-Aka trio anytime soon. Ino seems to go all dominatrix on them, and the two of them don't seem to stand up for themselves. And I am sure I have made my thoughts real clear on the matching, _father_."

The Hokage sighed. He had hoped that it was all water under the bridge, but he guessed that some things were too deep to heal.

"I guess then its time to implement my backup plan."

_Back up plan?_ They all thought.

"Yes, the teams will be fully reshuffled as of now."

_What?!_

Looking pensive, the Hokage twirled his pipe before standing up.

"It has been on my mind for a while. It didn't really make sense to me how we limited the graduates skills by having them on a team for a few years. In the field they will need to actually work with others outside their original teammates. And Kurenai-san makes a good point to how specialties can be neglected by this whole allocation process."

"Then what do you propose Hokage-sama?" asked Kurenai.

"Basically, we will have rotations. The teams will be laid out again, and in six months time there will be secondary senseis assigned to take charge of the teams again."

"Will the team members change?" wondered Asuma, quite liking these new developments.

"Well, not for the first year. The next, possibly. This is all a trial because I don't think any other nation has done this before. I don't want to get too adventurous."

"So, why reshuffle the teams?" asked Anko.

The Sandaime took a puff from his pipe before responding, "It is obvious that some allocations will just not do. I thought it would work itself out, but I guess I was asking for too much."

"Team seven will consist of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Aburame Shino"

"Team eight will have Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto and Ino Yamanaka."

"Team ten will be Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba "

Anko nodded, "Well, that makes slightly more sense, I guess."

"There wasn't a perfect team really. At least this way the matchups are as even as possible." Said Sarutobi.

"They all seem to be… assault teams", mused Asuma.

Kurenai nodded, "There is one tracker, one assault, one support. That is a near perfect matchup."

Nodding his agreement, the Hokage continued, "Hopefully all of them will manage to survive in the field in this way. The senseis will remain the first team number until six months time, where there will be a rotation. So, please break them the news."

Anko just looked at Kurenai

"I hate you. You know that right?"

"Errr, if I promised to share him, would that make you feel better?"

The Snake Kunoichi had an unholy grin on her face

"Well, I was going to say that all jounins would have a chance to mentor, but limit it to three at any one time.

"Fu fu fu fu fu fu," laughed Anko, rubbing her hands in anticipation.

"Well, this is awfully progressive of you. Why the change of heart?" asked Genma.

The Sandaime sighed, "I figured that I would give it a shot, but it looks like things would not work out as well as I would have hoped it would be. But you never know until you try. It isn't like these things are set in stone anyways."

Kakashi wasn't happy, though he wasn't going to speak out against the Hokage's wishes in public. But the wily old man could tell that the Copy Nin was upset. He wasn't looking forward to the private conversation that he knew that the jounin would want.

"So yes, you know the drill. Team building exercises and D ranked missions. And spice things up with some skills training."

"Dismissed."

* * *

**Hyuuga Household  
Residential quarters  
Naruto's room**

Naruto woke up with a blistering headache and a feeling that someone had drawn and quartered him. It didn't help that he had no memory of the last four hours.

_Oh… what the fuck happened?_

_**I believe Hinata went 'bat shit crazy' on you, as 'Mi' would say.**_

_What did she do?_

_**She accused you of raping her sister, and when you didn't deny it she tried to castrate you. And by castrate, I wasn't too sure how she was going to do it with her tongue alone, but I guess it's a lucky thing that you finished over her face before she realised that she could have used her teeth.**_

_NANI!?_

_**Oh relax. Nothing like that happened. So you really don't remember?**_

_I remember her being upset, me trying to get her out of my room and things when a bit hazy when I turned my back._

_**Well, I'm going to let it all be a surprise then.**_

… _Come on, don't leave me hanging, what the hell happened?!_

_**Oh, you'll see soon enough.**_

… _tease._

_**Ah, is that what you really think Naru-kun?**_

Not wanting to continue the mental conversation for any longer than he had to, he got up and let Kyuu's healing wash over him. In under half an hour he was feeling better and decided to avoid any Hyuuga female for the time being until he could figure out what just happened.

_Really, what the hell… I can't have forgotten what had happened unless someone used some sort of genjutsu on me …_

_**Ah, the penny drops ne?**_

_But how the fuck? I thought those things couldn't affect me?_

_**Well, I guess we can't be too confident anymore. Maybe Kurenai taught her something that she had finally figured out. She is a smart one, and would really want to know why her demonic illusions don't affect you.**_

Naruto grew pensive at that. The thought that someone could screw with his memories scared him deeply. He was already living a double life, and if anyone would make him appear out of character, more so than what he could explain away, there would be repercussions. And the mere thought of anyone messing with what he thought was real made him uneasy. He had a hard enough time as it was without any external influences.

_But, I thought you said that no genjutsus would ever be a problem for me, the whole kitsune thing and all._

_**Usually not, but only when I am really full aware of everything around you. In battles and on missions yeah, but not when you were near Hinata. So I guess, just maybe, I was caught off guard for that one moment.**_

… _useless, useless Kyuu!_

_**Eh, you should be more worried about what happened when you lost consciousness.**_

_I hate you. _

_**Sure you do. As much as you will hate Hinata for those four hours as well.**_

The blond sighed and walked on, praying to all the gods that something would save him. He wanted nothing more than to destroy a good acre of woodland, but that would have been too suspicious. The other alternatives would have consisted of meeting with Yugito, sleeping, finding out what the fuck was with Anko, sleeping, or hiding in a corner and hoping that the last twelve hours were some sort of living nightmare that would go away.

He chose to see Anko.

* * *

**Konoha  
Uchiha Household**

Uchiha Mikoto just sighed as she sat back repressed the urge to break down and hurt something. It was difficult enough to support her and her son when she wasn't an active nin, now she had to fend off marriage offers from people who she didn't know, and even if she did, she would probably detest them anyways.

_A bunch of filthy vultures, the lot of them!_ She thought rather viciously as she threw another betrothal offer into the bin.

Things were not so great in the finance department. While the Uchiha name still commanded a vast amount of respect, many things were required of her that she just didn't want to deal with. It didn't seem that hard to support two people, but the clan had mortgages and loans that required payment in one way or another. The Uchiha used to pool their funds from missions and their stipend for operation the military police force to service those payments. That was now impossible, and the income from their investments could not make payments. Her advisors had suggested that she liquidate some holdings, which she was very reluctant to do. Some of the properties were part of the Clan since its inception, and she didn't want to be known as the one that had lost such an ancient legacy.

The numbers were driving her mad and she wished that some sort of solution would be found. Her work for the Hyuuga MP was decent, but insufficient. The thought of the Byakugan wielders taking on the traditional Uchiha role brought a bittersweet smile to her face.

She felt an irrational hatred fall upon her, _Dammit, why? Could Sarutobi even left us that little bit of dignity, of hope? It's bad enough that they remain the premier clan of Konoha, now they are its guardians?_

That thought wasn't entertained for very long before she took a sip of her cooling tea.

_I, I just don't know what to do._

Sasuke walked into the kitchen, grunted a greeting and went to the refrigerator.

_Can't he even say hello? Is that too much to ask? _

After passing the test, Sasuke felt that a long standing goal was reached and that made him happy.

_Soon, nii-san, soon enough_, he vowed silently.

"So Sasuke-kun, did you pass your test?"

"Yes."

That brought a smile to Mikoto's face, "That's great news, lets celebrate and do something –"

"That won't be necessary."

"And we will – what?!"

"I said that it isn't necessary."

"But, but, you are a genin now, why wouldn't you want to celebrate?!"

Sasuke just sighed before facing his confused mother.

"What is there to celebrate?" He turned to walk away, a bottle of juice in his hands as Mikoto was lost for words.

"Who were your teammates then?"

Sasuke stopped, and sighed, "Haruno Sakura and," his face tore up in annoyance, "Hyuuga Naruto."

"Hyuuga Naruto?"

"Yeah, apparently the dobe doesn't want to be called a Uzumaki anymore. Eh, who cares?" he turned away and walked to his room without another word.

_Hyuuga Naruto? Does, does he really hate her that much? Then again, I don't really blame him._ Mikoto was familiar with Kushina back in the past. It had shocked her to find out that she did abandon Naruto. Then again, when she thought about it, she could see the signs of tension that were easily explained away.

_Honestly, why though? It makes no sense? He is such a nice boy._

And a large part of her was happy that the Sandaime had placed the blond with her son. Constant and continual contact might open up Sasuke's eyes to the truth that was in front of him. Vengeance wasn't worth pursuing at the expense of future happiness. Naruto spent his time finding happiness with those around him. He didn't let the bitterness consume him. Granted, if he ever saw her again he would probably scorn Kushina and spit on her face, but he didn't dedicate his life to spitting on her.

Then again, their situation wasn't exactly comparable. Naruto didn't see his family's slaughtered bodies in their home, with his brother intending to send him to the other side. But both of them were probably haunted with questions to why it happened in the first place.

Mikoto had some suspicions to why it had occurred. And if she was correct, then she didn't know what to do. She moved into living room, consumed with thoughts and drew out the Black Book that was trusted upon her by the Sandaime.

She was tasked with the _Shinku Kaen Inishiabitu _(Crimson Flame Initiative). A rather nice turn of phrase for the "Defeat Uchiha Itachi with extreme prejudice" plan that was over four years in the making. She had discovered deep in the clan archives the existence of a secretive version of the Sharingan that could only be attained at great cost. This coincided with the reports by the Nidaime to the epic battle that left Uchiha Madara dead and the Shodaime triumphant. But it seemed to be passed on by oral knowledge, if nothing was ever recorded. Which made her wonder why she had never heard about it at all.

Which was another anomaly. There weren't ever any concrete records of Uchiha Madara in the clan archives. It was like someone had excised his very name from their records. She had pieced together a rough history because he was one of the founding members of Konoha. But there was some sort of alleged dispute or falling out that led to his exile and subsequent death at the Valley of the End.

Based on that, she had requested a task force to aid in the eventual capture, interrogation and possible execution of Itachi. The Sandaime had agreed and had given her two people.

Hatake Kakashi

Maito Gai

Kakashi was one of the remaining Sharingan wielders who were aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the doujutsu, probably even better than her because of his inefficient use of his borrowed eye.

Gai had pretty much spent his entire life trying to defeat Kakashi, and by extension the Sharingan. His input would be invaluable, if he could tone down the game of one upmanship that seemed to characterise any meeting between him and the Copy Nin.

They had met once a fortnight for the last year in developing strategies to overcome and defeat the Sharingan. Some promising techniques and tactics were proposed, but they had no information about the new doujutsu that she had seen Itachi use during the Massacre. After observing his cold and pitiless eyes with her three tomoed Sharingan, she knew that it lay at the heart of everything. She just needed to figure out what it all meant.

Gai had arrived on time, in counterpoint to the tardy Kakashi who waltzed into the room with a nod.

"How did the assessments go Hatake-san?"

"Yes my youthful rival! Tell us about the team that you were assigned to. Did they wow and demonstrate the glory of springtime?!"

Mikoto sighed and tried to restrain herself from hurting something. She really did wander if Gai didn't put on his eccentric personality as a joke to everyone and everything. She asked Kakashi about this on numerous occasions, who only sighed and hoped that it was the case. He said that if Gai was entitled to act in such an outrageous manner, he would purposefully ignore him to see if he could crack that persona.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Ah!! So cold, so cool my eternal rival!"

Mikoto was wondering how she had retained her sanity for so long, "Well, who did you assess Kakashi."

"Your son, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto."

"I hear he calls himself a Hyuuga now," she noted.

"Yes, well, he is and remains a Uzumaki in my eyes. That is his true heritage, not an inherited one."

She nodded in understanding. No matter how much she had disliked Kushina's actions, Naruto wasn't going to get over it by running away. She knew a confrontation was inevitable, one day. She just hoped that she didn't have to see it. It could only end in tears.

"Well, since my son passed, then I guess you're pretty happy."

Kakashi just remained silent, which made Mikoto rather interested.

"There is a lot of work to be done, to tell you the truth. It won't be easy, but I didn't expect that it would be. The again, team seven won't be left intact…"

Kakashi explained the reasoning behind the Sandaime's reallocation and sighed. It looked like Sasuke wouldn't be receiving the benefit of Naruto's presence.

Gai was listening in with avid interest and decided to lighten the mood, "Yosh! Finally we can see who is the most youthful of senseis! My cute and adorable team against yours! Prepare to lose my eternal rival!"

"Mah, did you say something?"

Deciding that this could break down into repetitive nonsense, she raised her hands and decided to speak.

"I think that I have found a counter to the Sharingan."

Both of them stoped and looked at her.

Happy that she had gotten her attention, she took out a sheaf of paper with some calculations and descriptions onto it.

"It... won't be easy to use. Or be able to be maintained for very long. But, it will be able to defeat all the advantages that the Sharingan has to offer. The only question is, if it is even possible?"

Kakashi looked at the papers with a critical eye. After copying over one thousand jutsus, he had developed a great understanding of jutsu creation and what was possible. Sure he had only created one jutsu in his entire life (or that was what was publically known at any rate), _Raikiri_ itself was something that required a great mastery of raiton, regarded as the most volatile of the chakra elements. He quickly processed the probabilities and nodded his head slightly.

"Theoretically, yes, it seems possible. But it would... hurt. A lot."

Gai's forte wasn't so much in ninjutsu, but he had an innovative mind created though hard work and determination. "It, might be enough, but you would need something more, something incredibly youthful to follow up with that. It would need a lot of chakra though."

Mikoto nodded in satisfaction, "Yes, I know. This is just a part of the overall plan. But tell me, is it feasible?"

The two jounins looked at each other. Gai nodded after some thought, and Kakashi followed.

"Well, yes. But ideally, you would need the services of a Hyuuga. This is some delicate work that you are proposing, and some really fine control will be needed. The only question is to who would we ask?"

"This initiative should remain a secret, no sense in advertising to the world that we are out to get my son. No matter how unlikely it is to get back to him beyond what he suspects, we should try and retain some privacy," said the Uchiha matriarch.

"Well, that rules out any Hyuuga Branch member, who could be compelled to disclose anything they have on the issue. And that would rule out any Main House member, who couldn't be trusted. "

Gai shook his head, "They are dedicated and hardworking , we can trust them, or at least one of them."

Mikoto just pondered on the issue, "Who can we trust, who isn't in a major position or under a lot of scrutiny?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Sarutobi Residence**

Danzo sighed as he made his way to the Sandaime's house and gave a wan smile at the guard's terse nod and made his way into the main foyer. He took off his shoes and took a seat on the leather couch, taking in the peaceful atmosphere before the Sandaime came and gave a guarded nod at his presence. They went into the office.

"What can I do for you Danzo?" asked the Hokage.

"Hmm, isn't that the question. You could give Naruto to me so I can have him properly instructed", he said near jokingly.

The scarred man figured that if he made periodic requests to take Naruto under his wing it would be less suspicious than if he staid completely silent about the issue.

"He has a genin team assigned already Danzo, it isn't necessary."

"Isn't it?" he said softly.

Sarutobi just looked at the man in front of him and wondered how two people who loved Konoha so much could approach things in such a different manner.

He knew that the other man considered himself to be a realist, that warfare was so deeply entrenched into the Elemental Nations that to think otherwise would be foolish. And yet, he just didn't realise how hopeless that position was. An entire world that had nothing more, and could expect nothing more, than total war was a position that disgusted him. It was like everyone was so afraid to change that they didn't.

_Or maybe it's because it's too hard, so we won't try? What kind of attitude is that?_

Living and being in power for so long, he was getting sick of sending young men and women to their deaths, when something could be done about it. The road to peace, enforced by the will of everyone, not just the few, was difficult. But it had to be difficult. Otherwise it just wasn't worth having in the first place. And the first steps had to be taken by someone. He was just one of the few that were open about his intentions.

But he all too easily knew how far a person could fall in their profession. Danzo at his prime was one of the best shinobi to serve Konoha. Before the events that lead to everything crumbling down for the man. And how it took the tragedy of Sakumo's passing for that to bring a new sense of purpose into the man's life.

And that began an odd relationship that had lasted for nearly three decades. He had to admit that he was a formidable political opponent, and the times where they had violently disagreed were ones that he still winced about. Though the times when they did manage to work together, it was truly something to speak of. He just wished that they saw eye to eye more often.

Because between the two of them, they had seen things that no one else had. Truths that only were revealed when people reached high office, or were around in the past to see the details that history would rather forget. And the one that lay at the heart of the Uchiha clan was one of them.

Sarutobi's private office had seals that were at times more protective than the ones in the Hokage's Office. His reputation as the Professor and having a student being a fuuinjutsu master helped immensely. There was no way that anyone could have eavesdropped on them. Not like it was needed when he spoke to Danzo. Despite their differences, they still admired the other, if only grudgingly.

Chatham House rules were always used between the two of them, and Danzo had concerns that he wanted to raise privately with the Hokage. And for him to do that, Sarutobi knew that it had to be important.

"I find it funny, that the search for Itachi is so… empty. Why is that?"

"My ANBU have been making their best efforts. Why the interest Danzo?"

"Well, its just awfully weird how one of the greatest traitors to Konoha, who slaughtered his entire family and one of the founding clans of Konoha, is still breathing freely. Even where there have been rumours that he has joined some sort of organization."

"Rumours, that haven't been substantiated at all."

"Really, or maybe there wasn't any real incentive at all to do any searching."

"What do you mean?"

"I know."

"Well, that was vague of you. What do you know?"

"Uchiha Madara. The betrayal by the Senju. In fact, by all of us really."

"No, no! I wanted the madness to stop, but – "

"But what? You were the Hokage, you could have stopped them. We all knew that the Sharingan had special powers, that they could influence the bijuu. Actually, that is a load of rubbish. It's the same thing as the Shodaime being able to repress the bijuu's powers as well."

"How do you figure?"

"You're seriously telling me that a human being, with a near one hundred to one scale, could exercise some sort of control over a beast like the Kyuubi no Kitsune? Even if they had some sort of special doujutsu, its focus would be so disrupted over an immense area of space, that it just couldn't work. And with the immense chakra reserves, any genjutsu would have been dispelled immediately."

"Then why-"

"It was a lie. A convenient lie, one that the Senju were more than happy to perpetuate. They held themselves out as the natural counter to the Uchiha. That they could control a bijuu's power somehow, and could match the Sharingan with their own powers. But really, it was an immense deception, one that makes me think that they did deserve the position of Hokage after all. Hell, the Nidaime was your jounin sensei after all. You knew how charismatic he could have been."

"And I really wondered what part Itachi played in all of this. The Uchiha were our strength, our bloodline that deterred nearly everyone. They helped us create one of the largest arsenals of ninjutsu in the world. And I would not have opposed them if they tried to take power. They fit in quite nicely with my philosophy. But I refuse to accept that you didn't know anything about what happened that night. So tell me really, why did you do it."

"Who said that I had anything to do with it? Let's just say that it was a past executive order."

"Fine, how have you been able to hide him?"

"It… hasn't been easy. The ANBU desperately want his head, along with Mikoto. Then again, being part of Akatsuki has helped, if only marginally."

"Ah, but do you really want him caught in the first place?"

"Do you? He is probably the greatest patriot that Konoha will ever know. History will know Itachi for being a monster, the Kinslayer who slaughtered his family by himself in a single night. But what he did was the hardest thing that could have been asked of anyone. In fact, he did it without any prompting. He is safe now, and I think living is an agonizing hell for him. There is nothing that could be done to punish him anymore than he is doing to himself."

Danzo made the connections in his head, working in overdrive as his suspicions were finally confirmed.

"I guess this explains Kushina as well? You really should have made the effort, because she was also one who knows why it happened. Though if it was truly necessary at all is still debatable."

"How do you know about this Danzo? It is Sealed to the Flame, beyond S class. I could have you killed for just intimating that you have a good idea of what it was all about."

"Yes, you could. But you won't. You know that I'm not stupid and if I don't make certain appearances and actions, then a sealed copy of everything that I know will be revealed to the appropriate people. And to how I know, well its funny, I read a lot. And I have found some interesting literature once I bought the entire Senju library."

"…I thought I had all the copies."

"Well, all the public copies. The juicier stuff I sourced. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. It was always interesting how the Senju, the greatest of the clans, managed to just die off after the founding of the Hidden Leaf. And how the Uchiha remained strong afterwards. Well, relatively speaking. And I'm sure Jiraiya has told you the truth of the Nawaki and Dan incident. And I read all sorts of interesting things about Hashirama. I found it funny how similar he looked to Orochimaru…"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I have always wondered how that bastard managed to live after all the efforts that we made on his life. Now I have to wonder even deeper."

"I am not protecting him at all."

"Of course not. Just like you are not protecting Tsunade, Kushina and your two advisors. But I'm guessing he knew and you knew. And he acted on orders. I never really thought that you had it in you Sarutobi."

"It wasn't me that gave the order."

"Ah… the Yondaime then. Remarkable. He must have left it sealed and to be executed after his death. Amazing foresight. Then I guess he figured out the truth behind Dan and Nawaki again. And how he saw that Konoha was going to be torn apart if something wasn't done about it. Once again he hid the darkness away from everyone. I mean really, who would have believed that Minato was capable of genocide?"

"…Why are you here Danzo?"

"Once again, I want Naruto to be trained properly, so he can face the coming darkness. You know it is coming and that you are not doing him any favours with this."

"I am sick of saying this; he is in a genin team. That should be sufficient. It has always been enough."

"He isn't like any one else. He has nine S classed nukenin's that will want him. Give him to me."

"What can you do?"

"I will find tutors who can nurture him. Prepare him. Make him ready."

"I will think on it. What makes you think that I can't do the same? I do have greater resources to draw upon."

"I know people who will not deal with the Hokage. You know that. A genin team will only slow him down. If something isn't done, he will be dead or turned against us. It wouldn't take much for someone to offer him something more than what he would be getting in Konoha"

He made his move to leave.

"Think about those things. But really, this is one hell of a messed up situation that we had here. It was all so… unnecessary."

"You don't think I fucking know that?"

Danzo was shocked at hearing the Sandaime swear.

"Minato's order made sense. To observe and report on the Uchiha using the ANBU, to infiltrate them using a sympathetic agent. It just went too far when the coup was discovered. But the odd thing was that he did it all on his own. He didn't even ask for orders. Hell, he didn't even report on any solid evidence that the coup was actually more than just disgruntled whispers. Which makes no sense. It didn't have to happen. It shouldn't have happened. But it did. Kami… "

"Did he do it so that the entire village would spare his brother and mother? To put them beyond reproach? Because if he did, it worked."

"Possibly, but we will never know. Itachi wasn't the sanest of people to begin with."

* * *

**Konoha  
Anko's apartment**

_You know, I wonder why I fucking bother at times._

_**You could always just turn around and go back. It's not like she would hunt you down eventually and do unspeakable things to you.**_

… _Are you sure? You might want to reconsider that._

_**Hmm, oh yeah, this is Anko who we are talking about. I figured that she'd do something much more public and embarrassing. **_

… _once again, why the fuck do I bother?_

_**Once again, you tell me. You feel connected to her on a level that only you can explain.**_

And as much as Naruto wanted to deny it, he knew that was true. The stoic look of hurt that she hid within herself reminded himself too much of the times when he looked at a mirror and wondered what he did to deserve his mother leaving him. With time he had learn to understand that he didn't do anything, and with realization came anger. Anger which he couldn't express, so it had no outlet but it burned deeply, a poison that he could never really let go of. Things were not helped when the revelations of his parentage were made clear.

With Anko it was much in the same way. Both of them victims of prejudice. Yet it didn't quite become clear that he was doing the same to Kakashi, though it arguably wasn't the same thing. He had never hurt his mother and Anko had never hurt the families that Orochimaru had broken up. Kakashi reminded Naruto of things that he didn't want to deal with. He had spoken to people like 'Mi' and Danzo who knew the Copy Nin, and an irrational resentment became all the stronger. He hated to hear how close Kakashi was with his father, and how the two of them fought on two fronts to bring the Third Secret War to an end. It left him confused to how Minato's student could have had a better relationship than he did. And that fuelled part of his dislike of the silver haired jounin.

Naruto put those thoughts aside as he braced himself for something unpleasant. He realised that he had never really ever had visited Anko before, but had heard rather exotic rumours that consisted of chains, an abundance of leather and other things that he thought were too outlandish to be true. But then again, knowing her personality, he wouldn't have been too shocked.

_Why do I feel like this is a real, bad move to make? Maybe I should get Kurenai to come with me. Yeah, that is a much better idea-_

In much the same way that Yuugao had CCTV cameras installed outside her apartment as part of ANBU regulations, Anko had the same. And once she saw her favourite blond, she brightened up, before realizing that she was angry with him. She quickly got up to the door and managed to grab Naruto before he was able to do the smart thing and get witnesses… or support as the case might have been.

"Where do you think you are going Naru-kun?" she purred dangerously.

"Umm… I must have gotten the wrong address," he laughed nervously.

"Oh?" she said with mock/semi real hurt. "Who else could you have been seeing then? Have you been – been cheating on me?!"

Naruto sweatdropped, wandering if he secretly was a masochist.

"I didn't think that we were going out Anko, I think I'm a bit young for you," he deadpanned.

"H-how could you say that?! After all those times I chased you around Konoha, seeing the sights, you buying me dinner and all those moments gazing into the stars, didn't they mean anything to you?"

_Kyuu, help me out here._

_**Bakuretsu kage bunshin?**_

… _Is it just me, or is your 'advice' becoming more and more useless as time goes along?_

She pouted_**, I'm just saying…**_

Naruto just turned to bolt before Anko grabbed him into a headlock and threw him into her apartment.

_Why does this feel so familiar?_

_**I guess there are reasons why Anko, Kurenai and Yuugao are all friends.**_

He twirled in mid air, landing on his knees and drew his zanpukuto, looking fearfully around the place just in case the rumours were actually true.

_Ok, I don't see twelve headed snakes hissing away at people. There aren't any chains or anything like that. It's just a bit messy I guess._

"Now put that sword away Naruto, unless you're into a bit of rough foreplay," she teased suggestively.

With wide eyes, he sheathed his sword before sighing.

_This is hopeless. I think I should take up drinking. I've always wondered what sake tastes like. _

_**Like that is going to work. With your metabolism racing to control your chakra and reiatsu, it isn't going to be anything more than an expensive hobby.**_

… _You know, someone is going to pay for this. And I mean bleed from their fucking eyes. I don't care who it is, but oh boy, they are going to get it._

_**Cough, SAKURA, cough. **_

I just love it when he goes all dark and badass like this. And who would have thought that it would just take this to get him up?

"So Naruto, how do you like my place?" Anko asked with semi interest.

"Well, it's much nicer than I had expected. I was expecting a dungeon of some sort."

"Oh that, well I do have a dungeon," she replied casually, buffing her nails on her trenchcoat, "It's at work and there is where all the fun happens."

_Shit, I should have told someone where I was going._

"Right, so yeah, I've been meaning to ask, why were you so upset with me the other day when I showed you my new jutsu?"

"Oh, that," she laughed sheepishly, "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure."

Inwardly, Naruto gave a sigh of relief and prayed that he could leave in one piece.

"I guess I can't really blame you, since you haven't really seen me in all my glory," she mumbled about Kurenai spoiling all those moments where she was teasing the jinchuuriki in public, "But I'm sure when you see _everything_, then you will find some new '_inspiration'_. Fu fu fu fu fu fu." Anko always had the suspicion that Kurenai was much closer to Naruto than she had let on. And she was convinced that the genjutsu mistress had flashed the boy so he could get down his jutsu to a level of excellence that would effect the most hardened of shinobi. And given her level of shamelessness, she wasn't going to let Kurenai, Konoha's current Ice Mistress get one over her.

_Kyuu, am I going to be scarred for life?_

_**Probably. **_

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Household  
Military Police Tenement **

After dealing with Anko and seeing things exposed in such a full and frank way, Naruto decided to debrief in a way that would put absolutely no pressure onto him for anything. Ironically enough he found it in the company of the Hyuuga Branch members who formed Konoha's Military Police. Going to the kitchen, he grabbed a tray full of sweets and tea before heading off to the room where Setsuna and her colleagues were located. He had heard that they were discussing some sort of uniform design, and he figured that it would be a good way to distract him from the rather vexatious questions going through his head.

He came to the door and knocked, before hearing a response and walked in. A dozen eyes zeroed onto him, the tray that he was carrying, then back to the whiskers on his face.

_Geez, it's not polite to stare guys._

And in front of him where a collection of some of his most favourite people in the world. They were all female, older than him and were amazingly attractive in their own way. The leader of the pack was Sestuna, followed by:

Yuna

Ako

Misa

Makie

Kaede

Natsumi

Misa was the first to speak, "Ah Naru-kun, what a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"

He gave them a foxy smile before rubbing the back of his head, "Well I heard that you were busy so I thought I would visit with something. Who likes cake?"

They all called for a time out, sitting in a circle as they munched happily on pastries and sipping tea. Naruto somehow found himself being hugged from behind by Setsuna, who was playfully feeding him from her fork. He tried to fend off her attempts, but it ended up with cream all over his face.

"Stop it! That's no where even near my mouth."

"Oh, how 'careless' of me. Why don't I clean it up ne?" she offered disingenuously, licking her lips.

_No, not the whiskers!_

Unfortunately, it was too late as she had reached up with a napkin and delicately stroked the cream off his cheeks, and rather carefully examined every square centimeter of his face. He started to purr lightly, which just brought amused smirks to the rest of the members. Soon enough, Naruto was curled up against the Hyuuga, in a state of rare bliss as he wondered why things usually ended up this way when he visited Setsuna. He shrugged it off and just relaxed.

"So, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Well, we have been trying to design a uniform for the new police force. Right now, we have a few ideas."

"Really? That sounds pretty cool, mind if I have a look?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Naruto took the sketches and examined them with a critical eye.

"Not bad, it leaves enough room for movement and is net enough I guess. You don't need it to cover all the areas as you usually will be in the city," he noted absentmindedly.

"What colour is it supposed to be?" he asked.

"Well, white with gold trim," replied Maki, nibbling away at her slice as she savoured the sweet.

"That would be pretty nice," admiited Naruto. He had long realised that wearing black made him look incredibly cool. It just got very hot at times, especially in summer where he preferred to stay indoors.

The sketches provided for three quarter length pants and shirts. On top of that was a loose flowing tunic with gold trim on the edges. An ANBU vest was worn beneath it. It brought for a strange dichotomy, a juxtaposition of black and white.

Seeing the positive reactions that he was giving, Setsuna decided to pounce, "Oh, Naruto-kun likes our design girls. Would you want to be our model then?"

"Nani?!"

"Yep, you would get your own set of uniform. It would be awesome. But we would need to take some measurements, and we would have to be very thorough. We want it to fit properly, don't we girls?"

"Yes," Gushed Makie enthusiastically.

"Of course," nodded Kaede, her head bobbing up and down.

"It just goes without saying," Ako agreed with a wide smile.

Naruto just blinked, _I have noticed that Setsuna has her own bunch of yes women. I want some now as well._

Kyuu just laughed lightly in his head.

"And then you can go on a recruiting drive with us as well, just imagine all the fun we would have!"

_Yes, me being paraded out like a doll, how fun._

Setsuna then became serious, "Really Naruto, why don't you become a MP instead of a shinobi? We will take very good care of you and it's a lot of fun. What do you say?"

_Well, crap, I never really thought about it._

Seeing that Naruto was actually considering it, she pushed forward, "It's not a bad job. It isn't as dangerous as being out in the field, you meet and arrest interesting people, the pay is alright and you would be with us. What more could you want?"

_I like the whole not being around foreign shinobi thing. That is quite awesome. And I guess it would be fun to rub my rank in those bastards faces__._

_**The bastards referring to the bigots of Konoha?**_

_Exactly_

"Hmm, what do I need to do?"

Setsuna just sighed happily, "All you need to be is sixteen. Once you hit that age, then you can be one of us."

"Well, I'll think about it." The offer was pretty attractive, he had to admit.

_Excellent_, Setsuna thought with glee. Her yes women had similar thoughts.

"Well, if you have most of it done already, the uniform that is, why are you still here?"

Ako pouted, "We are thinking on a symbol. Something to identify us as Konoha's new police force. We don't really want to use the Hyuuga Main House symbol."

Naruto's eyes tightened, "Yeah, I know… any ideas so far?"

"Not really. We might continue using the Uchiha clan symbol, but the elders would have an apoplectic fit over it. But it does have a nice sense of continuity about it. But besides from that, we can't really think of anything else."

Kaede began to speak, "How about -"

"No Kaede, we are not going to have that on the back of our tunics."

"Come on, give it a chance!"

"What does she want?" asked Naruto.

"It's a –" her mouth was muffled by Natsumi who smiled nervously.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Say Naruto-kun, do you have any thoughts?"

The blond rubbed his chin in contemplation. He had a few thoughts and shrugged.

"A tree."

"Tree?" queried all of them, looking at him oddly.

"Yep, with large overlapping branches for the top, and roots that go all the way to the earth. The police act as a shelter for all of Konoha, protecting and guarding everyone."

All of them considered the rather deep and meaningful symbology in his words.

Seemingly unaware of their silence, he continued with his thoughts, "You want something to show that you are not the Hyuuga in this, that you are something more. Something greater. You protect them, it's not about clans anymore. You want to have some sort of … identity outside that as Branch House members. So you can't use the clan symbol. You need something new to show everyone that you are not their dolls."

_Oh fuck, that sounded way too deep for me to say. Better run. _

Realising that he may have given something away with his insight, he rubbed his head again before trying to leave without arousing suspicions, "Well, I hoped that helped. I got to do some training now, so yeah, I'll see you all around."

Without another word he quickly grabbed the tray and left. Appreciative eyes followed his exit and they all sighed happily.

"He is really a sweetheart isn't he?" Setsuna laughed lightly.

Makie smiled, "I remember when he was a small boy who was so happy and excited by everything. How everyone was wrong to think that he could be anything other than a child."

"And what a child. He has grown up well, considering that he doesn't really have parents to speak off. Do you remember how we used to look after him when he was smaller? The things that he put his body through, it was intense. And he looked so adorable with that serious expression on his face. And he always managed to find time to talk with us, help us even though he was just a child," Ako just grinned in memory.

Setsuna laughed at that shared moment. "He wasn't even up to my chest, but he insisted on helping us. And how could I say no?"

"Ahem," Natsumi had a slight look of disapproval on her face, but everyone around her knew that it was just a front. She was just as fond of Naruto as any one of them were.

"How did he turn out so well though?" asked Yuna.

Misa shrugged, "Beats me. Not that I'm complaining. I just have to make sure my daughter gets a chance with him."

"Join the queue. I believe Setsuna put her name down when he was like eight," came Natsumi's sardonic repartee.

Seeing the odd looks directed to her way, she shrugged. "What can I say, he was such a cutie back then. Still is actually." She heard a muffled "shotacon!" that she promptly ignored before laughing. "Remember those fake marriage contracts that we presented him with?"

They all chuckled in fond memory of that event. It had started off as a joke that should have gone nowhere, but the expectation had been created nonetheless.

Ako sighed happily, "His face was so red, almost like a tomato that was fully ripe under the sun. And who else would let us tease him and have that kind of fun? It's almost like he indulges us…Any Main house member would put us under the Juin Jutsu or punish us in other ways. Wait, did he end up accepting anything?"

"Not really. Though my daughter is asking if her Naru-kun is free to spend some time with her. He is awfully busy for a child his age. Especially now," Makie just wondered what he did outside of training. It did seem like he was drawing an entourage everywhere he went these days.

"But what is going to happen to him?" asked Kaede with concern.

Yuna's face darkened, "The elders are planning some sort of move. As the honoured son of the Hyuuga, no one really knows what Naruto should do or if he even owes fealty to the clan. Hiashi-dono made it up on the spot to spite Kumo for their treachery. And Kushina," spitting that word out, "is not around to do anything, so it is up to the Hokage at times, and others, well, who knows?"

Setsuna nodded, her face drawn up tightly with contempt, "So far they have been quite happy to leave him alone and for him to do his own thing. But in the future they might try to use him for their own purposes."

There was silence, as they drank the remainder of their tea and saw the idly sketch that Naruto had provided for them as he has spoken about his dream for their corp. it looked impressive, subtle and was an inside joke that only they could appreciate. Needless to say they loved it.

Kaede saw the slight flush on Setsuna's face and sighed, "I mean, I get it that he is a good kid. But Setsuna, there is still a pretty big age gap between the two of you."

She shrugged. "I am willing to wait. Think about this, does he have any friends outside of the Branch Members in the Hyuuga clan?"

They all tried to think of some names, but couldn't.

"Besides Hinata and Hanabi, he really is part of our family. And he treats us as equals, as friends who he likes to spend time with. The Main house members see us as pieces of furniture there to do their labour. But Naruto has always, always treated us like people. Even when our blood relatives had conveniently forgotten that fact. They forget that we're like them, we are their brothers and sisters. Or maybe the better answer is that we were…but now are victims because of something we couldn't control."

"We were _born_ _late_. That was the _wrong_ that we committed," she spat out harshly, the pain clear in her voice.

"And because of that, we pass that onto our children. And there is nothing that we can really do about that, no matter how much we hate that fact. No matter how much we want otherwise. When we do have children, this is the life that we are bringing them into. And I don't want it. Which is why we try and not have children. But we can't seem to do anything about it."

"And you think Naruto can?" Ako asked sceptically.

Setsuna nodded with sincerity, "Think about it. He stopped an experienced Jounin from taking Hinata when he was eight. He has pretty much mastered the Dance of the Crescent Moon by the age of eleven. And you remember the times that we were, err, looking out for him when he was training? He has an intensity and sincerity in his eyes when he promises you something. And it is too hard for you to think of anything but that promise. When he grows older and even stronger, he could do so much…"

"One day our broken clan will be made whole again," she whispered.

"Naruto sees what the juin jutsu is and hates it. He hates it for good reason and wonders why no one does anything. How we can accept our slavery… the thing is that we don't. We do it because we have no choice and cannot do anything about it without risking death or punishment."

Suddenly, she faced them all, "Do you remember Yumi?"

They all nodded.

"He was with her when it happened. He was walking by, wanting to speak to me when he heard her screams. He rushed over and demanded to know what was happening. And the look on his face…" Setsuna looked haunted.

"It was like he was accusing us of doing nothing. Hell, all we were doing was standing around in sympathy. And the way that he held her hand as it happened, how she cried out for someone to save her, to make it stop, and then her oni-san."

"He spent an entire week with her, bringing her favourite foods, keeping her company and trying to distract her before she had learnt to accept it. But if you looked at Naruto, you knew that he has not accepted this. And I saw a bit of his innocence die that day, when he realised that he couldn't do anything for her."

Again, she was met with silence. They had all felt a measure of failure in allowing it to happen. It was heartbreaking, it was galling. They stood by and did nothing.

Setsuna continued in a low voice, "I remember when it happened to me. No one was really there to help me afterwards. We all dealt with it alone, because that was how things were, weren't they? Be a Hyuuga, take it with silence."

Her voice gathered strength and purpose, "But it is up to the next generation to lead the way. Hinata and Hanabi adore Naruto and would do anything for him. And if he can convince them to change the family, then…"

"That is pretty lofty. And you are putting all your expectations onto a kid right now," While Kaede wanted to have faith, all of this hope and expectation that they were placing upon the blond was too much in her eyes. How could Naruto do what had been entrenched in their clan for over a century?

She sighed happily, "Yeah, it is. But hey, I am willing to wait. But can you imagine a world where Naruto-kun is the leader? How amazing will that actually be?"

All of them dared to dream of such a world. It seemed so remarkably pure that it would have been sullied by the inevitability of reality.

But Misa had to raise another concern, "But have you ever heard him say that he wants to be Hokage?"

Natsumi shrugged her head slowly, "No, but maybe he needs to be guided down the right path. To be shown how much good that he can do…"

Kaede was uncertain about it all, "Are you sure about all of that? Do you think he knows?"

"About?" asked Setsuna.

"Oh, you know, the fifty foot high demon fox that somehow was shoved into him, when he was a baby, leading to the mess that he calls his childhood. And if he doesn't, what will happen if he does? I don't think he will be very happy," Kaede replied with a roll of her eyes.

Ako was silent, "I-I think he knows. Or he gives off an impression that he does know. And I don't know what to say. It only makes him more… heroic in my eyes."

"Heroic?" queried Yuna. Setsuna, Kaede, Makie and Ako just nodded their heads.

"Yeah, think about it. He has the Kyuubi bound within him. No one really knows how, but it just maybe through his will alone. And that I can believe. Just imagine, he's just a boy with the strongest demon in existence locked inside of him. A burden that he didn't ask for, given to him by his family and left with nothing because of it. It – it sounds like us, doesn't it?"

They all reflected on that analogy and marvelled at the logic behind it.

"And despite it all, he refuses to let the bitterness overwhelm him. Not like Neji used to. He sees a better tomorrow and fights for it. And how can anyone else do more than that?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground seven**

Oddly enough, Naruto turned up on the next day at 0930 hrs, determined to make everyone in team seven have an unbelievably hard time. If he was going to suffer, then so would all of them.

_First off, steal that damned book from Kakashi. Then put bubblegum into Sakura's hair to make her shave it off. Then somehow get Sasuke hooked on yaoi..._

_**Really?! You would get so many people mad by doing that.**_

_I know. That's why I'm doing it._

He sat down and waited for the errant jounin to grace them with his presence. A moment later Shino turned up and looked at them silently. Then surprisingly enough Kakashi arrived. He silently threw them a piece of paper. Wordlessly, Naruto opened his up and was shocked.

_New team? New team!_

He jumped up and screamed, "YATTA! There is a god and he doesn't hate me." He nuzzled the piece of paper to his cheeks and was lost in delirium.

The rest of them looked at the scene in amusement and offence. Kakashi felt disappointed that the Hokage wouldn't let the teams remain as they were. He could see the logic behind it, but he felt hurt nonetheless.

Sasuke just sighed before looking over the new allocations.

_Hmm, we are getting Aburame Shino eh? That might work._

Sakura was a bit conflicted with the whole thing. She was trying to work over her feeling towards the blond, but it seemed like she wouldn't even get the chance. Maybe, maybe things are better off this way. She sighed somewhat regretfully.

Naruto calmed down long enough to actually see who his teammates were now.

_Hyuuga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino?_

Normally, being with Hinata would have made him incredibly satisfied, if not happy. But the mysterious events of the day before made him uneasy. And he didn't want to deal with Sakura's friend who had snubbed him at the beginning of the year. He still felt bitter about the whole situation, but he had to admit that it was a far better option than Sakura.

"So long suckers!" he yelled out joyfully, heading off to meet his new team.

_**So, who is your sensei?**_

_Kurenai, oh this is __gonna be so awesome!_

Hmm...

He quickly jumped onto the treetops and made his way to the training ground where he found Hinata and Ino waiting for him.

"Sorry I'm late guys, but Kakashi didn't really turn up until just then."

"Ah, that's understandable Naruto-kun, just make sure you are not late from now on okay?"

"Of course sensei!"

Kurenai had to smile at how happy Naruto was, at times he was literally jumping in excitement. His mood somewhat dampened when he faced his female teammates.

Hinata had an unreadable expression on her face before she stood up and bowed to him.

"Good morning Naruto-sama."

Naruto froze at hearing that honourific.

"Nani?!"

Hinata just kept a straight face as she nodded to him, "It's only appropriate that I call you this from now on. Because it is clear that you are the best out of everyone in our generation. We have to give you the respect that you deserve."

"... Who are you?! And what have you done with the real Hinata?!"

The heiress couldn't keep her composure anymore and cracked up in a laughter, "Ah, ano, your face, I just couldn't help myself Naru-kun. It was so funny."

_What. The. Fuck._

Kyuu just smirked with satisfaction. Yep, it's all working out perfectly.

_**Flashback**_

"Just get out Hinata before I say something that I don't mean," Naruto said tiredly, not wanting to lose his cool, not after promising to be a better friend.

"N-N-No! Tell me, what happened last night with you and Hanabi?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he could feel a migraine coming along and his temper was frayed, "Look, nothing happened alright. She was having nightmares and she wanted me to be with her. That's it. Nothing else."

Irrationally, Hinata grew angry over Naruto's rather blasé explanation.

_Where was he when I had my nightmares!? What made Hanabi so special dammit! She wasn't nearly kidnapped! What is she so afraid of?!_

Fearing some sort of ulterior motive behind it all, she wasn't going to let go of her concerns until she was satisfied, in one way or another.

Naruto just walked to his door, opened it and gestured for her to leave. As he turned to face her he was directly confronted with Hinata's fully active Byakugan.

_What the fu-_

With her doujutsu fully activated, Hinata manipulated her chakra to send Naruto into a coma. With a deft touch she manipulated the strands so that she could explore Naruto's mind while he was comatose. It was something that Kurenai had spoken to her about, which they were developing together. The genjutsu mistress had long figured out that the expert control, along with the visualisation of chakra flows, made the Hyuuga the ideal people to craft new jutsus. It was a pity that they didn't use their skills fully.

And she had nearly perfected it and was proud of her efforts. It would act like the signature Yamanaka jutsu, except that it was far more chakra intensive and took direct eye contact. But the results were near perfect, especially for interrogation purposes.

She felt her consciousness leave her body and begged the boy for his forgiveness. It was something that she had to know, what his intentions were towards her sister. She belonged to him dammit!

She found herself in Naruto's mindscape. All around her was an eerily abandoned Konoha, with not a soul in sight.

_**Well, well, well, and who might you be?**_

Gasping, the girl turned to the sound. And she saw the Kyuubi in all her glory.

Taking the appearance of a devastatingly beautiful mortal woman, Hinata immediately felt inadequate in her presence. With flawless skin, deep green eyes and crimson tresses that flowed like a river to the junction of her hips, Kyuu just had a smirk on her lips as she confronted the mortal who had dared enter into her realm. Her regal features and high cheekbones gave her an aristocratic air, along with the way in which she carried herself. It was proud, it was aloof, it bespoke of confidence and assurance that Hinata would have killed for. Or at the very least given a light maiming.

_Who are you?_

_**I'm sure that I asked you that question first? But then again, I know all about you, Hyuuga Hinata.**_

Trying to hide her shock, she tried to understand what was going on. In practice against Kurenai, her thoughts were organised in terms of pictures and folders. Apparently each person was unique in the way that they organised their minds. She didn't expect to see some sort of sentient person in the jinchuuriki's mind.

_Are, you, some sort of guardian?_

The woman laughed at that_**, Well, I guess you could say so. Then again, Naruto-kun is more like my jailor and my... confidant. And I am his everything. His crimson princess. **_

Hinata was quite uneasy at the rather predatory way that she had referred to the blond.

_**Its funny, I have seen you through his eyes, and I really wonder what the hell that he did see in you in the first place. Meek, timid, introspective, I wonder if your nothing more than a burden that he accepts as being part of his life. And I doubt that he will ever see you in the way that you see him. I'm sure Hanabi has a better chance than you.**_

_What?!_

_**Oh yeah, I know of your attraction to my kit. It's amusing, if nothing else, but really, what do you have to offer him? He deserves somebody strong, confident and ... useful. And young Hanabi does meet those criteria, if anyone else possibly deserved him. **_

She flinched at those indictments casually flung in her direction.

_**More importantly, he is mine. I was with him for all his life, his mother, sister, friend and lover.**_

_Who... who are you?_ Hinata whispered, feeling awfully vulnerable.

_**Me, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I would say that it was a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie.**_

_But, why are you in Naruto-kun?!_

_**Funny thing, it was all a misunderstanding. Tragic really. But who would have thought that it would have led to this. Did you really think a mortal could kill me? Or any of my brothers and sisters? You might be capable of a lot, but don't forget that you are only human.**_

_I, I don't understand._

_**No**_, she said disdainfully, _**I didn't think that you would. But then again, why are you here? To find out all about Naruto's dirty little secrets? Because he has quite a few of them. Would you want to know what he really thinks about Hanabi, about Anko, Kurenai, Yugito and Ayame? Or how about you, Neji and Ten Ten? What would you like to know how strong he really is? What does he do in his time away from you and the Academy? Why he hides himself from everyone, including you?**_

_Everything... I want to know who he really is_, she whispered.

_**Sorry, but I couldn't tell you the things that he has told me in confidence. I'm sorry but I guess you have to leave not knowing anything.**_

In a blink Hinata was pinned to the floor and placed under her terrifying gaze.

_**But I can't leave you to go off and tell anyone about what you saw today. It's a good thing that I allow visitors in and out, because it lets me do very interesting things to them. Let me see who you really are Hinata.**_

And she did. She delved into her consciousness and dissected her very psyche with the clinical precision of a surgeon. And she was pleasantly surprised by what she had found.

_**Who would have thought? Underneath all of her kindness is a rather savage streak. I can use this, Naruto would benefit from having an absolutely loyal servant, who happens to be the heiress for one of the founding clans of Konoha. **_

And she slowly and carefully worked her kitsune abilities to modify Hinata's personality. Though modify was perhaps too strong a word. Anyone could be brainwashed to think that they were someone else and act accordingly. But the mind and body remembered. A person could instinctively feel something fundamentally wrong about them and their thought processes. Genjutsu could only do so much.

But not if the abilities and emotions were already there, under the surface. And Hinata had that in bucketloads, carefully hidden away. So she got to work.

_**Ok, let's minimise the timidity. Increase the confidence, determination and self worth. And let's do something to your attraction to Naruto. You will be his guardian, and you will do it in a way that does not make him suspicious. You will be relaxed around him, to make him less suspicious. It shouldn't be too hard I guess.**_

_**And you will make sure that all the other women back off from Naruto. He is mine, but I guess you can have some fun with him once in a while. He is a key part to everything after all, and I don't want my kit to be unhappy.**_

She laughed evilly. The tweaks would be reinforced by latent abilities that Hinata had tried to suppress. It was funny that her public persona was in many ways a facade that she had presented to avoid some of the rising urges and demands that she had been experiencing lately.

She was slightly concerned that her new personality would be too out of character, but she figured that everyone would prefer a confident and capable Hinata, instead of a stuttering, emotional wreck that she would have become if she continued to fight her inner nature.

_**I'm really doing you a favour here. Enjoy my gifts Hinata.**_

**End flashback**

Naruto just blinked. So did Kurenai. Hinata looked at them rather innocently before winking.

"Hinata, what happened between us yesterday night?"

That got Ino and Kurenai's attention, as they were eager to hear any potential juicy gossip between the two.

"Nothing happened Naru-kun. I don't know what you are talking about," she said disingenuously.

"No seriously Hina-chan, what the hell?" Naruto was thinking that this was some sort of elaborate practical joke, which he didn't appreciate. He was the one that pranked people dammit!

"Why nothing, why would you say that?"

"I woke up feeling sore all over and couldn't remember the last four hours dammit!" he shouted.

Hinata just giggled deviously, "Well, we shared a very, very special evening. I'm hurt that you can't remember it Naruto-kun. After all, it was my first time," she teased.

The blond was frozen still in shock.

Hinata laughed again before giving him a hug, "Ah, don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot ne?"

She suddenly grew serious and he could see the remnants of the Hinata from yesteryear. The girl reached over and whispered into his ear, "You told me something that I had needed to hear for a long time. And I realised that you were right. Thank you Naru-sama. Because of you, I am a better person." She ended up giving him a kiss to the cheek, her lips lingering for a slight second as Naruto blushed like a tomato.

_Wha? What the hell is going on? Kyuu, is this some sort of dream? Because if it is, then I don't want to wake up._

_**This is reality kit. And things are looking up. What's wrong with that?**__** You spent like three years on this, and made your own damned obstacle course as well. By the way, what happened to that thing?**_

_I think the ANBU took it for their use after we were done, _he thought absentmindedly.

Seeing the sincerity in Hinata's eyes, he was struck with the change that had appeared. He had known for a very long time that the girl was conflicted in a way that he couldn't explain. So he gave his support in a passive way, wanting to give her the space to work out the issues. It had worked to an extent, but he didn't think that such a dramatic turnaround was possible.

_Kyuu, what happened during those four hours? You know something, now tell me._

_**Well, I guess the gig is up. You turned away and Hinata tried to attack you with a genjutsu. It partially worked, **__**but because I'm pretty awesome I deflected the worst of it. You fended her off and she broke down in front of you. You pretty much told her to get her act together, but not in such a nice way. I believe your words were , Why cant you be more like Hanabi? Stop bothering me with your problems, because they aren't problems. I will sleep with whoever I want, whenever I want. And if you don't like, then tough. At least she tries and works herself to the bone, instead of what you do. **_

_**She ran away in tears and you collapsed because of the residual effect of the genjutsu. I tried to save what I could of your memory, but it wasn't possible.**_

_Did I really say all of that?_

_**Yeah, pretty much. She didn't take it well, but I guess you gave her that push to become a better person. So you see, tough love works. I have been telling you this all along.**_

_Well, I'll be damned. I'm going to enjoy working with this new Hinata._

More than you know kit, more than you know. Fu fu fu fu fu fu. I'm so adorably evil.

Naruto just lit up in a smile and gave the girl a fierce hug, "I'm glad that I could help."

She just nodded happily, before turning to Kurenai, "So sensei, what's going to happen now."

Amazed at the turnaround in the girl's attitude, Kurenai was lost for words.

"Well, I guess the real training and missions will start now. Some teambuilding here and there, but really, since I haven't actually done this formally before, it's all a bit new to me."

"Ah, don't worry Kurenai-sensei, you will be fine," reassured Naruto.

Giving the jinchuuriki a grateful smile, she focused her attention to Ino, who felt like a stranger in the newly formed team. While she may not have liked Shikamaru or Choji, at least she was familiar with them and she knew her place. It was firmly on top of the ladder.

But she was uprooted from all of that and placed with Naruto and Hinata. And she wasn't quite sure about how she felt about that. It wasn't a bad thing per se, but she didn't feel comfortable around Naruto, not after the choice that she had made in the past.

When she felt her fellow blond's inquisitive look on her, she tried not to flinch and see how it cooled from the warmth that he reserved for Hinata and Kurenai. She inwardly sighed and wondered if she would ever be held in the same regard that he had for the other two.

_Kami, why can't we just start this all over again?_

Kurenai astutely noted that Naruto didn't particularly like Ino, which was quite strange considering how friendly the boy was normally, she resolved to find out about it, before it created a divisive fissure within their team. It was her first and she was going to make it work.

"Ok, before we start, us three all know each other pretty well. But we are a team now. And as such, we have to make each other feel welcome. Let's start by introducing each other so we can get a better feel. Hinata, why don't you go first?"

"Hai sensei. I am Hyuuga Hinata. My hobbies are genjutsu, training and spending time with Naruto, making medicine and I want to be the best kunoichi that I can be."

"Ok, Naruto, you're next."

"Hyuuga Naruto. Don't call me Uzumaki. I like ramen, training, being with my friends and having fun I guess. I dislike Sakura, thoughtless people like Sakura, and people who hang around Sakura. My hobbies are pranks, and don't think that I'm not going to get you for that Hina-chan. No one makes fun of Naruto!"

Hinata just grinned and stuck out her tongue. Naruto's smile grew even larger if that was possible and hugged her close to his chest. He could tell that he would enjoy spending time with this new Hinata. The girl was enjoying his public display of affection immensely.

Kurenai just sighed at the rather blatant jabs that he had taken at Ino. The girl didn't look too happy about it either, wondering how the two had reached that level of intimacy. It was something that she had missed, and she only had herself to blame. Her mindless devotion to the Uchiha had made her derisive of any other relationship with boys her age. They had all paled in comparison to her "Sasuke-kun" and she shot them down in a public and humiliating manner. It was never forgotten and attention had cooled. So her plan to avoid their 'harassment' worked, but it had effectively alienated her from her year group. Not as much as Sakura, but the damage was done. After she had realised that her crush on Sasuke was nothing more than that, she found herself deep into a pit of her making.

"Ino, why don't you tell us something about yourself?"

"Well, I am Yamanaka Ino. I like flowers, tea ceremonies and earning money. I don't like people who don't forgive and forget. My hobbies ... well, I like to paint."

Naruto's eyes hardened at the remark directed towards him but refused to let it get him down. He just shrugged her off and just sighed happily.

All was right with the world again.

* * *

**Konoha  
Outskirts of the main city**

"So, where are we going Naruto-kun?"

"It's a secret."

"It's not some sort of deserted clearing where no one could hear me scream if something were to happen, would it?"

"Err...no?"

"Damn."

"What?!"

"Oh nothing, I just lost a bet with outou-san," Ayame grumbled a bit before brightening up, "Are you still serious about fishing?"

"Yep, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it doesn't seem like the most interesting thing to do."

"Well, maybe not, but you haven't fished until you have done it Naruto style."

She laughed, "Naruto style?"

The blond gave a foxy grin before nodding, "Yep, I just make things that much more awesome. Stop worrying so much, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Well. I could fall in the water and drown to death. Then my father would try to kill you, or deny you service for the rest of your life," Ayame thought solemnly, "And then my ghost will probably haunt you and make sure that you never get a moments peace. And then I would also-"

"Ok, ok I get it. Geez, it's just fishing. Nothing bad is going to happen."

She snorted, "Right, how about the time you wanted to light up fireworks, and they mysteriously veered towards me, in the exact pattern that you were twirling your hands in, and they only stopped when I grabbed onto you and used you like a shield?"

Laughing nervously, the jinchuuriki stumbled to find an answer, "Well, I got them from a dodgy dealer. And you refused to let go as well, I had to give you a piggyback ride all the way home. Your father was laughing like it was going out of fashion."

Ayame smiled in memory, "Yeah, he then choked and we had to break his ribs to clear his airways. You then healed him quickly enough. Medical ninjutsu is a pretty wonderful thing isn't it?" she asked wistfully.

Naruto noted the longing in her voice, and filed it away for future use. He had been wracking his mind for the last few years for some sort of solution to Ayame and Teuchi's problems. He had an idea of what needed to be done, but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to approach it. It might have involved a lot of begging, which he wouldn't mind to help out his close friends, but he wanted to make sure that it had a good chance of working before he did it.

_Hmm, I wonder how hard it is to enrol something into the med-nin course? I'll have to do some more asking around I guess._

Taking her mind back to the present, she had noticed that they reached a large clearing that formed the foreshore to a deep lake that reflected off the suns rays. She shielded her eyes and Naruto passed her a pair of sunglasses. She gratefully put them on and sighed happily at the sight.

It was odd, but Naruto did have quite the eye for beautiful, natural things. Besides his perpetual star gazing habits, she had found herself in rather secluded woodlands that seemed to be undisturbed by any sort of human interference. Then again, Konoha was a rather unique place. The Hidden Leaf was established in rather mysterious circumstances that no one really understood fully. The information was certainly not available to civilians. In the rare instances that he did find himself with spare time, he wondered around Konoha's outskirts, in an exploring mood. This was one of the things that he had found.

"So, where did you get the boat?"

"Oh that thing, well, I borrowed it."

She sweatdropped, "You mean you stole it?"

"Is it really stealing if you're going to give it back?"

"Probably... I'm just going to stop asking questions."

"Yeah, you do that. And honestly, who is going to make a fuss about it?"

"The owners of the boat Naruto. I'm sure they won't be happy."

The blond just shrugged, "Maybe, but who are they going to complain to? The Hyuuga MP's? I don't think that they would do anything except slap me on the wrist, or go for my cheeks," he mumbled the last bit darkly.

"You know, I have always been meaning to ask you about them. What are they exactly?"

The boy just shrugged, "Birthmarks I guess. I mean, it's nothing really that special. We are in a ninja village for crying out loud. The Hyuuga have a doujutsu that can see through clothing, and I don't see anyone making a big fuss about that."

Ayame just paled at that, lightly shuddering at the implications. Seeing the effect that his words were having, he quickly reassured her.

"Well, you can see when it is happening, with the veins and all. They can't see all that far anyways. But why do people always want to –" he stopped as he saw Ayame rather absentmindedly reach out towards his face. He deftly avoided her hands and tossed a fishing rod in her direction. She caught it and smirked.

"No touching, geez," he pouted.

"Are you sure? Imagine all the fun that we can have," she teased.

"Yeah, well, I'll be on the floor, mewling like some sort of cat. I don't see how that is fun for you."

She just shrugged and held her rod with a dubious expression on her face, "I have never done this before, what do I do with this stick?"

_That's the point Ayame-chan, for you to do all sorts of new and interesting things that you wanted to do, but couldn't. I'm just happy that I can share this all with you. _

Naruto held out his rod in front of him, "Ok, here is what you do, first you –"

Going through the motions of how to cast and apply bait to the hook, the girl mimicked his actions.

"Put more of a flick in your wrist when you do, here, let me guide you." He went behind her and held onto her arm and smoothly drew her arm back before letting it glide forward, the blond gently correcting the path as it cleared her head and sent the line flying forward.

"Awesome! Let's get on the boat and into the water, where all the fish are."

Piling on the basket that he had prepared, well more correctly, coaxed with a bit of pleading to the Hyuuga chefs, both of them rowed to the centre of the placid body of water and started fishing.

It was a new experience for Ayame, and one that she didn't mind at all. There was something awfully relaxing about casting a line and waiting for the fish to bite. It was even better out in the sun, where the warmth seeped into her muscles as a slight wind took the edge off the heat. She grew lethargic as she leaned back to back against Naruto, who was just humming happily as he periodically reeled in his line.

"Err Naruto, is there any skill to this at all?" she asked.

"Probably not, but that's not the point."

"What is the point then?"

She felt him shrug, "It's relaxing. You're out here, on such a great day, with someone you like, waiting for a fish to be stupid enough to bite on something metallic and shiny. It's so peaceful as well, like nothing bad could ever happen, besides me rocking the boat and capsizing it."

"Uzumaki Naruto, don't you dare do that!"

"What? Can't you walk on water?" he asked innocently.

"Of course not, and if you dare ruin my outfit, I will –"

"What?" he challenged mischievously.

She just smirked and wriggled her fingers in front of her eyes, "Oh, don't you worry, I will find a way. Fu fu fu fu fu."

The sound of Ayame chuckling like Anko brought an irrational fear into his stomach, "Kami, don't do that again."

"Why not?" she asked, hands wide in supplication, "Don't tell me that you're afraid of me laughing like this-"

Without warning, her line was snagged, placing tension to the rod and Ayame gave a yelp of surprise.

"Quickly, don't let go!" Naruto yelled excitedly, going straight to her side as she struggled with her pole, trying to reel it in. But it must have been one hell of a fish because it resisted her efforts strenuously and without any apparent effort. Naruto quickly came to her aid as it became apparent that she faced the risk of actually being pulled into the water.

He went behind her and grabbed onto her arms, stabilising her body and confidently worked on the reel. "Ok, its going to fight for a little bit, so the trick is to let go of the tension at times, to make it think it has gotten away. Otherwise it's gonna fight and break the rod. Just keep on pulling and letting it go until it's tired."

As he said it, he did it with a fascinated air as he moved her arms in unison with his. The teenage girl quite liked the feel of the boy behind her and lightly blushed at their quasi intimate position, especially when his cheeks rubbed against hers. After a good twenty minutes of struggling and nuzzling, they managed to land the fish into their boat. It flopped around as the both of them fell backwards, admiring their efforts. The blond didn't notice that Ayame was sitting on his lap when they had both collapsed onto the bottom of the boat.

"Woah, not bad, not bad at all. Want to bring it home?"

Ayame grinned and nodded, "Of course, outou-san will be happy to have something this nice. It isn't often that we can have fish for dinner."

Knowing how tight their money situation was, Naruto realised that if he did this with Ayame on a regular basis, he would be helping them out in an indirect way. Though they may have been impecunious at times, they still retained a sense of pride that made them refuse charity. It was noble and frustrating at the same time, forcing Naruto to think of increasingly devious and subtle plans for aid.

The brunette broke him out of his reverie by shaking his shoulder, "So, what do we do now?"

"Let's have lunch. You like karage?"

"Oh I don't know, my arms are pretty tired. You reckon you can feed me?" she asked hopefully.

"Kami, would you like a diaper while we're at it?"

"I wouldn't mind it if you put it on me," she said suggestively.

_Alright, I need more guy friends. _

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

_I have to wonder, it's amazing that no one has ever found out about this place. We live in a village of spies and ninjas._

_**Wards my dear Naru-kun. These catacombs look pretty ancient, and they have been reinforced with seals that mimic solid earth. Funny how it was all here though. It doesn't seem quite natural.**_

_What do you mean?_

_**The tunnels and rooms looked artificial in a way, like they were crafted by jutsu. But I guess it isn't important. Why are we here again?**_

_Well, it's our day off I guess, so I figured I could cash in on this mysterious training that 'Mi' has been holding over my head for so damn long. And it better not be some bullshit like the last time._

_**Who knows what that man thinks at times? He is quite... complicated.**_

With that, the blond traced his way back to the training cavern that he had called home for the last six years. While full of bloody painful memories, he wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world. Well, that was a semi lie. He would have preferred to have not known what his intestines had looked like, but his threshold for pain was abnormally and inhumanly high because of it. Ironically enough, his ability to withstand physical torture was much higher than any current 'Ne' operative.

He met a bored Yugito who waved at him. He nodded at her with a smile, "Yo, what's happening?"

She chuckled evilly, "I got a little surprise for you. Something that 'Hebi' taught me that was really quite awesome."

_You know, I really got to meet people in groups. This is just not working for me._

"Nee-san, you're, you're not intending to hurt little 'ol me are you?" Naruto pumped on his genjutsu, making Yugito relax her guard before shrugging it off.

"Nice try Naru-kun, but let me show you how much better that I have become." With that she threw a punch to his head while drawing a tanto with her left hand. Naruto dodged it with ease and jumped backwards, his hand straying to his zanpukuto before stopping.

_Nah, wont need it._

The blonde grew quite irritated at the nonchalant way that he was avoiding her attacks.

"Dammit Naruto, take me seriously!"

"Mah, I will when there is something to be serious about," he taunted.

Huffing, she decided to go all out. She dashed to his left and side kicked his ribs, only for him to block it and catch it in his hands. He was about to flip her into the air when she smirked.

_Raiton: Tentai no saji! (Surge of the Heavenly Body)_

Her entire body electrified up, shocking him and making him loose control of his muscles as he started spasming on the floor. His central nervous system was confused as the raiton chakra disrupted his neural pathways, sending conflicting signals as he desperately tried to regain control of his body.

Yugito placed him into a submission hold, with her tanto grazing his neck as she smiled triumphantly.

"Yugito 12, Naruto 8. So yeah, what do you think of that?"

Naruto found it hard to talk as he felt Kyuu's chakra flow over him and restore his body to normality. It was a rather slow process as most raiton chakra was made to harm a specific area, rather than affect the body in the way that it did. His pathways found resistance and it took some time for it to be cleared.

"W-wh-what was th-that!?" he stuttered out.

"Well, originally it was a nice little medical jutsu that was meant to defibulate people in the field. But 'Hebi' changed it in a few ways. You just felt one of the side effects. Shocking isn't it?"

"H-How co-come it doesn't affe-affect you?"

She grimaced, "It wasn't easy. It takes a good amount of control and resistance building, but each person's neural system is different, I just attune the chakra to flow in the right way. It also enhances my muscles, speed and reaction rate. So, do you give up?" she asked in a teasing voice.

"T-to you? Never!" he growled out defiantly.

"Whatcha going to do Naru-kun, there is now way that you're getting out of my hold, you can't even move right now. Whatcha got?" she asked.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto knew that he was going to hate himself afterwards, but he wasn't going to let Yugito have one over him.

Thanks to his pain tolerance, most submissions holds were useless on Naruto. As they operated on the principle of leverage and joint manipulation, a person that could disregard the 'discomfort' of hyperextending their elbows or dislocating their shoulders could get themselves out of it. And that was what he did.

Naruto bit onto his lip as he savagely tore his left arm bone out of the socket, surprising Yugito and followed up with an elbow to her face. Dazed, she let the blond go but managed to flail out and cut him above his vertebrae.

Naruto used his right arm to re-position his shoulder as he cursed loudly, "That stuff won't work on me Yugito-chan." He used his reiatsu to fix up the ligament damage with a scowl on his face.

She pouted, "Fine, I guess I have to kick your ass the old fashioned way."

Her body electrified again and she blurred into motion. Naruto widened his eyes before Yugito ploughed her fist into his solar plexus, before that turned out to be nothing more than a solid after image.

She just blinked then cursed, _What the hell?! How does he do that? Not even 'Mi' or 'Hebi' understands what the hell that is. It doesn't even seem to be chakra based._

Truthfully, not even Naruto realised how he exactly left the afterimage as the result of his shunpo. He knew that he could do it, and that was good enough for him. Dashing for some cover, he flooded the room with clones who hid themselves with genjutsus. He matched Yugito in terms of speed easily, but realised that he couldn't keep up his flash steps. The blond had never really tested his endurance with it, but he quickly realised that he wouldn't be able to meet Yugito's movements for much longer.

_Ah fuck, she is as fast as me. And I can't hit her without getting hurt in return._

_**Draw the zanpukuto. Or use chakra attacks. She isn't much of a match for you, you do know that.**_

_Yeah, but I don't want to hurt her dammit. The blade is only good for cutting._

_**Well, you can heal her afterwards, if you wanted to.**_

_I think I'm out of reiatsu for now. Got to work on keeping up that speed. Damn, I thought I could go for longer._

Formulating battle strategies in his head, Naruto quickly plotted out potential scenarios.

_Well, she can't keep up that chakra use for very long either. It must be difficult to keep raiton flowing without it hurting. And she doesn't have that much chakra anyways. I could just outlast her._

_**If you can, she's moving faster than you can see.**_

Naruto scowled, _Yeah, don't need to remind me_. Deep inside he was jealous of the fact that she could actually match him and beat him if he wasn't too careful. It wasn't a comforting thought. But it was exactly what Yugito had intended in the first place. She was sick of the slightly condescending way that Naruto had taken on the role of her mentor, and the way that he had never ever really taken her seriously in a spar. It had damaged her pride and her confidence, and she vowed that Naruto would see her as his equal.

Naruto just let all of his clones unveil themselves. They all stood up and Naruto sent them in a coordinated melee, using the body replacement technique to juggle the real him from the blonde. It worked as every time a clone landed a blow, it would dissipate back to shadow and slowly Naruto was learning about Yugito' s technique. The wounds were slowly getting to her as bruises formed.

Naruto then formed a cross shaped seal again.

_Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!_

Yugito hesitated as more clones were sent into the fray. She stopped attacking and looked at them warily. She knew that an errant blow could send them into a destructive blast that she didn't want to get caught up in, "Err, Naruto-kun, are you trying to kill me? This is a spar, isn't it?"

All the blonds chuckled at her in unison, "Well, call this deterrence, ne? Stalemate then?"

She growled at him, trying to determine which jinchuuriki was the real one. She thought she detected a noticeable chakra difference in one of the bodies and decided to attack that. She put on a burst of chakra that sent out a brief flash that blinded the Naruto's facing her and she sent a kick to the blond's chest –

Which promptly exploded, catching her in the epicentre and sent her flying backwards, tumbling onto the floor as she lay still.

"Fuck! No!" Naruto was shocked at the scene and rushed to her. He reached out with his reiatsu, but found that he didn't have enough to do anything. But it wouldn't have made a difference as the chakra burns could not have been cured with his specialised brand of healing.

"MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC!"

He cradled Yugito's head as he swore heavily, desperately afraid that nothing could be done.

"Fuck, shit, I'm so sorry! Dammit, why did you have to attack?!" he blurted out, trying to do anything to keep her alive until help arrived.

Yugito coughed out some blood as she stared into the cavernous ceiling, "C-couldn't let you win all the time you bastard."

She looked into his grief struck eyes as she tried to reach out to him, "Naruto-kun, I-I lo-" before she could finish she felt all her strength leave her, her arm falling to the floor and she had difficulty focusing on anything in front of her. She couldn't hear Naruto's frantic pleas for her to stay awake as she lost consciousness. _So, so cold. Why is it so cold?_

_Kyuu! Why isn't the Nekomata doing anything?!_

_**Your guess is as good as mine. The sealing on her wasn't quite the same as ours.**_

_Dammit, we have to do something. There's gotta be something. Fuck, no... no!_

**Well kit, do you trust me?**

_Of course_, he said without hesitation.

_**Excellent.**_

_**Well, there is something that I can do. I am going to try and establish contact with the Nibi. I need your permission to use my chakra for this**_

_Yes, do it please! Tell me what I need to do._

Normally, I would ask another favour from you, but I think it's better to get some goodwill from you Naru-kun. It will make things so much easier in the long run.

The Kyuubi directed Naruto to place his hands over Yugito's seal and he allowed his pathways to relax the latent reiatsu barriers, allowing the demonic chakra to extend forward.

_**Good, now keep it up until Yugito wakes up ok?**_

_Gotcha, please Kyuu, save her for me._

_**Of course I will. Don't you worry Naru-kun.**_

She sent out her consciousness and delved into the seal that restrained her counterpart. She sniffed at how amateurish it was in comparison to the one that held her originally, courtesy of Minato. But then again, the sheer amount of power that she had in her called for something rather creative. It was all a moot point anyways.

_**Nibi no Nekomata, answer my summons!**_

She was met with silence. She sighed.

_**I know you're there, so stop hiding you sulking piece of gutter trash!**_

She was met with a snort, _**Screw you Kyuubi. As much as you would like to think that you are our overlord, that isn't true.**_

_**Well, damn, you answered. It's been a while Neko.**_

She faced the avatar of the Nekomata. She was slightly shorter than Kyuu, but with the same amount of beauty and elegance that she possessed. A rather ageless look was present in her eyes as she gave a slight smile at a familiar presence. Having two tails and cat ears, she looked quite bored with the whole scene in front of her.

_**Yeah, it has been. In fact, we haven't really seen each other since that night.**_

Kyuu grimaced at that, _**Yes, the Chaining**_.

Neko nodded solemnly, _**Damn, they got you too huh?**_ _**How the hell did you get captured and turned like this? I didn't think it was possible, that any mortal could be called to contain you.**_

_**My host isn't any normal mortal**_, Kyuu said with a smirk. _**He is something… special.**_

_**Oh**_, Neko said with vague interest, _**How so?**_

_**Send your chakra towards me, see what I have become.**_

Curious, the Nekomata did so and her eyes widened, _**What in the earth. How did you –**_

_**Like I said, things change and I was 'lucky' enough to be part of it. It was what we were looking for after all.**_

_**But how!? We have searched all this time, and we still couldn't find the Path!**_

Kyuu sighed, _**That is because the Path cannot be walked anymore. The Chaining saw to that.**_

_**What do you mean? Stop it with these cryptic comments! **_

Kyuu staid silent for a while, gathering her thoughts before speaking, _**Our arrival had many unforseen circumstances. The Path of Hands can no longer be embarked upon by anyone. But I have found something better.**_

_**Like?**_ Asked the Nekomata.

_**A way to retain our consciousness and cognisance while keeping the power we have under our control. You do realise the problems that we face as bijuu. **_

_**All too well**_, the Nekomata said distastefully.

_**Anyways, while it is great catching up with you my dear sister, your host is dying as we speak. Why aren't you doing anything about it?**_ Asked the Kyuubi.

_**Because if she dies then my spirit can go and wander the realm, before I go and stomp all over Kumogakure. I don't know why the Ichibi plays those stupid games he does with Suna.**_

Kyuu just shrugged, _**He finds his amusement in odd ways. Then again, his sanity was a bit fractured after everything that has happened.**_

_**Yeah, funny how he was always the more sensitive sibling from all of us**_, the Nekomata reflected on their shared past and gave a melancholic smile.

_**My point is, I want you to heal your host, and continue doing everything you can to help her out.**_

The Nekomata just blinked at her, liked she had asked for the stupidest thing in the world, _**Why the hell should I?**_

_**Because I asked you to. In fact I order you to do it.**_

Neko laughed, _**Oh please, you're only first among equals, that title we gave you was a joke because we couldn't find an appropriate one thousandth birthday present. I think. I forget which one it is at times. One thousand sounds like a nice even number, so I'll stick with that. **_

_**What?! **_, Kyuu was outraged at that revelation.

She nodded, _**Yeah, it was really getting old.**_ _**Didn't you think it was odd that we gave you a crown, a sceptre and a sash on your birthday? We didn't think you would actually harp on about it and take it seriously **_

Kyuu growled, _**Look, don't make me beat your ass down. I can do it.**_

Neko just sighed, _**Look, you're powerful, no doubt about it. Individually the greatest, but with your power you lose a hell of a lot of control. The Ichibi can do things that you couldn't even dream of. And I'm no slouch either. And remember, I'm closer to being free than you are. **_

_**My power isn't in control,**_ Kyuu whispered dangerously_**, it is in overwhelming force when I don't get what I want. But then again, I do have something to sweeten the deal.**_

That piqued her interest, _**Like?**_

She smiled deceptively, _**Aren't you the very least interested in my Ascension?**_

_**I was trying to act nonchalant, but I don't see the point. How did you do it?**_

_**That's a secret. One that I will only divulge if you do what I ask.**_

Neko nodded, _**Fine, but why the interest in her?**_

_**My host is quite fond of her. And she will be quite useful in the whole scheme of things. By saving her life, he will feel that a debt is owed to me, one of the many chains that I will have over his soul.**_

Neko persisted with her questions, _**But why the interest? Don't tell me its revenge.**_

_**It's as much as for revenge as your need to 'stomp all over Kumo' is.**_

_**Ah, touché. But really?**_ The Nekomata was pushing for the truth from her elusive sister.

Kyuu just shrugged, _**He interests me like no mortal has before. And he is the key to it all. Everything that we have been searching for since the Exile. Since he lies at the centre of it, I have to keep him happy.**_

… _**Let me guess, you have been manipulating and mind fucking him haven't you?**_ Neko asked drolly.

Nodding happily, Kyuu agreed, _**Of course. I will love to see him turn against Konoha, though that might not happen. I will take my satisfaction on those that have personally wronged me. Starting with Kushina and Kisuke. And I will do it with Naruto, **_she said fondly.

_**Kami, sounds like you care for the mortal**__,_ the Nekomata said in amusement.

_**I guess I do in a way. It isn't the only way in which he has changed me.**_

Neko rolled her eyes,_** It's like those games you used to play. What angle are you going for now?**_

_**Mother-sister-lover, **_was her offhand reply.

_**Lover?! You do know that you are a disembodied voice to him right?**_

_**Wrong, he can see me in the mindscape of his own making. And once he learns of my true name, I will be able to manifest myself in the real world. If only for a short time. But it will be enough. **_

And odd sense of hope appeared on the Nekomata's features, _**Does that mean?**_

_**Yes, yes it does.**_

The Nibi staid silent, processing the information before nodding, _**Okay then, what do you want me to do?**_

_**Remember our arrangement. Everything in your power to help out Yugito, including passive healing and access to your chakra. And I give you my word that when it all becomes clear, I will share with you the secrets.**_

Without hesitating the Nekomata assented, _**Agreed**_.

Naruto was getting frantic and afraid as the medic finally rushed in with her emergency field pack. She was about to start first aid when Yugito was bathed in a sinister red light that pushed them both away. The medic looked in awe as she saw the blonde's mortal wounds close up in front of her eyes. Naruto just smiled widely and jumped up.

"YES!" he started to laugh gratefully as he formed a mental landscape and hugged the surprised Kyuubi who returned it with a crafty smile.

_Thank you.__ Oh thank you. _

_**You're welcome kit. You're welcome.**_

Yugito opened her eyes and wondered if she was dead. She stood up uneasily but was pushed gently back down by the medic. She saw Naruto's concerned eyes as he gently sat down next to her.

"A-Are you ok?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded slowly, her hands exploring her body for any damage. Once Naruto realised that she was topless because of the explosion, he quickly averted his eyes and prayed that Yugito wouldn't notice.

Unfortunately, he didn't have such luck as the blonde blushed heavily. The medic looked amused as she took a disposable green gown and covered her with it.

"Naruto, you can turn around now," she said deceptively quietly.

"Err, I'd rather not."

"Oh, I insist." Seeing that the blond wasn't going to be responsive, she took his head and forcefully yanked it towards her.

"I am so going to kick your ass now Naru-kun."

_**Yes ko-**__**neko , show that bastard who is boss!**_

… _Who the hell are you?_

She was met with a light laugh,_**Well, I'm your conscience**__._

_Really?! Where have you been all this time?_

_**No.**__** That was just a lie. **_

_Oh._

_**I'm the Nibi no Nekomata. It's about time that you got stronger Yugito-chan, because I will not tolerate a weak host. Not one that cannot get the respect of the Kyuubi.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Mi' and 'Hebi' walked in to an odd scene. It wasn't everyday that they saw Yugito straddling a flailing Naruto as their resident medic looked on with amusement.

"And then I'm going to –"

"Ahem, what is going on?"

He was faced with two eyes, Naruto's sapphire blue and Yugito's deep brown. He blinked as he realised there were some superficial changes to the girl's appearance. The jinchuuriki's nodded to each other and blurred into action.

Naruto shunpo'd and had his blade above his wrist while Yugito used her newly found senses, speed and agility to direct her tanto to the operator's crotch. It happened so quickly that he was caught by surprise.

'Hebi' was shocked by the speed that the two teenagers had demonstrated. Naruto just moved from place to place without leaving a chakra signature, while Yugito blurred with a feline grace that was mesmerizing.

"You made us wait," purred Yugito.

"Yeah, and you are not Hatake Kakashi, and that's a good thing as well, otherwise you can say goodbye to your hand" Naruto growled.

The blonde nodded, "And we all know how much of a friend your hand is to this little buddy," waving her tanto towards his crotch.

'Mi' just sweatdropped and looked at his partner, "Err, little help?"

'Hebi' just shrugged and stood back, "I'm sure a big boy like you can handle them."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure. Its amazing what things can change in half an hour," Yugito responded ominously.

The assassin looked deeply into her face, finding that her eyes were now slightly slanted and her ears had developed a subtle point. Understanding hit him like a metric tonne of iron ore, "You can access it now?"

Yugito smiled happily, "Yep, it took Naruto to nearly kill me to do it, but it happened finally."

Giving a laugh, he smiled happily, "That's great news because of the training that we have planned – wait, Naruto tried to kill you?!"

The boy just laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, "Not really, it was all an accident really. Can't we all just move along?"

'Mi' nodded, pushed the blades away from him and told them to sit down.

"Because you all have access to your tenant's chakra now, we can begin the really interesting stuff."

Naruto frowned, "I don't have access to mine. It just does things at times," lying slightly.

"That's funny, seeing how I can freely use the Nekomata's chakra."

'Hebi' gave a frown, "Well, Naruto should be the most suited person to use it, as it was part of him for his entire life. We thought that your chakra coils would reject the bijuu's energy if it tried to flow from you because it was so foreign and new to your coils. This is very odd."

His blue eyes narrowing in suspicion, he retreated back into his mindscape to confront Kyuu.

Oh boy. Maybe I should have thought this out before doing it.

_Kyuu, why can Yugito use the chakra inside of her?_

_**I have no idea. It must be the different seal that keeps the Nekomata in place. **_

_That doesn't make sense. It still is going through her body… _

_**Well, why don't you try it?**_

Little did he know that every time that he drew upon her chakra, she fought against it with all her will. He pushed while she pulled, resulting in no net action. Because the Nekomata had assented, the consent just increased the ease of her using the power. While it was in Naruto's body, it was still linked to her, even if only in an ephemeral way.

Naruto tried to use the partitioned 'red' chakra that lay within him. It seemed inert, no matter how hard he had tried to use it.

_Hmm, why isn't this working?_

_**No idea kit. But really, does it matter? I can look after you just as well, and you don't have to worry about a thing.**_

_I guess…_

Focusing back on the real world, he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

'Mi' looked on with concern, "What happened Naruto-kun?"

"Oh, just thinking about what you have just said," Naruto gave Yugito a brief look to remind her to keep the sentient presence of their tenant's silent.

Accepting it at face value for now, he continued, "Well, first step is for Yugito to learn Kage Bunshin so she can accelerate her training schedule and both of you can really start to shine. I'm sure you have noticed that we haven't been teaching you anything lately."

"Really?" drawled Naruto.

Ignoring his smart assed comments, 'Mi' continued, "Well we were waiting till you had the sufficing chakra capacity," _and loyalty_, "to be able to use the more destructive jutsus that are available. Now that you are old enough, the time has come."

"Naruto, what we did in the past will be nothing like what we are going to do now. This is dangerous, and can kill you in moments. Elemental mastery is only one half of the step, the other one is spatial recomposition. Once you learn those, then pretty much you can learn any jutsu in the world. And better yet, you can create nearly any jutsu in the world."

"And he is right." They turned their heads to find 'Karasu' walking with a grin, shaking a sheaf of paper to them.

"Yo, whatcha doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I figured that I would correct 'Mi' on any explanations that were just convenient lies, but he is doing alright so far."

"Ha ha ha ha. Fuck you," the assassin fired back.

Ignoring the curse, he handed the paper to 'Hebi', who looked at them with curiosity, "So, what is this?"

"Well, the fruits of Naruto's labours. I manage to replicate some techniques from the Scroll of Sealing. There are some interesting things. Oh, and Naruto, cut your hair you frigging hippy! Most of the pictures were of your hand or your locks."

The blond just shrugged, "I like it like this."

'Karusu' took out a pair of scissors and approached the swordsman, "Do you have any idea, any idea, to the amount of work I had to do clean up those photos? You had to pull me away from my plan to create some sort of death clock…"

_Death clock?!_

"Roooight. That's actually kinda normal, coming from you," Naruto shot back.

'Hebi' just coughed and smiled her appreciation, "Well, thanks a lot for this. It will be very useful."

Nodding, 'Karasu' walked off, muttering to himself. His exit was tracked by all that were present and they all sighed when he was out of earshot.

"I don't know, I like my hair," Naruto mused quietly.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome. Gives you something to run your hands through," Yugito said absentmindedly as she did exactly that.

Rolling his eyes, 'Mi' just continued with his speech, "Well, hair care aside, just remember that this will be probably the hardest thing that you will need to do. Naruto, you will need to hide your presence somehow while we do this, either by your gigai or otherwise. Yugito has got it easy. But I can guarantee you by the end of it you will be wanting to kill me and any children I may possible have."

Naruto shuddered at that thought and turned to Yugito, "You have children? That was scary, hold me?"

The blonde nodded, "Only if you hold me first Naruto-kun."

As they were mutually hugging each other, 'Mi' had to fight down a nervously twitching eyebrow. 'Hebi' had to restrain her laughter as her eyes glanced over the pilfered techniques.

_This is going to be interesting._

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Compound  
Military Police Tenement **

"Oh Naruto-kun, we have a little present for you?"

They boy just blinked as a bundle was thrust into his arms. He looked to see Setsuna's happy grin as he unwrapped it to find a white haori, a shirt and a pair of pants.

"Is this?" he left the question unfinished as he was dragged into the MP locker room without a second's grace. He quickly found himself with an audience, some with notebooks and pens who just waved at him.

_Right, nothing suss about this…_

Setsuna excitedly took out each piece of clothing and faced the jinchuuriki.

"No Naruto, when we designed the new uniform we had you in mind as the model. We were lucky enough to get the pattern cut in your size, but before we can confirm the order, we need to see how it fits. You are the perfect model for this."

He slowly nodded his understanding, "Ok, I don't mind." He waited for them to leave. When they didn't he laughed nervously, "Uh, yeah, I am going to change now?"

He just received expectant looks.

"Like, I'm going to take off my clothes, yeah?"

More silence.

"Do you mind?"

"Oh, don't mind us Naruto. We need to know how, errr, efficient and quick it is for a guy to put on the uniform, just as much as we need to know how quickly it can be taken off."

Naruto tried to get his head around that one, "Why?"

"You know, errr, just in case we need to field strip someone, we know if anything gets in the way. Every second counts right?"

"Of course," smiled Makie, flicking an errand strand of her behind her ear.

"Absolutely," Kaede nodded, twirling her pen between her fingers.

"It just goes without saying," agreed Ako, looking at the garments with intent.

"Rooighht…" Naruto wasn't quite convinced of their genuineness. But he figured, like in most cases, he would humour them anyways.

He unzipped his black body suit and peeled it off his skin. Feeling quite self conscious, he stripped to his boxers and pulled on the white pants quickly. The shirt followed and he quickly donned the white haori. He went to a mirror and saw how it looked.

_Not, not bad at all. It's very different from the close fitting stuff that I normally wear._

Absentmindedly summoning his zanpukuto to his hand, he drew it and went outside, his impromptu crowd following him without a word. Naruto went to a nearby training ground and placed his scabbard down and started on his forms.

It was quite different. The loose garments allowed him to flow quite easily from one kata to the next, but he could see that it could get in his way and possibly tangle up his movements. He imagined that it made him look more impressive though, his fluidic movements emphasised by the wispy cloth that lightly clung onto him.

As Naruto started to get acrobatic, he realised that it just wasn't that practical. The haori would fall in an awkward way, obscuring his vision at times. He stopped, took it off and threw it to Setsuna and continued.

The white pants and shirt were fairly standard pieces of kit, baring the use of draw strings on the sides and buttons. He appreciated that areas of high movement were articulated, and that the elbows and knees were double padded.

He stopped after finishing his form, his breath slightly uneven. He walked back to his sheath and gave the MP's a mocking bow. They all clapped with grins on their faces.

"So, what do you think Naruto-kun?"

"Eh, not bad. The haori is a bit useless, if you want to go up in the air. But besides from that, it's pretty nice."

Nearly squealing in happiness, she attached herself to Naruto's arm, "That's great. Now promise us that you will wear it from now on."

"But-but I like my old clothes."

All of them pouted, "Come on Naruto-kun, show us some support here! Just a few times, so people can see how fantastic it is. We need to see if it can last as long as the tailor says that it would. Since he was tight-fisted, and only gave us one sample, we need your help in this. We can't get Hizashi's approval until we have fully tested it. Please?"

_That sounds like a lie, but what the hell, what's the worst that can happen?_

He shrugged his assent and made his way back to the locker room. He took it off and was about to shower when he realised that all of them were wearing nothing but towels and facing him.

"Wh-what's going on?"

Setsuna just grinned deviously, "Well, for being such a good boy, we figured that we would show our appreciation by scrubbing your back. You must be all hot and sweaty after all that exercise. Don't worry, I will do a good job. Everyone will make sure of that, wont you girls?"

"Of course." Makie agreed enthusiastically.

"Absolutely." Kaede just bite the knuckle of her forefinger and gave him a slow wink

"It just goes without saying." Ako leaned forward, her arms by her side as her palms were placed in front of her lap, a devious smile on her face.

As much as it was cruel and unusual to tease an adolescent boy like this, they just couldn't help themselves. A large part of it lay in the fact that Naruto would never, ever take advantage of them and flustered in a cute, adorable way. They cherished his innocence, and took every step to reaffirm that it did exist. In fact, they didn't know what would happen if he did lose it. In many ways the hoped that he would be able to avoid the horrors of active service. But for now, they would have their fun. They would pout and suggest, leaving the air heavy with innuendo and then back off, with the promise for more in the future.

_I-I don't know if I can't keep it down if they keep on doing this. _A bigger part of him was wondering if it was natural to think such lewd thoughts about people that he regarded as his sisters and aunts.

**_Well, they are not biologically related to you. But it would be an odd thing to do the entire MP service, even if they are willing and able. Keep it in your pants Naru-kun._**

_But! But! It's too hard!_

Kyuu didn't know if the pun was intentional or not. She didn't bother to find out before collapsing in laughter at the predatory way that they approached him. Hell, she figured that she would sit down and take some notes.

**_This could get interesting. _**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto sat down at Ichiraku's enjoying some beef ramen as he absentmindedly observed his surroundings. It was one of the few public places that he actually ventured into, so it formed part of his routine. He knew that if someone wanted to target him, they would only have needed to stake out the ramen place.

And that worried him. While he could fend off any attackers, and the IS ANBU and MP's would react quickly enough in daylight, the collateral damage would have been too high. That just strengthened his resolve to relocate them to a more advantageous position, that wasn't so exposed.

As he was chewing on his noodles happily he noted that two people had taken the seats either side of him. Feigning disinterest, he couldn't feel any sort of killing intent to them, but subtly flicked open his kunai holder just in case something was going to go down.

His peripheral vision took in the two boys who had sat down.

_Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji, what the hell do they want with me?_

It wasn't like he had a close relationship with the two of them. He had avoided the Nara on the off chance that his curiosity would be roused by Naruto. He was a perceptive and sharp genin, and Naruto had many secrets that he would have liked to remain that way. And honestly, he didn't have much in common with Choji.

Choji waved down Ayame and made his order, "Four serves of chicken ramen please."

The girl nodded, "Of course, are they friends of yours Naruto?"

The blond shook his head, "Not really, they were in the Academy with me. They just decided to sit with me I guess."

"Oh, anything for you?" she asked Shikamaru.

"Nothing thanks."

That brought the attention of Naruto and Choji, "Shikamaru will have a serve of miso."

The Nara just shook his head, "Mah, no, I'm fine really."

Choji just frowned, "You can't just sit here and not have anything Shika. That would be rude." Naruto nodded his agreement.

"Fine, fine, so troublesome."

Naruto just finished his meal, wondering to what was really going on with the two boys. Their meals arrived and both of them ate. Naruto decided to have one more bowl before calling it quits.

He then stood to leave but felt two pairs of hand push him back down. More amused than afraid, he settled down and wondered where this would end up. His hands strayed to his pouch, but he was confident that he could outpace any actions that they could have tried.

"We have been meaning to speak to you about something Naruto, haven't we Shika."

"Yes."

Choji sighed, "Dammit, back me up here."

"I don't even know why I am here. And it's not like you like her that much Choji."

Naruto guessed that it related to Ino.

"Well Naruto, you do know that Ino is our friend?" Shikamaru started.

"Really?" He drawled back, doubt evident in his tone.

"Well, ok, so she's big headed, arrogant, insensitive, blonde and a nuisance and – err, where was I going with this again?"

"Damned if I know. You're the one telling me."

"Well, the point is that she grows on you. Like some sort of skin condition."

Naruto laughed at that one, "I'll be sure to tell her that next time I see her."

"Don't. But the point is that she isn't as bad as Sakura."

The blond stopped and nodded, "Ok, I can agree with that."

Shikamaru continued, "And you are a team now. A team has got to work together, to support each other right? Otherwise, what is the point?"

Naruto just shrugged, "Maybe I don't want to be her teammate. And maybe she doesn't want to be mine."

The two boys looked at each other and nodded, Choji decided to speak up, "Ok, the truth is that when she was with us, we could look out for her. But really, she hasn't been the best kunoichi that she could have been. All she really has is her mind walking technique, but beyond that, she is in trouble."

Shikamaru carried on, "We don't want her to get hurt. So she needs to get stronger. Or work together. Either way, she can't stay like this."

"That was... insightful Shikamaru, are you trying to score points or something"

The boy paled, "Hell no. She would be like my mother, and I'm not that stupid."

"Or are you trying to make sure that she does well enough so we don't have another team swap," teased Naruto.

Shikamaru refused to answer.

Naruto just grinned and stood up, leaving his payment on the counter.

"So, what do you say Naruto?" Choji shouted to him as he left.

The blond stopped and turned around, "I'll think about it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto started on his forms, getting used to his new outfit as he found new ways to utilise his haori to mask his movements. He had to admit that the loose flowing shift was useful and allowed him to hide his hands and anything that he was about to do with them.

He was early and wanted to cram as much time as he could before Kurenai turned up. She had brought him aside and lectured him on the value of teamwork, which he paid attention to if only to give her some respect. But he didn't see why he would have to lower himself to help Ino. She wasn't particularly high on the list for people that he liked. She just ranked above Sakura, though that wasn't saying much.

When the three kunoichi made their presence known, Naruto stopped and leaned back against a tree. They raised an eye at his new wardrobe, but didn't comment. It made the blond look rather dashing. Hinata came up to him and gave him a slow look over.

"Like something you see Hinata?" asked Naruto in a teasing fashion.

The heiress just smiled and licked her lips, "Maybe I do Naru-kun."

The jinchuuriki laughed and gave her a smirk.

Kurenai coughed to interrupt them, "Ok, time for some light sparring. Naruto and Hinata will pair off, and I will work with Ino. Naruto and Hinata will go first, so we can observe and then give feedback on any improvements that can be made. Alright?"

Receiving affirmatives, the two Hyuuga's faced off against another.

"Now Naruto-kun, you better take me seriously."

"Weren't you being serious before?" he asked curiously.

Hinata shrugged, "Not... really. I was always afraid of hurting you, so I held back." She scowled, "And you never, ever drew that blade against me while we did. It was insulting..."

"I didn't want to mar your pretty skin," Naruto said nonchalantly, which brought a blush to Hinata's face_. Hahah, still good ol predictable Hina-chan._

She growled playfully and got into her Jyuuken stance.

_That's odd, looks slightly different –_

Without waiting for Kurenai's signal to start, Hinata blurred into action, her Byakugan activating and arm extended, coated in chakra. It nearly caught Naruto by surprise as he dodged her movements. He used his sheathed zanpukuto to parry her arms and danced around her.

Naruto could see a vast improvement over Hinata, but in honesty, he could see how she was always holding back. There was no more hesitance in her blows, being quick, crisp and forceful. He admired the confidence that shone in her eyes, even when she landed blows to his shoulders that caused him to stumble. He jumped away, let Kyuu do her job and summoned some clones to the field.

_Let's see what you are capable of._

And to his surprise, Hinata dispatched his clones with relative ease. They still gave her a lot of trouble, but with each death came an after action report without peer. He saw that she left very little openings and would be quite formidable, given the right kind of polish.

And it was in that moment that Naruto decided to truly bring out the brilliance in Hinata. His earlier work was just to break her out of her shell, but this Hinata would far exceed anyone's expectations. And they would do it together, side by side.

He had a new team, one that wasn't half bad, and he was dammed if he didn't give it his best. He knew that most of the others would concentrate on developing their individual skills, along with teamwork. But honestly, given the ability that Hinata was showing now, she would easily be a low chuunin. And his own skills were already formidable. That only left Ino...

He sighed to himself as he watched his clones become demolished as Hinata grew progressively angrier at facing those doppelgangers.

He saw that she would need the most help, if she was to eventually pull her own weight. He guessed he might be able to put aside his distaste for her, for the good of the team. But really, he was quite happy to just let Kurenai prod her along. She would probably do a better job than him. Hell, he was only a genin.

Hinata grew increasingly insulted that Naruto was just sending his clones to fight her and she glared at him. The blond blinked at the annoyance in her eyes, "What's wrong Hina-chan?"

"Fight me dammit! Stop acting like this is just one joke to you," she growled.

Blinking at the comment, he was brought back to the same comment that Yugito had said, and how it had nearly killed her.

_I mean, do I not take them seriously anymore?_

**_Not really, and that really hurts their pride. Like you are just dismissing them, not even worth your time anymore. The fact that you don't even draw your sword is pretty offensive kit._**

_But I don't want to hurt them!_

**_Well, I know that, but are you going to tell them that? And if you do, it would just make them even more angrier. Just draw it and use your speed to get them to yield. At least it will let them save some face. _**

_Fine._

Naruto drew out his sword with a determined look on his face. Hinata nodded, finally getting some recognition from the jinchuuriki. And that was all that she had wanted, throughout her life. She had idolised the blond for so long, wanting to see approval, not condescension.

"You are in the field of my divination," she whispered to him.

_What?! How does she –_

Without a second too soon, Hinata blurred out of his vision and time slowed down. Naruto detected a brief but intense chakra flare that he realised he would mean a lot of trouble for him.

The Byakugan gave the user many interesting advantages. One of the more vaunted moves was the precursor to the Sharingan spinning off from their doujutsu. The gift of precognition. By examining the chakra system of a target, its movements could be anticipated and prepared for as each movement required chakra, and the resulting shift telegraphed their intentions in a way that far exceeded physical observation of muscles. This in combination with their Jyuuken made them a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Hinata could only make out a vague outline of what Naruto was going to do, but she couldn't stop herself now.

"One strike!"

Naruto dodged that, with ease, but now she was in close quarters with the swordsman.

"Two strikes!"

Once again, Naruto parried both of them, thought it was a close thing.

"Four strikes!"

One of them struck him, in the arm. Naruto grimaced at the sharp spike of chakra sent into his muscles, trying to render it useless, but the pain wasn't anything that he couldn't handle.

"Eight strikes!"

Three of them hit their target, staggering the blond as he tried to get some distance so he could use his sword more effectively, but he was still afraid of doing significant damage to the heiress.

"Sixteen strikes!"

_Shit! _He thought, his arms working in overdrive as he found the Void and drew on his reiatsu to flash step out of there if it was necessary. Before he could establish his focus, seven strikes impacted on his chest and thigh. He tried to put Hinata on the defensive by striking at her, but she took the hit just to get closer to him.

"Thirty two strikes!"

_You, have got to be kidding –_ he took the brunt of nineteen blows that staggered him, but his connection with his reiatsu was found and he was about to shunpo before -

"Sixty four strikes!"

_Fuck me!_ Luckily Naruto did manage to flash side step Hinata and swung his zanpukuto backwards, letting his blade rest against the junction of her neck and spinal column.

Hinata froze when she felt the cold steel grazing her skin. _Where, how?_ She was confused at how Naruto had just vanished from her sight.

"Ah, ah, give up Hina-chan?" Naruto said with a slight tremor in his voice.

She nodded with a dazed expression, wondering how Naruto had managed to defeat one of the greatest techniques that her clan had to offer. It just didn't make any sense.

_Dammit! How good are you really, Naruto-kun?_ She fumed in disappointment.

_Woah, that was amazing._

**_No kidding, who would have thought..._**

That changing her personality would lead to this? Amazing. I'm so good I scare myself at times.

And Naruto laughed. A genuine, happy laugh that confused the hell out of everyone. Hinata turned around quizzically, only to find herself glomped by Naruto.

"Damn, what have you been hiding from me Hina-chan? I don't care why, I just want to see more of it," he asked.

And he was happy. In ways that he could not describe. It was like he was facing equals, instead of being the one that taught everyone. It wasn't something that he was ever comfortable with, as he didn't think that he was superior to anyone, except Sakura. But in seeing Hinata just blossom like that, against him of all people, gave him a sense of hope and happiness that was satisfying. It was seeing a flower in bloom, with all the potential of tomorrow.

The girl just luxuriated in his embrace before realising that she had struck him thirty times with Jyuuken strikes. Ones that she had modified into near scalpels.

"Ano, are you okay Naru-kun?" she touched his muscles to see if any damage was caused by her blows, feeling some guilt at her memory of really wanting to hurt the blond. That thought made her feel pained, and gave her a pounding headache with the feeling that she was committing some sort of sin.

"Ah, I'm fine," he reassured the girl.

"You sure?" reluctant to stop the contact, Hinata reached into his shirt and tried to cop one last feel.

"Yep!" Nodding at her, he gently extricated himself from her grasp, took her arm and went back to the rest of their team.

"Woah." Said Ino. She had always wondered why the Hyuuga were considered to be one of the best clans in Konoha, and now she knew. Anyone that could pull of one hundred and twenty seven strikes in under ten seconds deserved it. And with blows that could render muscle and chakra useless, it was just fearsome. But the fact that Naruto, the ostensible dead last of the Academy, was the one to survive it and come up on top, just shattered any perceptions that she might have had over Naruto.

"Amazing," whispered Kurenai. The Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou was the Hyuuga trump card, something that was only seen in when it was desperately needed. The jounins had all heard of it in one way or another, but very few had actually seen it. To think that Hinata could have mastered it at such a young age, it was unbelievable. But she had to reflect that Naruto's mere presence could twist luck into his favour.

But her analytical side kicked in. _I think she hit him about twenty five, thirty times, out of one hundred and twenty seven. That's like, twenty percent. Not a great accuracy level, but I guess that is something that we can work on. And Naruto, kami, how do you move that fast? Towards the end, it's like you just flashed behind Hinata and ended it._

She realised that she had something to report back to the Hokage. But she wondered if she should have staid silent until she had more information to give. A part of her felt uneasy about betraying Naruto's trust by mentioning it to the Hokage; she knew the strong bond of confidence that existed between sensei and student. She hesitated, and resolved to write about it later.

As the two of them walked together, Ino couldn't help but feel outclassed in the presence of the two Hyuugas. One by blood, one by entitlement. Both deadly in their own way. And she knew that compared to them, she was just a wallflower that would be more of a hindrance than help. And that was a depressing thought.

With his arm wrapped around Hinata's, he waved at them with a smile, "So, what did you think?"

Kurenai smiled at his demeanour, and then critiqued her two students, "Well, what can I say? Hinata needs to work on her accuracy, some of the blows were a bit uncoordinated, but it was still unbelievable. And Naruto, you have to take your battles more seriously. You didn't even draw your sword until the end. That kind of overconfidence will get you killed."

"Ano sensei, it won't happen again, "said Naruto sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, I had just learnt the Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou, and Naru-kun made me so angry that I just used it," said Hinata, a light blush on her cheeks.

The jinchuuriki looked at her in surprise and gave a foxy grin, "Well, gotta make sure I don't annoy you too much then hime."

That made her blush even more, but she grinned back, "Ah, stop teasing me Naruto-kun."

Their sensei just laughed before composing herself, "Ok, now the two of you critique each other. Naruto, you go first."

He scratched his chin in contemplation, "Well, there isn't much to say. She would have kicked my ass if I didn't get out of the way. But I felt that the more she punched at me, the less... effective it actually was."

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata in confusion.

"Well, it's just that it didn't seem like you were aiming for anything. And it was like you weren't even controlling your blows. Does that make sense?"

Hinata slowly nodded, "I guess your right. Towards the end of the Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou we just rely on the enemy being overwhelmed and just finish them off with a final barrage. But that didn't work on you..." she frowned at that, vowing to find some way to best the boy.

Kurenai nodded at that analysis, her respect for the blond increasing to levels that she didn't know had existed. It was insightful and useful, constructive in its attempt to help Hinata cover any blind spot in her technique. She sighed internally, wishing she had someone like Naruto was a teammate back when she was a genin, "Ok Hinata, what was wrong with Naruto?"

"... I can't think of anything. Besides not taking me seriously in the beginning. He is fast and can take a lot of damage. And we finally get to see his sword in action. So he doesn't just carry it around for show."

"Hey!"

Both of them laughed at his indignant shout, pouting as they ribbed him gently.

Ino stood by the sidelines, knowing that she had nothing to contribute to the conversation. She couldn't help but feel marginalised. She felt Kurenai's gaze and flushed, not having heard the question that she had asked her.

"Ano sensei, what did you just say?"

"Well, do you have anything to add to that?"

"Not really. Both of you did good."

"Thank you Ino-san," said Hinata happily.

Naruto just nodded towards her, earning him a frown from Kurenai. Her lips curled into a devious smile as she announced the next matchup, "Ok. Since Hinata is worn out from that battle, Ino will spar with Naruto."

"WHAT!?" screamed out Ino, "Are you crazy sensei, I'm not fighting against Naruto."

The blond agreed, "Yeah, it's kinda a bad matchup, dontcha think?"

She just shook her head, "Nonsense, it's just a friendly spar. And in real life we can't all choose our opponents. Get to it."

Ino was increasingly nervous as she faced Naruto, who had an indescribable expression on his face. He knew about the technique that the Yamanaka employed, and had no intention of being caught in that. He just didn't trust the Kyuubi to deal with the issue, especially if it did cause memory loss as a side effect.

Naruto took out a cloth and blindfolded himself. The act confused Ino, but gave her some hope that she could match her fellow blond.

"Naruto, you're not giving her a handicap are you?" asked Kurenai.

"No, I don't want to be caught up in her genjutsu. It might work, it might not. But I don't want to find out."

That surprised the genjutsu mistress. She had inferred that the jinchuuriki was absolutely immune to genjutsu, but she realised that that was a naive assumption. What Ino could employ was highly invasive and designed to penetrate deeply into the psyche of their target. It might just work against the usually resistant swordsman.

"Are you sure that you can fight against me blindfolded?" Ino asked dubiously.

"Actually, you're right." Naruto just turned away and made a cross shaped seal. He formed over twenty clones and had them surround the girl. Ino gulped at the sight of them and wondered if she should have just shut her mouth. Naruto turned around and stared at her torso.

"Ok guys, you know what to do."

"Yes boss!" they chorused at once. They all approached her and Ino knew that she would be in trouble. She drew a kunai in both hands and met the incoming rush. The outcome wasn't ever in much doubt, with Ino too stubborn to admit defeat to some clones. She now knew how Hinata had felt, when a bunch of kage bunshin's could overwhelm you just by numbers alone. She gritted her teeth and did her best, yelling out a battle cry as she threw everything that she had towards her enemies.

She managed to take down seven before one of them ended it with a surgical strike to the back of the neck that caused her to lose consciousness. Before she could crumple to the floor, Naruto caught her gently and dismissed them. He processed the influx of information, isolating weaknesses and strengths. Though admittedly, the weaknesses column far outweighed the other. He just looked at her and sighed.

He could admire the fact that she didn't give up, even in the face of overwhelming odds. And given a bit of incentive and hard work, she would make a pretty decent kunoichi, even if only in a supporting role.

But he wasn't quite ready to let go of his anger just yet. She had snubbed him for Sakura, Sakura out of all people and that hurt. Unless she was genuinely sorry and wanted to make amends, he wouldn't make the effort to try anything.

He sighed, _Crap, things are too complicated._

He carried her to the remainder of his team and set her down. Kurenai just sighed at her rather lacklustre performance, before remembering that she had been spoiled for the last three years with Hinata and Naruto.

_Definitely needs some work._

"Any thoughts?" asked Naruto.

"Well, if she can just lose to clones alone, then she has problems. Then again, it is against you so maybe I'm not being so fair. What do you think?"

The blond closed his eyes and isolated the weaknesses from his dispelled bunshin, "Well, all her abilities are kinda stock standard Academy stuff. No special taijutsu or ninjutsu. She didn't really bother to hide and try to catch me by surprise. If she doesn't have a target and eye contact, then what else does she have?"

Kurenai nodded her agreement, "So, she should either specialise or generalise in something. What do you think Hinata?"

The Hyuuga looked carefully at the unconscious blonde and shrugged, "It's up to her I guess. Take too long for generalised training to be of any use. Maybe just focus on one area?"

Naruto agreed, "I mean, look at us. Hinata can find things, I'll just cut them up when she does, and I guess Ino can give us support when we need to."

"I don't think that she would be happy with that role Naruto-kun," Kurenai said drilly.

The boy just shrugged, "Hell, who knows. But I don't see her being the hand to hand kinda girl. She could always be our long range support, using ninjutsu to give us cover and time to get to the enemy..." he mused.

_You may be on to something here Naruto..._

Kurenai picked up Ino and addressed the two of them, "Well, I'm going to take her home and speak to her parents. There might be some clan jutsu that she can use to supplement what she has right now. So I'm going to go with that for now. I will see you all tomorrow."

"Sayonara sensei!" both of them chorused at the same time. She just chuckled before disappearing into leaves.

"So Hinata, when did you learn the Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou ?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Uchiha Estates**

Mikoto wondered if her request to see Naruto was actually passed on to the boy. She had the odd feeling that the MP's felt that she had ulterior motives to see the boy and were rather aloof in their responses. It didn't help that they were right and after hearing of the whole incident with Kakashi during the test, she couldn't help but wander how life would be different if her clan were the one to actually adopt Naruto in. The thought was pleasing, and depressing at the same time.

Shaking that wistful thought away, she hoped the boy would come and hear her out. She had a few plans that she needed his help for. The whole "bring Sasuke out of his funk" initiative was definitely a work in progress that would take something more than what Naruto would be willing and able to give. But she needed his connection to a certain Hyuuga for her plans to succeed. It bothered her that she was using kids in such a way, but a part of her realised that Naruto was no longer a kid. It might have been the result of her ANBU training, but in some way the blond terrified her in ways she could not articulate. It was like he was a wound mainspring that just needed an excuse to let loose at someone, or something. But that was all balanced out by a sense of compassion and humanity that she was hard pressed to find anywhere else.

She sat back and watched the clock tick towards the hour, each second measured by a precise tick that followed another with chronometer accuracy.

_What happens if he says no?_

She didn't know what to do in that instance. It wasn't like she could mindwipe him with genjutsu or anything like that. She hoped that he would stay silent, but she couldn't think of any good enticement that she could offer to buy his discretion.

_Unless..._

She killed that thought, and hoped that Naruto would hear her out. She didn't think that he would have an issue with being part of something this important.

_How many kids get to be part of a plot to take down the black sheep of the Uchiha? _she asked herself cynically. _Give them a bit of drama, excitement and secrecy, then they will be hooked, line and sinker._

But the more she thought about it, the less certain that she became of her assumptions.

"Ohayo Mikoto-san," said Naruto, giving her a bow as he gave her a wide smile.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, thank you for coming over. How have you been?" she asked.

"Fine fine, I swapped teams and it's all great now," he said, blithely ignoring the rather pained expression on the Uchiha's face.

_Your teammates must be some of the luckiest people in Konoha. _

"Oh?" she said, feigning knowledge of that fact, "Who are you with?"

"Hinata-chan and Ino-san. Kurenai-sensei is our teacher," he said with a nod.

"Ah, I see. Sounds wonderful,"

"Yep," agreed Naruto, "Hey, you had a team once didn't you Mikoto-san?"

She laughed at sudden recollection of memories, "Oh yes, those were the days,"

"Who were they?" the jinchuuriki asked with genuine interest.

She patted at the spot next to her couch, inviting Naruto to sit next to her which he dutifully did.

"Well, I had ..."

Mikoto had many abilities. Telling an engrossing, lively story was one of them. It helped that the photographic memory of the Sharingan helped created an eidetic library where she just had to describe the events in all their vivid detail.

Naruto was just lost in her tale, laughing at the antics that they pulled while their sensei wasn't looking and just marvelling at a life that was relatively normal for a shinobi born to a founding clan.

_It must be nice_, he thought enviously, _to live normally, without all the lies, without hiding who you are, without being hated for something you couldn't control... being loved for a bloodline that was just given to you… _

Realising that his mind was treading on maudlin thoughts, he forced a grin on his face, though Mikoto could realise that the atmosphere had subtly changed into an uncomfortable one.

And she wondered when had Naruto gotten so close to her that he was literally resting his head on her shoulder. Not that she minded. It was nice to have something show an interest in her after all this time. Someone who acted like a quasi-son, not someone that you just shared a house with, like a boarder. Who resisted attempts made to get closer with a coldness and dismissiveness that hurt.

Another memory surfaced and she chuckled, "And I remember when I was part of the MP's and we were called out because Kushina had an argument at -"

At the mention of her name, Naruto froze up, which she could feel. Realising that she may have placed her foot in her mouth, she shut up quick enough and faced the boy. She just missed the fleeting expressions of anger and betrayal before it was schooled into indifference.

"Please don't talk about her when I am around Mikoto-san," he said listlessly.

"Naruto-kun! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to –"

He smiled wanly at her efforts and just said, "Stop, just stop ok?"

She looked at him, trying to find any sign to what he was actually thinking of. Seeing nothing beyond bland indifference, she sighed and bowed her head.

"So, what did you want to speak to me about then?" he asked brightly, though she could tell that his mood was soured when she had mentioned Kushina's name.

She took an anxious breathe before replying, "I need your help Naruto."

The blond looked sceptical, "Really?"

Giving a small smile, she nodded, "Yes, really."

"What for?" he asked.

"Well, I need your help because you are connected to someone that could help us with something."

"Us?"

"Well, me, Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi."

_Woah, she really isn't making this sound attractive._

**_Just hear her out, it might just be worth our while._**

Seeing that Naruto wasn't saying anything, she ploughed on anyways, "Well, the things is, we need to design a special sort of jutsu that would be very useful in the future. But it is a bit of a secret, so we need people who know how to keep their mouths shut."

**_Ah, the intrigue angle. And I bet it all leads back to Itachi._**

"It's about Itachi isn't it," the jinchuuriki asked flat out.

Seeing that there was no reason to lie, she nodded.

"Right, why should I help?"

"Don't you want to be part of something that brings my son to justice?"

"Well, that would be nice, but wouldn't the whole of Konoha want to be part of that?" Naruto inquired.

"Yes, but if word gets out, in one way or another, then it won't be as effective as it could be."

"I guess," Naruto scratched his head, "But what do you want me to do for you?"

She took a breath, "I need a Hyuuga with their Byakugan to develop a chakra technique that will require control that would give Tsunade problems."

He blinked, "Why don't you just ask them?"

"Secrecies sake. I figured that you could ask Hinata, Neji or Hanabi to give some help. They are known to be quite skilled in their bloodline. And it would be better-"

"If I asked them to do it," finished off Naruto

"Yep, exactly."

"Well, I can't guarantee anything. I would have to ask them."

"That's all I ask."

"But..."

"Yes?"

"I want something in return."

Curious to what that could have been, she gestured for Naruto to lay down his terms. After she had heard them, she gave a wide smile and nodded her assent.

She would have never had guessed the loyalty that the boy was capable of, or the lengths that he would take to help them out.

_He is such a lovely boy, if only..._

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Household  
Entrance **

"Hello sister, how was your day?"

Hanabi blinked, seeing the uncharacteristic confidence in her nee-san's voice.

"It was alright, why do you ask?"

"Oh, can't I be worried about you Hanabi?"

"No, but –"

"Ah, Naruto-kun, I have been waiting for you."

Hanabi just looked in shock at seeing her quiet, mousy sister latch onto her Naru-kun's arm and chat excitedly with him.

_What?! Why is she acting, acting, acting like me?!_

Hoping that she was under the influence of some sort of hallucinogen, she rubbed her eyes, and activated the Byakugan to verify what her eyes were telling her. She received some odd looks that she blushed at once it was affirmed that she was seeing the real deal.

"Is there something wrong Hana-chan?" the blond asked cautiously, approaching like there was an enemy in the background.

"No, nothing at all," she tried to laugh the situation off, which Naruto didn't quite accept but let it go for now. Thinking that things had changed without truly understanding why, she decided to tag along with the two to get down to the bottom of things.

"So, where are you two going?" she asked offhandedly.

"Don't know, figured that we would celebrate being in the same team and all that."

Hearing those words just made the little girl angry and jealous. It just seemed that the gods smiled upon Hinata, giving her anything that she had wanted.

_Dammit, this isn't fair!_ She fumed silently. She stopped and leaped into the air.

Naruto saw what has happening and just sweatdropped.

_Well, this hasn't happened for a while._

Hanabi took her rightful place on Naruto's right shoulder and grabbing onto his neck for support. The boy grunted at the unexpected weight and gave a mock scowl.

"Aren't you a bit old for this kinda thing Hana-chan?"

"No, not really, are you getting weak in your old age Naru-kun," she taunted.

"Ha, in your dreams! I could carry you on my shoulders and do a marathon if I needed to," the boy boasted.

"Now now Hanabi, it isn't nice to just jump on people," Hinata chastised, feeling an irrational anger that was immediately quashed.

"Hmph, you don't mind do you Naru-kun?" she asked, giving him an adorable pout that usually broke the boy's willpower and pocket.

"Not really, so yeah, where are we going?"

"Matsuri's!" shouted the youngest Hyuuga, nearly drooling at the thought of eating at Konoha's finest restaurant.

"Are you sure you can afford to eat there, you're getting awfully fat," Naruto teased, poking her taut stomach and at her ribs. It turned into a semi tickle fest, that Hanabi won when she resorted to pulling his hair and going for his cheeks.

"No! Not the cheeks!"

"Say it!"

"Come on, not in public."

Hanabi was implacable, "Say it!"

"Fine, you win Hanabi-sama," Naruto grumbled out with good humour.

The little girl giggled and flashed a victorious smirk at Hinata. She was met with an odd look that vaguely disturbed her, but she just shrugged it off.

"So yeah, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

The three of them walked their way to Matsuri's, Naruto being blissfully unaware of the veiled glances and thoughts being shot across the Hyuuga siblings. In the future when he reflected on where things started to go pear shaped, he wished he had been more alert while he was carrying Hanabi on way to celebrate his graduation.

* * *

**Sereitei  
Second division headquarters  
Shihouin Yoruichi's private office**

"So, that's what happened."

"Well, that is what we saw. I'm having my doubts towards the whole thing."

The dark skinned beauty nodded, "Yes, seeing a vizard so near Rukongai is suspicious. But then again, the timing has been peculiar. You remember the mysterious disappearances that are happening again."

Kurosaki nodded grimly, "Who could forget? We had lost more captains during that incident than on any campaign against the Menos Grande. And those souls who died, but left their clothing around..."

"Things staid quiet after that. Aizen was promoted to be the taichou of the fifth, not to mention all the others. And we still don't know what on earth actually happened."

That wasn't the truth. Yoruichi had an idea of what did happen, but it was nothing more than suspicion and hearsay. She doubted that the truth would ever be revealed on the matter.

"But do you think that what it said about Kisuke is true?" asked Isshin.

That gave Yoruichi pause, "I, I don't know. Urahara has always been ... special."

Kurosaki laughed at that, "No doubt."

"But being a vizard, I'm not too sure. He was always one to explore the boundaries, even when he should have staid damned well away from them. But to go that far, how would he have done it in the first place?"

"You're asking me? Hell, if anyone could do it, it would be him. Or Kurotsuchi... remind me, why did you let him out of the Maggot's Nest again?"

Yoruichi sighed, "It was his prerogative as a captain, and I trusted his instincts. He seems to be under the assumption that he will be around forever to watch over that mask wearing maniac, but I don't think it's worth the risk. They have created some interesting stuff, gigai wise, but there was a good reason why he was imprisoned in the first place."

"If there was a good reason to 'retire' shinigami in the first place," Isshin muttered darkly.

The Second said nothing towards that, but simply took a sip of her sake saucer. She had long wondered about the oddities that Sereitei was comprised of, but the more that she had dug, the more confused she became. Everything seemed to be hidden under layer upon layer of misdirection or obfuscation. She wondered what lay at the heart of it all, but on second thoughts, she probably didn't want to know.

At least it didn't become a burning passion.

She sighed, "Well, all governments need a prison of some sort, and this takes those dissenters so they can't make trouble. It's not like can kill them."

"Well sure, if you have some sort of trial first. Just because someone doesn't quite fit isn't a good reason to throw them into the Maggot's Nest and then turn your back on them. And it makes me wonder..."

"What?"

"What that vizard said, at the end of the day. Why do we need a Royal Family in the first place? Why are there Noble Families in Sereitei, when it doesn't really make much of a difference. Hell, we are all dead; it kinda loses meaning."

He was met with silence, "I don't know. Honestly, I don't know," whispered Yoruichi. It was a question that had long burdened her, leading her to act out in the way she did. She teased 'Little Byakuya' because he was all too serious and needed to lighten up. The fact that he was adorable when he vowed to outrun her, the Goddess of Flash, was just a collateral benefit.

But it was a question that she didn't have an answer to.

'More importantly, do you think we can stop Kisuke if he goes too far?"

They were friends for a very long time. Yoruichi and Kisuke bonded on a level that left most married couples envious. After everything that they had been through, all the mischief and pranks during their relationship, it was a difficult question to answer.

"We could, but would we want to? Is there anything inherently bad about being a vizard?"

Isshin shrugged, "I'm not sure they exist, or that was part of one elaborate prank to test our loyalty to Sereitei. If the old bastard told us to kill him, I'm not sure if I can." And saying that was a large risk. The Shihouin family were one of the oldest and most respected of the noble houses. They were in charge of the Special Forces division who helped the executive First Division maintain law and order in Soul Society. His words were bordering insubordination, if not treason. Even if he was a captain, he couldn't flout such things as a direct order without ramifications.

Yet Yoruichi was glad to hear it coming from him. She was happy that she would have a few allies if the time came for a rather hasty departure/exile from the Gotei Thirteen. Unohana Retsu would be there to do the right thing, in her own way, along with Ukitake Jushiro and Shunshui. They had long had a bond from shared operations, especially the one two hundred years ago.

She sighed at the intrigue. _The problem are hollows, not inside power plays! And dammit Kisuke, can't you ever keep your curiosity in check?!_

Both of them gave each other a tired look before sipping their sake.

* * *

**Sereitei  
Fifth Division Headquarters  
Sousuke Aizen's office**

It was late at night where everyone was asleep, but for two people. The publicly amiable taichou of the Fifth just sat in the office and gazed at the clock that was hung up across the wall. It was a fairly drab office with very little personality. In all honesty, he could have left it in moments and no profiler would have been able to discern anything from his working environment. Just how he wished it to be. He stretched lazily and spread his legs wide, humming a nameless tune as he slowly stroked his chin and let his mind wonder. He suddenly shuddered and looked appreciatively down below him.

_Well, adoration has its perks I guess._

He looked over at Hinamori's adoring face, the worship clear in her eyes and her mouth as she had tried to take in his cock until he bottomed out at the back of her throat. She gagged, suppressed her reflex and tried to accommodate his member as Aizen leaned back and sighed. He was sitting back on his chair and was pondering on the many schemes and plans that he had constructed, implemented and discarded.

People did not realise that Aizen was a duplicitous son of a bitch. The caring mentor persona that he had cleverly fostered and was only ever pierced by his mentor.

_Ah Shinji, where are you now?_

He was one of the few that he had respected in Sereitei, a powerful and insightful figure that had the 'misfortune' of becoming stronger than what Soul Society would allow.

He gave an involuntary groan and ruffled Hinamori's hair absentmindedly. This just made her redouble her efforts as she had tried to please him with her tongue.

_I guess it doesn't matter. The experiments had all ended in failure anyway. No shinigami body could handle the sheer power that it contained. The only alternative is to go the other direction. But would they take up my offer?_

No one really knew what or why Hollows form in the way that they do. They seem to fear nothing, or very much at all. If they could be organised into something, an army, then there was nothing that you couldn't do. And if vizards are a reality, then arrancar must be the other side of the same coin.

He was interrupted when Gin came in. He just raised his eyebrows, which was quite a feat considering that they were perpetually closed in a fox like smirk.

"Having fun there Aizen-sama?"

He just shrugged, before taking off his glasses, "She has her uses. It's a pity her memory is so fragmented that she will never remember these nights. Then again, it's nothing that she wouldn't do anyways. It's just easier this way if she never remembers it."

Gin shrugged as he didn't care either way.

"How have the negotiations been?"

"Slow, we really don't have much to offer them, so they are reluctant to talk. They all try to kill me so that kinda puts a downer on negotiations."

Aizen rolled his eyes, "Well, that might change soon enough. Our good friend of the Twelfth Division is hiding something from us. And it will be of great use."

"Oh?"

"It is just the thing, we need."

Feeling that he was getting close, he stopped talking, closed his eyes and grabbed Hinamori's hair. Gin took that as his queue to leave. Aizen thrusted into her willing mouth before finishing off, lightly gasping as the girl desperately tried to get every single last drop of his seed into her mouth.

He looked at her fondly, like a master to a dog that had mastered a particularly good trick. He clothed himself again and stood up. Grabbing his zanpukuto he dispelled the illusion that he had cast over the girl.

Hinamori just blinked and wondered where she was. Sitting across from her was Aizen, sipping some tea and looked at her in concern.

"Is there something wrong Hinamori-chan?"

She blushed at her inattention, but she couldn't remember the last question that he had asked her. She remembered that she was invited to have some tea with her captain, which she took with open arms. But beyond that, it was a blur.

Seeing her confusion, Aizen stood up and brought her to her feet, "Get some rest, you look like you need it. We will speak tomorrow then, ok?" he said kindly.

She nodded and left the room.

Aizen gave a smirk before turning his attention to placing a spy in the Research and Development division. After all, he knew that Kurotsuchi was there at Kisuke's sufferance. And such a man would chafe at being anyone's second in command.

_Maybe we can come to some sort of ... understanding..._

* * *

**Konoha  
Training ground twenty two**

Naruto and Hinata were waiting for their two teammates as they sat on the ground. Naruto was lying down, where Hinata used his stomach as her pillow. The blond just stared happily into the skies and wondered if life could get any better than this.

_I hope so._

He just yawned and stretched out luxuriously, allowing Hinata to reposition herself on top of him. He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything, not even when she rested her cheek on his chest and was effectively splayed across of him. Naruto didn't find it in any way uncomfortable, and he enjoyed the sense of connection and closeness that he had with Hinata. Her level of attractiveness had just shot through the roof with her new found confidence, and the fact that she would actually look at him in the eyes. No more staring at her hair or trying to guess what she was trying to mumble out.

He was now confronted by her lavender orbs that seemed to suck in his gaze, much like Hanabi's. He had a silly smirk on his face as he idly compared the two sisters. And he was shocked to find that they were so similar, especially now.

_I mean, they are sisters, so it shouldn't be that surprising, right?_

**_I guess not. I always liked Hanabi better._**

_Why?_

**_She was gutsy and forward. And she used you like some sort of taxi as well. I can see the similarities._**

_… you see me as transport?!_

**_Well, yeah, you take me places Naru-kun._**

_I – I don't know if you're insulting me or not…_

**_Whatever you want to think kit, whatever you want._**

He ignored her and let his mind find the clouds above him. He imagined that they were shapes up there, just waiting for his imagination to do something to them. He chuckled at that thought and closed his eyes, wanting to get some rest.

There were very few times that Hinata could have said that she was happy. This was one of them, a memory that she could cherish for the rest of her life. Everything just seemed so right as she felt Naruto underneath her. His steady breathing and heart rate, the feel of his lithe and toned body as she rested upon him.

_I can get so used to this Naruto-kun._

Unfortunately, the pendulum swung and the rest of their team showed up.

Kurenai shook her head at the adorable scene in front of her. Ino was strangely jealous, an emotion that she would not have associated with her and Naruto in the past. But seeing the two of them, looking so peaceful and content with each other, it just made her lonely.

She had the startling realisation that she had very few friends in the world. And it wasn't like she had anything to show for it. Naruto had made that clear enough when he had humiliated her during the other day.

She was bested by clones, who were only a fraction of Naruto's strength.

_What the hell have I been doing?_

Her self recriminating answer came in the form of images: hair care product, skin cream, nail polish, eyeliner, foundation, fad diets, glossy magazines… She realised that even when Naruto wasn't serious he could have killed her. Or done worse, if the stories among the kunoichi were true. And that was humbling in a way that she could not describe. A profound sense of respect came over her, and she wondered if there was anyway that Naruto would ever see her as his teammate, in the same way that he saw Hinata.

_I, I think I chose the wrong person, kami…_

She was fairly sure that Sasuke wouldn't have been interested in bettering anyone else besides himself. She was struggling to find out why she had found that attractive in the first place; the rather blatant disregard that he had for others.

_Stupid, stupid Ino!_

Kurenai coughed lightly and the two Hyuuga's opened up their eyes. They slowly and reluctantly came onto their feet and looked expectantly at the two.

The genjutsu mistress took out a piece of paper that had the training regime for the next few weeks. She had the great idea that if Naruto could change Hinata, which to all outside appearances he did, then he could work the same miracle upon Ino. She knew that there was some sort of bad feeling between the two blondes, but hoped that they could work it out. It wasn't like Naruto would kill Ino or anything like that. Probably embarrass her beyond measure.

She shrugged to herself. She had little patience for kunoichi wannabees. They brought disgrace to the few that cared enough to be something more than eyecandy. And her current attitude would only lead to more problems that would lead in capture, rape or disgrace. And death loomed above it all. And she had a strange sense of confidence that Naruto could do something about it. She would work on a few things with Hinata while Ino was brought to speed.

"Ok, Ino and Naruto will work on their taijutsu, while me and Hinata will develop some genjutsu."

"Kurenai-sensei, can we talk in private?" asked a suddenly serious Naruto.

"Sure we can, the rest of you stay here."

The two of them walked deeper into the training field, and they faced each other. Kurenai was waiting for Naruto to make the first move. Naruto seemed to be debating the choice of his words, before deciding that tact was a bit beyond him at the moment.

"Why are you always placing me with her?"

"Do you dislike Ino? That's awfully odd of you."

The jinchuuriki shrugged, "She doesn't like me, so I return the favour. You can see that, so why keep doing this?"

She explained to him her rationale which just brought a frown to his face.

"But sensei, isn't that your job?" he asked pointedly.

_Ouch, good point Naru-kun._

"Possibly, but I think you are the best person to do it. Do you know why we have mentors as opposed to tutors or teachers?"

"Beats me, you're lazy?"

Fighting down the urge to throttle Naruto, she just clamed her breathing, "No, it's because it makes the two of you better."

That confused the swordsman, "How?"

She tried to explain, "You can only teach something if you really understand it well. Because if you don't, you realise the shortcomings in your knowledge of what is happening. And people learn better if they are taught by someone their age. You remember things in a different way when you are younger."

"But, your not old at all Kurenai-sensei!" he protested.

Blushing slightly at that praise, she continued, "Be that as it may, I think you are the best person to do this. You did it with Hinata, and I am sure that you can do it again."

"I don't know," doubted the boy, "All I am good at is using a sword. Hinata had her own style that she just practised on me. Ino probably doesn't want to go that way."

"Maybe not, but everyone should have some sort of back up weapon in place. A kunai just doesn't cut it at times," she said sagely.

Naruto blinked, "I don't see you with anything different sensei."

Coughing at that, she tried to divert attention away from her deficiency, "Well, that aside, why don't you give it a try. We are a team now, so we should at least try and get along with each other, if only professionally. And you never know how might happen if you give things a chance. I don't know what happened in the past, but that was in the past. People do change, especially kids."

"I was a kid as well," he reminded her.

Kurenai just laughed before giving him a hug, "You were a very special kid. So, what do you say?"

Naruto still had reservations about the whole thing, but he figured that it would be worth a shot.

_Really, what's the worst that could happen?_

**_Training accidents that leave kunoichi crippled and useless._**

_Well, besides that. Accidents do happen, but not to the right people._

**_You would think that pink hair would attract the attention of anyone in a decent distance, but if she manages to survive, then there must be some sort of universal eye care plan for shinobi._**

_If only…_

He sighed before giving her a smile, "Sure, why not?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know, you really suck."

"Shut up!" Ino screamed, her frustration getting the better of her.

_It's just like fighting a Uchiha at times, just don't stare at them._

**_When did you fight a Uchiha again?_**

_Back in the day when I first met 'Mi' and some were in Ne. I wonder why all of them were there on the same night when Itachi went crazy. He had great timing I suppose…. _

**_You know, you could let her in. She can try and control your body, but it wont work, not as long as I'm here._**

And I can play around some more, hey, this is pretty fun. Its like programming your own little doll. Fu fu fu fu fu fu. Ah, got to stop picking up other people's mannerisms.

"I mean really, it's like fighting a doll here. Don't you have anything beyond your fancy mind invading thingy?"

"It's called Shintensin, show some respect you bastard!"

"I will when there is something to respect Yamananka-san," he said acidicly.

_Oh, he just didn't._

While her family did operate a flower shop, that wasn't to say that was what her family really did. It was a business from her mother's side that they had inherited from a distaff uncle. A lot of people underestimated her and her family because of that. Inoichi didn't care and fostered that bit of misdirection.

As a shinobi family certain things were drilled into her. A sense of duty, loyalty and service was first. Hell it helped make discipline an easier thing to administer if you framed it as orders and so forth. Though her stubbornness did create some rather vocal conflicts that made their neighbours laugh and then complain the next morning.

But she could clearly remember the rather embarrassing moment when Kurenai had to take her back home after the beating Naruto had given her.

**Flashback**

Inoichi sighed at the exhausted figure that lay on the couch, seemingly oblivious to the world around her.

"So, what happened Kurenai-san?" asked the concerned father.

"She sparred against her teammate, and lost," the genjutsu mistress said clearly and with concern.

"Who did it?" the question was more absentminded than interested.

Kurenai hesitated, not knowing how the former ANBU member would react if he found out that Konoha's jinchuuriki harmed his precious daughter. She decided to be absolutely truthful in the matter, "It was Uzumaki Naruto."

Hearing that name made him clench his fists in anger.

_That son of a bitch! How dare he hurt my little girl?!_

He got up with a scowl, determination evident on his face as he reached the door. But he was stopped by a firm grip on his arm.

"Stop this foolishness now," Kurenai ordered coldly.

"What?! I am not letting that – that fucker get away with anything!" he growled out, giving his arm a tug.

"It was a spar, she got hurt. Nothing more. Naruto-kun did not go out of his way to beat her, or anything like that. It was a match to determine her capabilities as a kunoichi. How can you be angry at that?"

Giving into his frustration, Inoichi wanted to break something. Ino was their only child, making him incredibly protective over her. Especially when she had announced her intention to become a shinobi. He was incredibly proud and afraid when he had heard those words.

In a way no parent wanted to place their children into harms way. And the life of a kunoichi was not as glamorous as people made it out to be. It was dangerous, messy and coupled with dangers their male counterparts had rarely needed to consider. The mere thought brought shivers down his spinal column and made him want to enter Ino into a nunnery or convent of some sort.

But he realised that he couldn't coddle her forever. She was growing up and needed to make her own choices, otherwise she wouldn't grow and become her own person. He sighed and thought back to the days when he was young and was convinced that he was right in everything that he did. He fought with his parents and dismissed their concerns as the paranoid and protective nonsense of old people.

But that came to bite him on the ass when he had Ino. Now he was the 'old', strict and paternal father who wouldn't let her take any risks whatsoever. And he groaned and realised that being a parent was much harder than it seemed. He would have been much happier if Ino had a better goal for being a kunoichi, rather than to catch the eye of a boy.

Though that was changing. He realised that she didn't gush over 'Sasuke-kun' as she used to. And to him, he always hated the angsty bishounen persona that seemed to burst from the Uchiha like a ruptured water main. He knew that his tragic experiences entitled him some understanding, but honestly, most of the civilian council had just fallen in love with the remaining Uchiha's, their tragedy an event that they trivialised for the sake of sensationalism. It was disturbingly cathartic in the way that they were brought low by one of their own, like some sort of parable that no one really understood, even if made superficial son.

_Like that damned prodigal son tale. Honestly, if I was the eldest, I think I would be entitled to be angry when my loyalty is repaid by getting spat upon by my father…_

Shrugging those thoughts away, his anger died as he walked back to the couch and lifted Ino's head so it rested on his lap.

"Thank you for your assistance Kurenai-san," he said with tiredness.

"That is not necessary, but there are things that we need to discuss."

He raised his eyebrows, "Oh?"

She nodded, "Yes, is your daughter serious about being a kunoichi?"

Giving a mirthless laugh, he shrugged, "Probably not, which is why I figured that she would see the light and quit. But she is stubborn, like I was when I was a kid. So I guess she isn't going to back down."

Kurenai sighed deeply, cursing the fact that she had to deal with a student that wasn't fully committed and rubbed her temples, "Ok, well, if she is to even survive any sort of engagement, she will need more help than what I can formally give. As a shinobi family, I thought you would have imparted something more than just the _Shintensin_."

He shifted uncomfortably at the accusation in her words, "Well, would you believe me if I said I supported equal opportunity at the Academy?"

He was met with an impassive stare from her crimson eyes.

"Well, it wasn't like I didn't want her to be unprepared. I don't want her alone and helpless. I have tried to train her in a few things, but she refused to listen. She found other more important things to do, like her hair, nails, whatever," Years of frustration were evident in his voice, giving it a bitterness that didn't see the light of day until now.

"Naruto defeated her using five shadow clones. It lasted for less than a minute. Beyond the standard curriculum taijutsu, there wasn't anything special. It was no contest."

"Shadow clones?!"

"And why are you surprised? He is a very special child with enough chakra to make most jounin's envious," she remarked.

"I… see. What do we do with my daughter?"

"This is why I am here," Kurenai focused her implacable gaze upon him. Inoichi realised how disconcerting it was to face those orbs without getting twitchy. They had only ever softened when she had mentioned the blond swordsman. "She needs help, I hope you can be of assistance there. But the remainder, well, after seeing you react to Naruto-kun's presence, I'm not sure if I can say anything further."

Inoichi gave an embarrassed cough at that. His anger was more based off the idea that anyone who hurt his precious would face the wrath of a shinobi fighter. It wasn't like he hated Naruto as a person or for what he was.

"That… was out of line. I apologise."

She shrugged, "I am not the one who can accept that apology. In any event, with the way the teams are structured this year, your daughter will face more dangers than before."

"What do you mean?" he asked with concern.

"We are an assault team. In fact, all of them are assault teams. Which means that she will be in the conflict zone, and cannot hide behind the snatch and grab missions your troika were famed for. In fact, she cannot. We will be a team, and that means she will need to contribute in a meaningful way. That means ninjutsu, genjutsu, anything that will be of use."

The Yamanaka nodded his head, "That makes sense, but it's a bit late for all of that now," he said with disappointment.

"Perhaps, but its time for her to specialise. Konoha has the greatest collection of ninjutsu in the Elemental Nations. We can thank the Sandaime, Hatake Kakashi, the Yondaime and the Uchiha's for that. I propose that we…"

As they spoke over Ino's seemingly comatose body, they didn't notice the slight ticks of understanding that she displayed.

_Am, am I really that useless?_

**End flashback**

And when she stood there, gasping for breath, she realised that compared to the two powerhouses that the two Hyuuga were, she need to shape up quickly. But Naruto didn't need to rub in the fact that he surpassed her in nearly every single way.

The blond just indolently raised his hands in a cross shaped seal and Ino groaned.

_Damn those clones to hell! How many can he spam out?!_

That question was something that 'Mi' and 'Karasu' were quite interested in, and periodic testing had determined that Naruto could comfortably pump out two hundred kage bunshins in one session. After using it for so many years, the boy could do it without seals, but it wasn't as efficient as it could be. And if he really wanted to, he could produce around fifteen explosive clones and still have enough chakra to fight. Any more and Naruto would start earning nicknames.

Five kage bunshin appeared and faced her with a blink.

"Boss, not again."

Another nodded, "This is insulting. I mean, look at her!"

Ino was getting increasingly angry. It was bad enough that Naruto dismissed her, but for his clones to do so as well.

The real Naruto made a gesturing motion, "Go on, do it."

With great resignation, they looked at her with disgust and drew kunai.

He looked on, a bored expression on his face as each death brought more and more data for him to process. He wrote it all down with an increasingly disgruntled air as he realised how much work needed to be done. He honestly didn't know if he could make a difference in the short term, and that gave him some concern.

_Man, I wish Yugito could have been with us. Then we would have been awesome_, he thought wistfully. The blonde had a love for large, flashy raiton ninjutsu before getting close and personal with lightening strikes that gave him problems. Naruto was fairly confident that the three of them could overwhelm most things given a bit of timing and planning. Though he wondered what role Kurenai would play.

_Hmm, even now, I'm not sure. I guess the best thing for her to do is to teach Ino on how to hide, so they could both flank any enemy if me and Hinata are going to fight anyone head on. I guess that makes sense, exactly like Ne protocol. The smallest team of two members. Me and Hinata could herd them into a genjutsu ambush then BAM, home for some ramen time._

He chuckled to himself.

Ino saw that and saw red. She reached into her pouches and took out some explosive tags that her father had given her the other day.

_Use these carefully; they pack double the power that they usually have._

She threw them into his mist, which he dodged and jumped out the way. The resulting explosion made Naruto slightly surprised as he jumped behind a tree, sticking onto the trunk as he spammed more clones to act as intelligence. They scattered and left Ino gulping as she realised that he was being serious.

_Ah crap._

Each of them threw shuriken and kunai at her, from multiple directions as she dodged and kawimiired out of the way and tried to hide.

_Hey, this is kinda fun. Like an experiment. I wonder if I can…_

He shook his head.

_Nah, now I know why 'Mi' had so much fun. Ok, she can dodge steel. Can she dodge jutsu?_

Katon: Housenka no jutsu!

Her eyes widened as she saw the miniature fireballs head towards her with unerring accuracy. Cursing, she tried to dodge them or find some sort of river just in case they did impact on her. She was suddenly struck by a thought and faced the fire, her hands blurring in seals, that seemed too late as they impacted upon her.

However, a rather burnt log was left behind as the girl successfully kawimiri'd again.

_That is a damned useful jutsu that they teach us, especially in Konoha because he was so much godamn wood around us you could start your own firewood business by that one jutsu. _

Naruto just marked his notepad with a few ticks.

_Resourceful: tick__  
Calm under pressure: eh, tick  
Knowledge of jutsu: well, she hasn't shown me anything really._

Ino was sick of playing the cat to Naruto's dog. She just didn't know how she could get one over the boy. he was fast, resourceful and knew some pretty powerful jutsu.

"Naruto, why do you hate me so much?" she shouted into the environment.

"I don't hate you Ino," the reply came from many directions, 'I'd rather not have you as my teammate."

"What did I do to you dammit!"

"Kami, do you have to ask?" came the incredulous shout. Ino flushed a bit, but charged on regardless.

"Alright, I screwed up and made a mistake. I'm sorry ok, are you happy?"

"Depends. What are you –" he flashed behind her "sorry about?"

_Holy shit! How fast is he?!_

Naruto didn't really mind showing off his speed anymore. He had given the game up when he fought against Hinata, and really, who would believe his teammates if they complained or bragged about his speed. After all, he was _only_ a genin.

"Do I have to say it? Can't we just let it be water under the bridge?"

"I don't think so Yamanaka-san. I still remember it."

"Why does it mean so much to you now anyways?"

He turned to face her and crossed his arms, "Because I was nice to you, and you spat on my face. Both of you. And now you want me to forget about it all? No, it doesn't work like that."

She winced at hearing the truth, "I – I'm sorry Naruto, I really am. I was just a kid back then –"

The jinchuuriki snorted, "So was I. So was I."

That left the Yamanaka silent as she struggled to find words to assuage Naruto. Though in truth the boy was quite sick of hating the girl. Though hate was probably too strong a word to use, indifference would have been the more apt description. It wasn't really part of his nature to hold a grudge for too long, as he was prepared to start again. But he wouldn't be the person to take the first step. He had figured out long ago that if people didn't work for something, and just expected it, then it would have no value to them.

He had observed how she had acted like the queen bee whenever she was around Shikamaru and Choji. They had more or less let her get away with her behaviour. Naruto figured that if he caved, then she wouldn't respect him. And that was something that just made him mad. Sure, people might not like him because they were fools with myopic vision, but they should realise that there was a world of difference between them and him. It was like seeing a rabbit mewling defiantly against a fox. Actually...

_Hey Kyuu, how do you feel about rabbits?_

**_Eh, they're ok I guess. Cute and make pets, I think. As a large, awesome, sexy kitsune I don't really ever notice them. And if I did want to eat them, I would need to have a lot of them before I'm full. Why do you ask?_**

_I figured as a fox you would love to prance around in a field looking for them to hunt..._

**_Kit, I might take on the appearance of a fox, but I don't have the mannerisms of one. I have long outgrown such inconsequential – hey, no, don't touch the tails! I'm warning you Naru-kun, don't you dare-!_**

Naruto was spacing out with a grin on his face that confused Ino, who decided to wave her hand in front of his eyes. Eventually Naruto snapped out of it, trying to block out the tirade in his mind.

"So yeah, you're sorry. I don't believe you."

She pouted, "What will it take then?"

"Eh, you tell me. Do something then, or not, to show me that you are. I don't care what it is, as long as it's, err, what's the word I want? "

**_Sincere you pervert! Sincere! And wait till I get my hands on your cheeks you cheeky little-_**

"Sincere. Yes. Sincere."

"But, but, what can I do? Look, I was a stupid girl back then who fell in love with a boy that won't return my feelings, and you wanted me to choose between you or my best friend. So I chose Sakura. That may have been a bad choice, but there is nothing that I can do about that now. All I want is to be your teammate, and maybe your friend, if you will still have me."

Naruto took those words in and mulled them over.

_I guess it's true enough. We can't go back and change the past, no matter how much we want to. But do I want Ino as a friend?_

And the truth was that he wasn't sure. She had her faults, but she seemed loyal enough to her two other friends. And he figured that he would always have one over her if she did act up. He smirked at that bit of leverage. Ino didn't like that look one bit.

"Maybe, I'll think about it," he allowed. He took out his notebook and tossed it to her. She caught it and gave Naruto a questioning look.

"These are the things that you currently suck at. As you can see, it's a pretty big list. That was what the kage bunshin were for. Because the list is quite long, it means you need lots and lots of help. Some things are just hopeless, but fix what you can I suppose."

With an angry tick over her eye, Ino just breathed in deeply and suppressed her urge to cave Naruto's skull in with her fist. She would have done it if she didn't believe that Naruto would take action against her. While he took Hinata's teasing and abuse with good humour, it was only because they were close friends. She hadn't earned that right yet.

_And I might never will_, she realised with surprising sadness. She focused on the sapphire orbs staring back at her, judging her and measuring her worth like she was some sort of tradeable commodity. She didn't know what to do under that gaze.

"Go home," he suddenly said, with surprising gentleness, "think about what I have written down, and I will see you tomorrow Ino-san. We all need a bit of rest I suppose."

She nodded and left the training ground, her thoughts centred upon one question.

_Who are you Naruto?_

* * *

**Konoha  
****Hyuuga Household  
Branch Members quarters**

"Hey Neji!"

The genius Hyuuga turned his eyes and found the ever lovable blond waving at him, Hinata by his side. He peered and saw another girl on Naruto's shoulder, who he guessed was Hanabi. He smiled at that, before schooling his face back into stoic indifference. Though it had only been one week since graduation for him and his cousin, he couldn't quite reconcile the new Hinata in front of him.

Old Hinata had issues, that ranged from self worth to a crippling case of 'I'm-a-kunoichi-that-could-only-seduce-deaf-and-possibly-mute-targets'. When Kurenai and Naruto had taken her under their respective wings she had become much better. She actually looked at people when she had talked and didn't stutter as much. Though when she interacted with Naruto she did revert to her shy self, it couldn't be said that improvements weren't made.

And he didn't know how he felt about that. One part of him wanted Hinata to be useless and pitiable, a part of him that still deeply resented the Main Branch. He wanted the world to see the terrible irony that characterised their family. That he was the one, the supposed inferior who towered above the heiress. Though things were getting better, with his father being the leader of the MP's, it still rankled that his talent wouldn't ever be fully recognised. The core techniques of the Inner Circle were closed off to him, while other less deserving people, who wouldn't be able to use it in any event, had it placed upon their laps, like a birthright.

But on the other hand, having a confident Hinata was infinitely better than the previous part. She was actually quite amusing to be around at times, and reminded him of an older Hanabi. When his thoughts turned to the younger sister, he had to give her some grudging respect. Her skills with the Jyuuken matched his, though with expert tutoring he doubted anyone could end up being anything but proficient in its style. But he had to give his cousin some credit for her style and talent. It was like his, but more elegant. His was far more to the point, practical and economical. Now that he thought about it, he and Hinata shared a lot more in common than he had thought. Hinata stopped learning the advanced techniques and explored others. Especially genjutsu and the modified form of taijutsu that the MP's were taught.

What he had learned was what he could reverse engineer from his sight or from verbal accounts of how things actually worked. It wasn't the most efficient way of doing things, but it was what he had to work with. And once given a task, Neji could achieve many things. In an odd way, the boy could have easily fallen into a fatalistic mindset about his entire life, but he didn't.

And Naruto was the one to actually do it, even if he didn't know it, and Neji would rather be decapitated with a blunt axe than admit it. Though they tried to be cautious enough, the Branch Member females had loved to gossip about Naruto. It didn't make a lot of sense to Neji, but he figured that it was one of those 'female things and secrets' that would get a man killed if he pried in too deeply. He often saw his father tune out whenever his mother talked ecstatically about the blond.

The Branch Women's fascination with Naruto was something puzzling, and not apparent to Neji. Sure, he was the first outsider to actually live in the Hyuuga household as a permanent member in ... presumably a long time as there was no record of it. Though it probably wouldn't merit a record in any event. Usually the words cheerful, happy, 'a sweetheart' and the like were used to describe Naruto. He scoffed at that. But this was a puzzle that he wanted solved so he went to Shikamaru.

During his Academy days, he had realised that the top talent tended to be out in the open, or hidden. The Nara was one of those people who flew under the radar. And after he had graduated, he quickly forgot about him until he needed a certified genius in the IQ department. With much threatening and a promise of a future debt, Shikamaru was 'persuaded' to apply his formidable intellect to the issue. His answer was rather depressing.

_Look, most Hyuuga men are just so angsty and traditionally good looking that it bores them. I mean honestly, the amount of hair product that you use is just astounding. Women don't find it hot that a man takes more time to style their hair than they do. And really, Naruto is as anti-emo as you can get. He's happy, pulls pranks and spouts nonsense that even I don't understand. I guess he is dark at times, but if I had a banshee trying to rupture my eardrums with her vocal cords alone... So troublesome. It just attracts them like bees to honey and I'm surprised that he hasn't been kidnapped by a bunch of nubile MP's to have their way with him. He seems to treat them with love and respect, from what I hear from you and observation. The trend, beta and R coefficients are high for the likelihood of 'rampant displays of physical affection', so what you're currently seeing is pretty mild. But once he hits puberty, oh boy. Really, really troublesome. The coefficients just increase exponentially until he hits twenty, and then starts to level off to the maximum theoretical limit that I can get to on log tables. Which is nine thousand. Nine thousand Neji! Do you know what that means!? I would need some sort of personal computer to be any more accurate. The chances of him having sex with each and every one of the female MP's is one. As in one hundred percent. I have to find some sort of bookmaker now to put some bets. _

Neji shuddered at that thought. More importantly, a whole brood of blond children running around like their hyperactive father. And he would be their uncle, of sorts. He didn't know if he should kill Naruto now to spare himself the pain, or find a way to emancipate himself to another clan.

_But I need more evidence to be completely and utterly sure of this. The only other family full of insufferably angsty members would be the Uchiha's ,if Sasuke is a representative sample of the population. And they are all dead so I guess it can never be proved. Though if Mikoto-san does make a move on Naruto, which she might, then I guess my hypothesis will prove quite valid. _

And one day he had overheard about the tenant in Naruto's body. It was completely by accident, as part of his reconnaissance for Shikamaru's analysis, and it had forced him to reconsider how he saw the boy and how he had ended up the way he did. And a good part of the bitterness inside of him had abated. It was still there, a sense of injustice that would never ever really go away. But he realised that life could be terrible, that Konoha had an odd fascination with sealing one's family, and that the way that a person dealt with it was the most important part. He was in some ways an unwilling slave; Naruto was a sacrifice that had an evil and malignant soul shoved into his body. It placed things into perspective.

And he couldn't forget the time that he had tried to force his 'fate complex' down Naruto's throat, only to find the boy take out a notebook and scribble down everything that he was saying. He demanded to know why he was doing that, the blond smiled and said that it would be a great, massive, depressing taunt that he could use in the future. Or he could use it to bore the other party to death, or make them bash their heads against concrete. Fighting the urge to _Jyuuken_ to boy to the Hokage's Monument, he was about to speak further when Naruto just looked at him with sad curiosity.

_Do you want to be unhappy?_

Neji stopped the tirade that was at the tip of his tongue.

Did he want to be unhappy? Of course not, but all things were conspiring against him in that department.

_Well then, if you don't want to be unhappy, why don't you do something about it?_

Fate you son of a bitch! Fate prevents me from enjoying happiness! He raged.

_Well, you never know do you? We can control a few things, like how we live or how we die. By having choices, doesn't that mean that fate doesn't exist?_

That stopped the boy cold.

Naruto looked pensively into the sky. _Look. There are things I can't control. But I'm happy with that. I will change what I can. _He then faced Neji and gave a solemn nod, _But even if there is fate, I will fight against it. Because I will not just roll over and die. Even if I can't change a thing, I will know that I did something. Which was better than just accepting it._

Neji was left to ponder those things, and in a way was humbled by Naruto's insight. It didn't have all the answers, but Naruto never claimed that he did. He thought his philosophy could answer everything, which it could. It was just that the answers were dismal and didn't help anyone except Fate alone.

Which was why he had this odd deference to Naruto, not that he ever openly acknowledged the ramen loving swordsman.

"Naruto-san, Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama, what can I do for you?" he asked coolly.

All of them grinned at him, before Naruto wrapped his arm around his shoulders and dragged him to a training field. Ignoring the stiffness and the unexpected contact, he tried to question him where the blond just smirked.

"How would you like to learn something awesome?" Naruto asked.

Considering his definition of awesome, Neji just gave up and went along for the ride. He had suffered through Gai and Lee's quirks and idiosyncrasies. He doubted that Naruto and Hinata could be any worse.

Naruto had a plan. It would be a small act, he guessed, but one that would have meaning. Naruto knew that he stood beyond the average genin. And he got there through lots of help and assistance. While his was due to necessity, it didn't mean he couldn't pass along a few things. There was no use in hoarding techniques if he wasn't ever going to use them, or to impress others with it. So he figured that he would do Neji a favour. He would help him learn the jutsu's of the Inner Circle, through Hanabi and Hinata. And better yet, they would make it better. And he knew that the four of them could do it.

Fin.

* * *

**Sasuke must die!**

It was nightfall when an excited Uchiha Sasuke approached the gates of Konoha, fully laden with his training and shinobi gear. He was about to make a clear get away when he saw Naruto standing nonchalantly by a nearby bench.

Sasuke slowed down, wondering if the blond would make any issues and prevent him from leaving Konoha. To his surprise, when he walked to the gate, the jinchuuriki made no move to prevent him from exiting. Taking that as a good sign, he sped up, desperate to take his leave.

"Sasuke."

He stopped and turned around the face the blue eyes of his former teammate. For some reason, Naruto had become more friendly towards him since the last few months, to the extent that their respective fangirls had developed rather elaborate yaoi fantasies over the two bishounens. The fact that the two of them didn't deny it had only fueled rumours to a white hot blaze.

"Sasuke, I just wanted you to know…"

Sasuke was impatient and didn't want to wait "Yes? Hurry up, I need to whore myself to Orochimaru on a regular basis for more power. All that sodomy… I can't wait!"

Naruto looked nonplussed, "I – I"

"What you love me?! Hah, you couldn't offer me a prehensile tongue can you. Or possible a tentacle penis?? Multiple tentacle penises??" Sasuke said with derision.

Naruto just sweatdropped, "Well, no. I was going to say that I was faking it. I could also kage bunshin like one hundred times as well, but anyways."

"Nani!?" while he may not have found Naruto to be attractive, rejection was never nice. He was a Uchiha dammit, he refused people, not the other way around!

_Faking it?!_

The blond nodded, "I was really just getting close to you so I could fuck your mother. Damn, she is one fine piece of ass."

"What!? How about all those sweet nothings you whispered into my ear!" screamed the Uchiha in outrage

The swordsman shuddered in memory, "Like I said, I was faking it. No go off and have your fun with the Snake. I can comfort Mikoto and we can both grieve together. Without clothes. In her bed. Where she conceived you. Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu. Honestly, how did you expect to rebuild your clan anyways? Hetero you stupid dick. Oh well, at least you will be happy. So will I. Everybody wins!"

Feeling that something was really off about the scene, he tried to repress the images of Naruto copulating with his mother, "Right… I'm… going… to… go…now."

Nodding happily, Naruto waved enthusiastically: "Bye, I'll tell your mother that you will miss her. Who knows, you might have a brother or sister by the time you return. That makes me your step father. Man, that's freaky"

Sasuke stopped, giving the last comment some consideration. He faced Naruto again and smiled wanly, "Well, I couldn't think of a better person to – CHIDORI!!" he snarled, plunging his hand into Naruto's chest, who looked surprised. He choked and tried to do something –

Before exploding, catching Sasuke completely by surprise. His incinerated body lay on the floor, completely and utterly dazed as he wandered why he couldn't move his body at all.

The real Naruto walked out from a nearby alleyway and shook his head at the fallen Uchiha, "Ah, and you call me the dobe? All those times I was with you, pretending to be your friend, well, that was just a clone. I didn't want to spend anymore time than was necessary. Hmm, this is going to be hard to explain…"

Snapping his fingers, he came to an excellent idea, "Hey, I can bring you to Sakura, I'm sure she would love to play nurse."

The raven haired boy blanched more so than was possible for a burn victim, "No!! Don't you dare, aren't you human?! Don't you have any idea of who she is?!"'

"Yeah, I guess that is going too far even for me. Which is why I'm going to do it." Naruto rubbed his hands with anticipation, grabbed the Uchiha and carried him to the Haruno residence. Sasuke tried to find some way to commit suicide along the way. But it was kind of hard when you were suffering second degree burns and hog tied with ninja wire.

_Well this is awesome. I stopped him from going rogue, scored points from Mikoto for keeping her son safe, and got to hurt him as well. Can life get any better?_

**_You could have let him have his fun with Orochimaru. I'm sure that is the greatest punishment that anyone can face._**

_Well, not if you enjoy it._

**_Oh yeah… _**

_I mean honestly, by the amount that he is struggling, it's almost like he is going to his execution or something._

**_Kit, you do know that Sakura suffers from a, err, medical condition right?_**

_No, what is it? Some kind of STD? Pigmentation issues?_

**_Well, not exactly. Its kinda of a kekken genkai, sorta._**

_Oh?_

**_Yeah, ever head of something called vagina dentata?_**

_No, sounds nasty._

**_Well, let say that Sasuke will be screaming for all the wrong reasons soon enough. And I guess that was the reason why he went yaoi on everyone. Sakura offered herself to him and he was just an inch away from losing something important. I guess he figured that all women were like that. And let's say that Sakura will be far more insistent this time around. _**

_Oh, good._

**_That's my kit._**

**Omake #2: This is by Frozen Sin, and I meddled in it to top it off.**

Naruto just blinked. So did Kurenai. Hinata looked at them rather innocently before winking.

"Hinata, what happened between us yesterday night?"

That got Ino and Kurenai's attention, as they were eager to hear any potential juicy gossip between the two.

"Nothing happened Naru-kun. I don't know what you are talking about," she said disingenuously.

"No seriously Hina-chan, what the hell?" Naruto was thinking that this was some sort of elaborate practical joke, which he didn't appreciate. He was the one that pranked people dammit!

"Why nothing, why would you say that?"

"I woke up feeling sore all over and couldn't remember the last four hours dammit!" he shouted.

Hinata just giggled deviously, "Well, we shared a very, very special evening. I'm hurt that you can't remember it Naruto-kun. After all, it was my first time, "she teased.

The blond was frozen still in shock.

Kurenai took this moment of temporary lack of brain function to strangle the life out of the poor blond.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HINATA?!" was heard throughout Konoha. Ninety seconds of strangling later, assisted by her bandages that revealed more to Naruto that he would have imagined in his dreams, Hyuuga Hiashi himself arrived on the scene, along with the Hokage, Kakashi, and, for some reason, Jiraiya.

"What the hell is going on here?" Asked the normally stoic head of the Hyuuga clan. Ten seconds of Kurenai explaining later, an oxygen-deprived Naruto was being beaten by Hiashi and Kurenai, while Sarutobi and Kakashi were giggling like the perverts they were.

"How dare you defile my daughter and not remember it the day after! She is the heiress of the Hyuuga, not some trollop you can dismiss like that! Hakke Hyakunijuuhachi Shou!"

_Damn my stupid regeneration factor! Why can't I just die already?!_

**_Omake imperative kit._**

Kurenai was just seething that he had lasted for four hours. Four hours! Her first sexual experience was short, disappointing and something she had excised from her memory. Her devious mind was working in overtime as she plotted to get Naruto alone and under her 'supervision'. It was going to be so much easier now that she was his jounin sensei.

Jiraiya was giving the near-comatose boy a 'Double Super Pervert Thumbs-Up' while a Jiraiya shadow clone was scribbling notes into a notebook. Hinata wasn't shy about kissing and telling. Ino just licked her lips on every juicy moment.

_Oh Kami, my godson is a baller! I need all the details!_

* * *

A/N

So yeah, Aizen is a real bastard. I always thought that he was, and so he shall be. But he is so deliciously evil to write, the cold consummate planner that is like your Teflon ™ coated antagonist who keeps his powers and abilities under wraps. It seems like he could outfight most of Sereitei if he wanted to, but keeps the intrigues up for his own amusement.

Exams are coming up and I cannot devote time to this for a while, so I shall be on hiatus for about a month's time. This extra, extra long chapter will have to fill in the gaps for now. I hope people will enjoy the omake. I had that in my head for a while, and I figured I would realise it now since things wont happen quite the same way in my fic.

As always, read and review. Each comment will be savoured like mana from heaven. Flames, not so much so, but hey, if they are constructive and make me a better writer, then great.

And if you don't review, well, I just might lose interest after exams and decide not to finish this fic off. And it was heading off into such exciting territory now that the Wave Arc could begin…

Ja ne

* * *


	14. The clarion calls

**Breaking the Boundaries**

**A/N.**

I am back. The exams are over, along with the epic failures that I seemed to be doomed to suffer as a result of not being prepared. Who would have thought? In any event, I am going to cover some interesting, important and somewhat trivial scenes.

And something important happens. It has to do with zanpukuto's. And names. And the hearing thereof. If I was any more blunt then I would give up writing altogether. So check out my profile for my rendition of a little something called shikai.

And I am in the market for betas again, so if you would like to lend some assistance, let me know.

Onwards.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 05Jun08  
Chapter completed:01Jul08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_Naruto had a plan. It would be a small act, he guessed, but one that would have meaning. Naruto knew that he stood beyond the average genin. And he got there through lots of help and assistance. While his was due to necessity, it didn't mean he couldn't pass along a few things. There was no use in hoarding techniques if he wasn't ever going to use them, or to impress others with it. So he figured that he would do Neji a favour. He would help him learn the jutsu's of the Inner Circle, through Hanabi and Hinata. And better yet, they would make it better. And he knew that the four of them could do it._

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**_**  
The clarion calls**_

**Konoha  
Anko's Apartment **

Anko woke up with a blistering headache, feeling that something had crawled into her mouth and died in it. She stumbled into her bathroom, brushed her teeth groggily before giving up and took a hot shower.

She held her head under the hot stream as she tried to recall what had happened during the previous night. All she could remember was feeling particularly maudlin, going out to get smashed and hooking up with –

Her mind groaned at the memory, particularly the cheesy pick up lines that he had used and the rather pitiable way he had wormed his way past her defences. And worse yet, it had worked, though judging by the lack of good feelings or memories, it was yet another tawdry and disappointing tryst.

She got out, towelled down and popped some birth control pills before making her way back to her room. And she hoped to kami that she wouldn't find a certain something else there.

Unfortunately, she did. On her headboard was a kunai, adding a slash to a row of notches. Her face transformed into a vicious scowl before ripping the kunai out of the wood, gripping onto it tightly as she tried to calm her breathing.

_Fuck him, fuck him to hell!_

It was times like these that she really wondered if she would ever find someone that could ever love her, or see her, for what she was. While many people thought she was a shameless whore by the way that she paraded herself, it was all part of an act to distract and misinform enemies. But it didn't mean that she was necessarily promiscuous, despite actions to the contrary. She had hoped, when she was younger, that things would be better, that someone could see beyond blind prejudice. But she had just found that she was the target of men who just wanted an easy lay, with no commitments whatsoever. And then there were the people that deliberately set out to befriend her, before emotionally toying with her like she was a test piece in a twisted experiment. They said it was a just punishment for what her master did. He played with their loved ones, so they did the same to her. It had really hurt, especially the rare few that did have genuine feelings for her that were driven away by the mob mentality that seemed to grip Konoha. After some time she had given up and had nothing but contempt for men in general, besides a few exceptions.

She sat down, rubbing her temples as she fought the urge to scream out, at how she was used again. She hurled the kunai to an adjacent wall before sighing. She walked over to her wardrobe and donned her mesh shirt and trenchcoat. She looked at the time and grimaced, hurriedly making breakfast before realising that she was in no real hurry. There were not many people left to interrogate down in the ANBU chambers, besides Mizuki who had broken down and spilt his guts. They were not sure that he was being entirely truthful, as confessions by torture were inherently unreliable. His cursed seal had also prevented the usual techniques of persuasion to be used on him. But Anko did get a kick out of roughing up the traitorous chuunin who had ran to her former teacher for more power. It was a near overpowering hatred that she gladly took out on the semi-defiant nin whose crazed demeanour gave her nightmares at time. He was sane, yet not at the same time.

She drank some tea, wondering to what she could do when she heard someone knock on her door. Wondering who would be at her apartment at nine am on a Sunday morning, she got up and checked her CCTV monitor.

_Naruto-kun?_

She smiled and opened the door to be greeted by a flying hug/tackle that left her winded on the floor.

"Morning Anko," he said cheerfully.

Anko groaned before sitting up, "Y-You brat, what the hell?!"

She looked into Naruto's smiling face, a cheeky grin gracing his features as he laughed and got off her.

"Come on, don't lie there on the floor, you're late!"

Groaning, she got to her feet and promptly put the blond into a headlock, slowly choking him as he tried to fight out of her grip.

"Well, gaki, what am I late for exactly?"

"Arrgh- mmphh – "

Realising that she wasn't fluent in incoherent nonsense, she relaxed her grip as Naruto breathed in deeply, exaggerating his need for oxygen as he turned to face her, "As I was saying, I was going to buy you breakfast out of the goodness of my heart, but you were sleeping in, and now choking me. I don't like you anymore."

The kunoichi pouted before hugging the boy from behind, "Maa, don't be like that. You know that Anko-chan loves you and your wallet. It's such a big wallet as well," she cooed to him, while Naruto acted offended at that.

Rolling his eyes, he gestured to the door, "Anyways, are you coming or not?"

Never one to pass up a free meal, she nodded before following the exuberant boy who made his way down the stairwell before jumping out an adjacent window. She followed his lead as the both of them hopped from rooftop to rooftop, indulging in the feeling of freedom as they swiftly made their way to Anko's favourite dango stand. It had recently been upgraded to be a quasi-cafe eatery that had an elegantly simple decor that was humble and unpretentious. He opened the door, held it open for Anko who smirked at him before walking in and stopped.

She saw a few people waiting for her. There was Kurenai, Asuma, Ibiki, Yuugao, Hayate and the Sandaime, with a smile on their faces.

"What the?" she said, feeling an ambush coming on.

Naruto just grabbed her arm before shouting, "Happy birthday!" into her ear as loud as he could.

She winced and made a move to deck the boy who dodged her, before dragging her to the only people that she considered friends in Konoha who all wished her a happy birthday. It was a surreal experience for the girl, who couldn't rightly remember any time in her life that she had ever experienced a party of the sort. Growing up as an orphan and under Orochimaru's wing meant that she had never placed much value on such an occasion.

Naruto knew the bitter disappointment whenever his birthday was celebrated by his mother, which seemed like more of a wake than a happy circumstance. And as a child he had complained, pouted and even threw a tantrum. But he never really understood the bitter-sweet nature of the day until the revelations only a month ago. He used to have mixed feelings towards it, but he always thought that the idea of a birthday was something to be made special. And he realised that he never, ever celebrated it with Anko. He was part of many gatherings for Hinata and Hanabi, while his was a quieter affair as he was quite cagey about his date of birth. But he decided to do something nice for the Snake Kunoichi, despite all the trouble that she had caused him. He had hired out the entire floor, which wasn't hard considering that Anko and him were their best customers, though Naruto wasn't entirely willing in the eating of dango, and the purchasing thereof. They even had a special board where they had competitions to see who could create the best piece of art using the dango skewers.

The rest was just a matter of inviting everyone, including the Hokage who had managed to find some time off to say hello to the tokubetsu jounin. He was happy that Naruto had managed to find a solid core of friends, who incidentally happened to be older than him. He sighed at that, realising that Naruto probably wouldn't make friends easily in his age group, but hoped that it would change.

Anko was having a great time, where the dango was abundant and the sake flowed freely, even if it was in the morning and she did just get plastered the night before. She was playfully teasing Naruto and 'forcing' alcohol down his throat, much to Kurenai and Yuugao's dismay and outrage. She had pushed all the right buttons, taunting and daring him until Naruto snapped and found himself on the losing end of a bet.

And as she was surrounded by her friends, all genuinely happy for her, Anko felt that it was worth it. Just this moment alone, where someone showed that they had cared enough to do something for her expecting nothing in return. In her drunken, happy haze she had grabbed the blond responsible and sat him down on her lap, mocking feeding food as she pretended that he was a little boy, as Naruto poured sake like it was water down her throat, trying to get her to choke and embarrass herself. Unfortunately, the kunoichi was a pro who could hold her liquor to extents that most male shinobi were jealous of.

And Yuugao surreptitiously had a camera out, taking photographs as everyone laughed and made a slight fool of themselves. While the Sandaime was questioning the merits of having rice wine for breakfast, he decided that he wasn't going to get any younger and he could afford to indulge himself for one day. Yuugao had managed to get a photo of Naruto and Anko together, both of them smirking at each other as the kunoichi had a skewer in her mouth and holding the boy from behind, him looking up at her.

And the rest of them were wondering why they never did this for Anko, despite the fact that they knew each other for a long period of time. The life of a shinobi wasn't given to sentimentality, and it dulled their emotions and empathy towards other people. But in this simple act of sharing and having fun, they were reminded that they were human. And honestly, it made them feel ashamed that it took Naruto to show it to them all.

"So, that's eight bottles of sake, eight bottles. How many did you drink Naruto-kun?" crowed Anko victoriously.

The boy crossed his arms and pouted, "Two."

"Oh, I'm sorry, how many was that again? I couldn't hear you?"

Naruto gritted his teeth, "Two you crazy snake lady! Are you getting deaf in your old age?"

Kurenai just smiled at the scene as Anko was again mock choking the boy before giving up and things were back to normal. They had an odd relationship, that straddled between a close sibling rivalry, and an odd one way flirtation that made her feel uncomfortable for reasons she wasn't entirely clear. Part of it was that Naruto was her student and that she was very fond of the mysterious boy. She didn't want Anko to hurt him with her playful suggestions that she didn't mean... well, she hoped that she was being playful. At odd times, she had the very suspicious feeling that her friend was testing and building up Naruto's stamina for a collateral purpose. She wasn't particularly impressed by their chases that managed to span one length of Konoha to the next, but accepted that it did serve some useful purpose. Now she really had to wonder...

Orochimaru had taken her at a young age, and through a bizarre, sadistic and abusive apprenticeship forged Anko into what she was today. Kurenai just hoped that she wasn't projecting it onto Naruto, despite what she was seeing in front of her. She knew that it wasn't intentional, not by any means, but she had to be sure.

Snapping out of it, she just enjoyed seeing a genuine smile on Anko's face that wasn't inspired by blood lust or otherwise. She just sighed and wished that she didn't get Naruto to drink at his age. It wasn't such a big problem, considering their profession, but it just felt odd to her.

"So, what did you get me brat?" demanded Anko.

Naruto cocked his head and shrugged, "Nothing, not a damned thing."

"What?!"

Naruto stuck out his tongue, before laughing freely, the alcohol giving him a light buzz as the excess ethanol was processed by his body into its harmless constituent parts.

"I hired out the dammed place, what else more do you want me to do?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about cake at the very least?" she asked hopefully.

The jinchuuriki chuckled and walked off into the kitchen, coming out with a cake prepared by Konoka, after much pleading, promises of massages and helping out in the evenings with the washing up. He wasn't all too sure if he had gotten a fair bargain, but he knew that it was possibly the only place that he could trust that wouldn't try to sabotage it in some way, and still taste great.

Oddly enough, it was absolutely covered with candles, over fifty of them, all lit up. Asuma grunted as he tried to cover up his laughter, while Anko was again throttling a sniggering Naruto as Kurenai was holding her back.

"Ah, let me go Nai-chan, he's making fun of me! On my birthday!"

Sarutobi just looked over the scene with mirth and a melancholy look. This was why he became the Hokage, to see his loved ones safe and enjoying themselves to the fullest extent. Yet it was some time where he had met with his peers, since most of them were dead after nearly six decades of battle.

_I guess its time to choose someone else._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuugao and Kurenai managed to get a loquacious and staggering Anko to her apartment and were praying that they didn't have another alcohol fuelled mishap. Naruto was resigned to the position of a huggable plush doll as he was possessively embraced every step of the way. They sure did attract a lot of odd stares throughout the streets, especially when Anko started ranting about how much she wanted to castrate men with her snakes. Naruto paled at that and fought comically hard to get out of the way, but with his hands firmly separated by the kunoichi, the best he could do was to plead with Yuugao and Kurenai to protect him if anything did go south.

"Ok, she managed to get herself wasted in four hours time, a personal best. It's just the midafternoon as well. I wonder if she can top this off," mused Kurenai.

"Wa? Is that a dare Nai-chan?" slurred Anko, "How about I take this lovely gaki here and show Konoha how much I love him? I always wanted to 'christen' the Hokage's monument," she leered.

Both women's faces hardened at the mental image, while Naruto was strangely still and felt confusion, fear and ... excitement.

"Ok, too much sake for you, you bad girl. I hope your hangover will cripple you tomorrow," Yuugao said happily.

They managed to reach her apartment and left a near delirious Anko on her bed. Naruto shrugged his shoulders, wondering if these people were supposed to be his role models in one way or another. He gave a foxy grin at the sight of the genuinely happy kunoichi before leaving with the two others.

"Naruto, why did you do all of that?" asked Yuugao.

He jinchuuriki shrugged, "I just wanted to show her that I cared."

A simple, yet powerful answer that reverberated though the both of them. That was until he was placed into another headlock by Yuugao.

"How about me you little bastard!? You never organised things like that for my birthday! Not even once," she raged, feeling ever so slightly miffed that she never got that kinda treatment from her surrogate brother.

"Ano... I would have but ..."

"But what?" she demanded.

"Well, I don't really know your birthday," he said sheepishly.

"What?!"

"Well, I don't."

"Don't give me that bullshit! I know you give me a gift every year," she said crossly.

"Who said that I was the one to do that?" Naruto asked slyly.

"Oh please, like Hayate would get me those kinds of things. He has the sentimentality of a sake saucer."

The boy shrugged, "You never know. And stop bad mouthing Hayate-sempai."

"Why don't you make me?" she dared.

Naruto just stopped in his tracks, giving her a weird look.

"What?" asked the ANBU captain.

"Aren't you two together?" he asked incredulously.

Yuugao just winced, shaking her head slightly.

That was news to the blond, "What?! Why?"

She shrugged, "We decided we were better off as friends."

"But, but-"

The violet haired kunoichi just placed the tip of her finger onto Naruto's lips with a wan smile, "It's... hard to explain. Things weren't going great for a while, so it was for the best."

Naruto had a disbelieving look on his face, which tightened up before he stormed off.

Kurenai just looked at the scene with concern, "What... was that about?"

Yuugao just scratched her head, having a vague idea to why the blond was so upset, "I don't know..."

Naruto was lost in an indescribably haze as he walked in circles, before he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. He turned around, "Yeah-"

He saw a devilishly grinning Anko who quickly grabbed him, placed him over her shoulders before roof jumping, laughing manically all the while.

_**You know, you think this kinda crap would attract people's attention. Especially in a shinobi village.**_

_I think people are somewhat inured to the bullshit that me and Anko have put Konoha through. Remember the time that we managed to string up all the Inuzuka's dogs, dressed them up in floral clothing and had dogs raining all over Konoha?_

_**Ah yes, that was brilliant. I thought that girl would beat you stupid and take out your eye. Wait, what was her name again?**_

_Hana, I think. _

_**What did you do to get off?**_

_I just gave her my look. You know, the one where I look all pitiful and contrite, I bite my lower lip, hug them and promise to never do it again?_

_**Of course. I taught you that move. I invented that move. My siblings had nothing on me.**_

_And that is why I love you._

Ahh. You're so sweet, if only you could hear my name already and manifest me in this world, then everything would be perfect. Just perfect.

"Ah Anko, not that I don't like being kidnapped in broad daylight, what are you doing?"

"Just you wait gaki, just you wait."

Naruto just shrugged and relaxed. He soon found himself on top of the Hokage monument, looking down at Konoha as he was rather gently placed upon the ground and leaned against the kunoichi as she placed her arm around him, hugging him tightly as they enjoyed the silence and the sun's rays.

"You know, that is one of the nicest things that anyone has ever done for me, you know that."

"I know," Naruto said silently.

"Pathetic huh? A party, like that, and I'm getting all sentimental about it."

Quizzically, Naruto looked up and found Anko gracing him with a thankful smile before she took his face into her palms and kissed him. While she had liked to glomp the boy on a regular basis, it was all in jest and a sly attempt to tease him. But this was different; a heartfelt gesture. In her inebriated state, she thought it was gentle, sweet and touching. She wanted to show her thanks, and at the time it seemed like the best way to do so.

Naruto felt like sake fumes had knocked him over, straddled him and was trying to wear out a wooden paddle on his ass. It was sloppy, confusing and why was she trying to shove her tongue down his throat? He made a move away, but Anko prevented that, pushing him closer against her before pulling him down to the ground with her. He figured that he could escape this awkward spot that he was placed in, but that would mean him dealing with a needy, drunken kunoichi who could very well kick his ass if she wanted to. Her 'low' rank did not do justice to the sheer firepower that she had under her belt. Being Orochimaru's student had gifted her with some powerful techniques that he had harshly pounded into her. It was one of the few collateral benefits that she could thank him for. She would still try to kill the son of a bitch if she could though.

_Ah... what do I do now?_

Kyuu didn't know whether to give him some tips, or to get him to back the fuck away from Anko. She could understand why this was happening, but she didn't like it one bit.

_**I'm sure she won't remember a thing the day after. Just be careful to where she puts her tongue. You don't know where it has been.**_

_What?!_

_**Nevermind. **_

For some reason, it seemed like a great idea for them to lock their tongues together, despite the veritable age difference between the two of them. It was an attraction that didn't make much sense to people, but it had only gotten stronger as Naruto grew up. It was like he was exuding pheromones that seemed to wow the female population. Which wasn't too far off from the mark.

_Oh man, I hope I don't have to explain this to anyone tomorrow._

They both finally needed to breathe, so Anko reluctantly broke away, with Naruto heaving as he felt glorious oxygen enter into his lungs again.

_**Feh. Pansy. **_

_What!? I couldn't breathe!_

_**I'm disappointed kit. I thought you could last for longer than that**__, _she taunted.

Anko was probably aware that what she was doing was inappropriate, possibly illegal. But that didn't mean that she would stop. She just wanted to show Naruto how much she had appreciated his thoughtfulness. And it was in a way that mirrored her disappointment with the nameless stranger from the night before, by making it count with someone she cared about. It was a pity about the possible horror the next morning when she did remember her lascivious acts in all their glorious and sordid details. It wouldn't be one of her proudest moments, initiating sexual contact with a fourteen year old kid. But at this moment in time, it felt the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Twenty Three**

"Run for me Yamanaka!"

Ino just staggered along, feeling a stitch developing as she struggled to keep breathing as she felt her blood pounding through her veins. She could hear her heart hammering inside her chest as her legs pumped, the aching strain on the muscles sending pain and discomfort.

"I – I – hate you Naruto!" she puffed out.

The blond shrugged as he jogged alongside her, "Oh quit your bitching Ino, I'm keeping up with you, so you can't complain."

She scoffed at that, feeling the stitch tighten, "Hah – you – just – keep – listening – to – me!"

Naruto just grinned devilishly and then reached into his kunai pouch. It was true that the pace that he had set was fairly brisk, but once he said that it would boost her metabolism and keep her toned, her complaints had died down.

"Time for dodging practice!" he shouted out.

She screamed at him, before weaving hysterically to avoid the sharp metal that the blond pelted at her, laughing manically as he showed off his stamina, literally running circles around the girl until she tripped over a tree root and landed flat on her face.

Naruto stopped, puffing a bit before prodding her with his foot, "Well, that was fun. Was it as good for you as it was for me?"

_I now know how Anko must have felt back in the day. It's kinda fun. _

"Screw you…" Ino managed to mumble out.

"Ah, Kurenai-sensei, will I have to do that as well?" asked a concerned Hinata.

"… No, I don't think you will," Kurenai was seriously reconsidering her whole idea of using Naruto as a mentor if he was going to push such a regime on Ino. He had first used shadow clone to spar with her, beating her down. He then taught her a simple katon jutsu which she managed to master. And he then chased her like a mastiff hound for the last hour, clipping her several times with his knives and shuriken. It was all pretty intense, and she wondered if she could end up keeping pace with Naruto if she needed to. He was a literally stamina freak that seemed to be inexhaustible. And she swore that this was the exact routine that Anko had foisted onto the blond back in the day.

He made it back to their position, with a shadow clone carrying the collapsed girl like a sack of rice over his shoulder.

"Ok, put her down," he told the bunshin.

The clone dumped the blonde onto the ground, who groaned at the impact. She glared at him before passing out.

Naruto just stared at the kage bunshin.

"What? You didn't say gently or anything…" it tried to defend itself.

"That's it, go back to … wherever it is that you go to," he ordered.

"Catchya later boss."

Hinata grabbed some bandages and tried to staunch the light bleeding. The wounds were not too bad as Naruto wasn't aiming to kill the girl, just scare her a bit. And it would likely work, even if he was going to get bitched at for all the scars covering her arms and legs.

"I'm bored, so what do we do now?" asked Naruto.

A devilish look came onto their sensei's face which quickly disappeared, "I think its time for a mission. A D ranked mission."

Naruto froze.

_D rank?!_

**Flashback**

After a rather spectacular beating down by 'Hebi' and 'Mi', Naruto sat down and tried hard not to sulk at his two mentors who showed him though he couldn't be killed, that didn't mean that he could win. Sure he could take on punishment like a metaphorical tank, but trying to ass kick something ran and moved out of the way made things just that harder. His flash step technique was great, but he could only use it in small doses. And he needed to see where the hell he was actually going. They had figured out that by using lots and lots of smoke it would confuse him.

And to an extent it did, but he had used his spiritual sight to get a marker on them. But it was watching black blurs that didn't tell him much beyond proximity. He didn't want to shunpo into a trap which they had set up for him on more than one occasion.

"Mah Naruto-kun, don't pull such a long face. One day you will be able to win against us," 'Mi' said with a grin.

"You better believe it…" Naruto muttered darkly.

"Aw, is Naruto upset?" he was promptly glomped by 'Hebi' who manage to melt any resentment he may have had and just sighed.

"When will I ever manage to match you guys?"

'Mi' just shrugged, "Well, honestly, we are older than you. We have been doing things for a long time, and we have always fought against people stronger than us. But we managed to live and win through those little things. Power doesn't mean much if you don't use it properly. And your body isn't at full maturity just yet."

It quickly degenerated into small talk before they questioned him about his team.

"Man, just wait till you get to the bane of all genin teams," muttered 'Mi'.

"Which is?" asked Naruto.

With a dead serious expression 'Mi' spat out a few words, "D ranked missions."

'Hebi' shivered at those words and started to hold herself, a poster child for post traumatic stress disorder.

Naruto grew concerned and went up to her, a comforting hug given as he rocked the seemingly shell shocked adult.

'Mi' just continued in a haunted voice, "Words can't describe how kami awful those things were. I was seeing things that no child should have seen and staid sane. It was degrading, useless, humiliating and I just wanted to genjutsu the memories out of my mind."

"What happened?" asked a tremulous Naruto, wondering what could have turned his two teachers into the shaken wrecks that they now were.

"We – we – we had to wash old people without the benefit of a sponge, so it was all hands on," spat out the assassin.

"We had to clean up the bathrooms in the adult shop in that dingy alleyway that you should never, ever visit Naruto," cried out 'Hebi'.

"The sewers were blocked, and three genin teams had to go there and fight off mutating rats with sores all over their bodies, were the size of small dogs! Hell, one of them ate the Inuzuka's dog! The smell was like – oh kami, I can't describe it. We had to shovel a massive blockage located near the Akimichi residence that was full of things that… oh kami…. My parents forced me to sleep outside for a month because we all stank that much."

'Mi' was subconsciously clenching his fists before continuing, "We had to catch a dammed cat that would always, always get lost and be reassigned again. It would scratch, kick and bite and they wouldn't let us kill it. They just wouldn't. I would have given my soul to finish it off, and possibly eat it."

"And the time we had to bag the manure for the Inuzuka compound. I now know that hell is full of dog shit, piles and piles of it. How they hell did they let it get like that?! It was like some kind of shrine to a twisted canine god that they were worshipping."

"That never happened." 'Hebi' said dully.

"What do you mean, I have the mental scars to prove it," 'Mi' protested.

"THAT never happened," she ground out. The dangerous glint of a repressed memory shut him quick enough.

Naruto just starred in horror. So far all he had been doing was training, which was agreeable enough, but he didn't think it could have been that bad. This sounded like being an indentured slave, but much dirtier and oppressive.

_Oh no, this can't be happening._

_**It can't be that bad could it,**_ Kyuu asked doubtfully, _**I think they are just pranking you**_.

**End flashback**

They made their way into the Hokage's office where Iruka gave them their mission roster.

"Ok, Team Eight has the following duties: Clean up the Hokage's monument, babysitting and finding a Council members wedding ring that somehow ended up being lost in the tip."

They left the office and Naruto shook his head and protested.

Kurenai nodded solemnly, "I know that it seems like an excuse to punish you with a dirty, disgusting, and degrading learning experience. It is. So don't worry about missing out."

All of them, Ino being conscious at this point, sweatdropped at hearing that.

Naruto exploded, "Why are we doing this again!? We are ninja, that means bad ass jutsu casting, saving princesses, stealing from rich and giving to myself, fighting bandits, exploring tombs of lost daimyos, saving genin Ryan, that kinda thing! I wasn't tricked into becoming a genin for this kinda slave labour!"

Kurenai just shook her head, "To build teamwork. And because I had to suffer through it when I was a genin. So will you. End of story. Why the hell should you get off when countless generations of Konoha nins had the same beginnings since the Founding? We have been doing it for so long; it's more than a tradition. It's mandatory. So stop complaining Naruto-kun."

"Nani?! Is this why Itachi went crazy?!" demanded the boy.

"He was in ANBU at the time, so no. They get to do all the fun stuff, which you will to," she reassured the disgruntled genin, "but you have to work your way up to the ladder. I'll just sit back and supervise."

"Sensei, please don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you."

"Ah, Naruto-kun is so cute when he is angry. Isn't he Hinata?" mocked Kurenai

"Yep. Look at those whiskers flaring up, it's so adorable!" nodded Hinata, grinning all the way.

Naruto was just left spluttering at how no one would take him seriously before he dragged his feet, lagging behind the others.

And he suddenly realised that the view from the rear wasn't that bad at all.

_**Bad kit!**_

_Oh please…_

* * *

**Konoha  
Yugito's apartment**

Naruto glanced at the mission order and scratched his head

_Wait, isn't this Yugito's place. Why does she need a team of genin for?_

_**Didn't she say that she had a surprise for you?**_

_Well, yeah but… oh no. She wouldn't. She couldn't. Kami…_

A bad, foreboding feeling descended upon the jinchuuriki as he knocked on the door. His two teammates were wondering why he was so reluctant.

The door opened to reveal a grinning Yugito twirling a leather riding crop.

"Ok, this just got kinky," Naruto deadpanned.

"Oh, I just came back from… horse riding. Yes, hose riding. Oh, there are three of you. I only really need one, say, oh I don't know, that funny looking boy over there."

"What boy?" asked Naruto in his new _Orioke_ disguise, who looked suspiciously like Anko which made Kurenai surprisingly upset. She felt supplanted in an odd way. And it was actually clothed for once, which made all the difference.

Yugito just lazily swung the crop so that it smacked the henge'd blond, causing the jutsu to falter.

"You, you cheeky bastard," she pointed out with a smirk.

"Ow, that's no way to treat your friends dammit! Do you go around bitchslapping everyone?!" demanded Naruto.

"Hey, it worked with Konohamaru didn't it?" she pointed out.

"Well yeah, but I'm not a misguided idiot with something to prove!" Naruto shot back.

She shrugged, "Eh, details, details. So anyways, I'm glad that you all came to accept my mission, but really, I only need one person. The rest of you can all go home."

Naruto shook his head violently, "Guys, don't leave me alone her. I'm scared. Somebody hold me."

Hinata was more than happy to oblige, glaring at the older girl who looked disappointed that her fun was going to be taken away.

Kurenai was amused at the whole scene, and didn't quite want it to end. She had never seen the usually fearless blond quite so distressed over things. She guessed that she was one of his many female friends and there was a certain level of familiarity and indulgence that went closer to what he had with Hinata. It was all too interesting for her to let go.

"Now now, the client is always right. Especially when they are paying customers. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. And I'm sure Yugito wouldn't do anything bad to you Naruto, so stop being paranoid."

The jinchuuriki held onto the heiresses shoulder and looked into her eyes, "Hinata, I want you to know that if I die, I'm going to leave everything to you and Hanabi ok? And possibly Neji, if he agrees that I'm more unbelievably awesome than him. Better looking as well. Ok, maybe that's stretching it a bit. But it has to be at my funeral. Make sure everyone attends ok?"

He then faced Yugito, "Yugito, know that if you make me do something horrible, I'm not going to be your friend anymore. I would even make sure your life is a living hell by pranking you."

"Whatever, you don't have the balls Naruto-kun," she said dismissively.

The boy took out two bells and waved them slowly in front of her. For some reason she found herself transfixed by the sight and found herself wanting to grab it.

_Oh man, this is gold. Thanks for telling me about this Kyuu_

_**No problems Naru-kun. I always wondered why she had an odd attraction to shiny things and all that. Any moment now.**_

Inside Yugito's head, an even odder conversation was occurring.

_What the hell!? Why do I want to have that bell so badly?_

_**Damn her, damn her to hell! My only weakness.**_

_Your weakness is a bell?!_

_**Well, yeah. What's wrong with that?**_

_Oh come on, a bell?!_

_**It's better than your irrational fear over drowning alone and unloved. Would it be better if you drowned in the arms of someone that loved you?**_

_No! It wouldn't!_

_**Mortals, hopeless, the lot of you. How could anyone resist the melodic symphony created by a simple bell? Its simplicity is the highest form of perfection, the wavenote in perfect harmony and proportion to its frequency and pitch. Bah, philistines wouldn't appreciate fine art if it came right up and urinated all over you!**_

_How the hell does Naruto deal with this?! I need to know._

_**Man, you think I'm bad, Kyuu is an overbearing dominatrix that loves to whip. I mean look at how many tails she has. Ever wondered why they have a whip called a "cat of nine tails"? They got it entirely wrong, it should be a 'fox of nine tails'. It's like bitchslapping at its highest, more rarefied form. I'm kinda jealous. Kinda. She just swings it and BAM, nine blows to the face just like that! It's so useful and funny at times. Err… what was I talking about just then?**_

_You're irrational weakness for bells?_

_**Oh yeah, get it. Get it now ko-neko.**_

* * *

**Konoha  
Sewerage collection point one hundred and thirty two**

Kisuke opened a portal, intent on visiting the blond that he had meant to keep an eye on, but was embroiled in the current intrigues permeating Sereitei. He picked up Naruto's signature and found himself into a sewer. He looked around the place, holding his nose as he found the jinchuuriki with a disgusted expression on his face.

"So Naruto-kun, is this what ninja get up to?" Kisuke asked in an amused tone.

Naruto hung his head and sobbed, "Yes, please, take me away!"

Chuckling, he rubbed his chin before giving it some thought.

_I could take him to Sereitei, but that might be a bit premature. He just isn't quite ready for it all yet, though he has made considerable progress. On second thought._

"I'll do it if you … errr… eat this for me."

He produced the black orb that was giving him so many problems so far.

"What is that?" asked Naruto with curiosity.

"It's chocolate Naruto. A large ball of chocolate. And you can't chew on it. Defiantly don't chew on it. Just swallow it whole ok?"

"You're kidding me right? It's the size of my fist and looks as hard as rock. I can't do that!"

_Eh, it was worth a shot I guess. I have to look into a way of inserting this to someone without it being so blindingly obvious. It's not like I could put it into his ramen or anything…_

"And who might you be?" asked Kurenai, suspicious at the sight of the portal opening man who could be a potential enemy. And one that managed to get around their village security by gating into the village, by passing their checkpoints entirely.

Kisuke turned his attention to the red eyed genjutsu mistress and gave a grandiose bow, "Urahara Kisuke, shinigami. And you are?"

Naruto decided to but in, "This is Yuuhi Kurenai, my jounin sensei. She is the one making me do all this rubbish collecting. Hey, is being a shinigami better than what I am doing so far?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, wait. As long as you are not in the Fourth division, then it's ok. They get to clean the sewers as well for some reason."

"Ok, but besides that, do I get to ass kick things on a regular basis?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Ah Naruto my boy, I can guarantee that you can fight things to your hearts content. Wait till I introduce you to Kenpachi Zaraki, oh, you two will get along like a house on fire."

"Sounds awesome, so, any reason why you are hear to see me? Don't get me wrong, I like seeing you and all, but it has been a few years," Naruto asked with curiosity.

"Would you reconsider eating this ball? I'd really appreciate it and it would help me out."

Naruto gave Kisuke a look, "… No."

"Well, I was just checking up on you, like a responsible adult and all that. You seem to be pretty good. How's your bladework coming along?"

Naruto grinned evilly and chuckled with anticipation, "Since you last taught me those techniques, I have gotten much better. Why don't we find out eh?"

Though that lie confused Kisuke, he nodded his assent, carefully observing Kurenai's reactions and the two of them ran off, with Kurenai following, her curiosity piqued by the presence of the death god who destroyed any preconceptions of how death gods were supposed to behave. She dismissed a curious Ino and Hinata and told them to meet the next day. This was more important and the three of them made their way to a deserted field and the two of them faced off.

Kisuke drew his blade from his cane, a swagger in his step as he wanted to see how Naruto had progressed. He wasn't to be disappointed.

Naruto dashed forward, left foot leading as he pulled off a measured blow that he sidestepped, retaliating with a swing to the boy's head which he nimbly danced out of the way. He whirled around and stabbed at Urahara, who parried it and bashed his guard away, sending Naruto tumbling back a few meters.

"Not bad, but is that all you have got?"

"Not even halfway there you old bastard!"

And there it began to get confusing for Kurenai as she struggled to see what was going on. It was a battle where Naruto was utterly concentrated and moved his entire body like a leaf dancing on the wind. Every so often afterimages would clutter the field as she recognised the Dance of the Crescent Moon that Naruto used, and it created enough confusion that his blows were getting to the older blond.

But Kisuke was experienced and deadly with his blade, but he was impressed by the sheer level of improvement that he saw. In only six years, Naruto would now easily take on any seated officer and fight them to a standstill, with only his sealed zanpukuto. When he was able to release his shikai… Kisuke grew excited at that thought. It was going to be amazing and he promised to document all of it.

But right now, his technically excellent form and instinctive fighting reaction exceeded all his expectations. But he had finally hit a plateau, where nothing could really be improved but from experience and his reiatsu manipulation. He was all too aware that age had very little to do with the power of a shinigami. There were literally spirits in the spiritual bodies of children that could have taken on the most powerful of Hollows and won. He was pleasantly surprised that he had developed a rather rudimentary flash step technique. It was horribly inefficient and couldn't be used to the extent that he or Yoruichi could, but given a bit of polish, he could be untouchable, at least in this world. And he was acutely aware of their audience, so he guessed that Naruto was holding back most of his abilities. It wasn't a bad idea, given how his past treatment by the village was hardly fitting for the burden that he had to shoulder. If anyone ever tried to profile Naruto to take him out, they would be severely underestimating the boy.

"Ok, that's enough. Very nice, I haven't had such a good workout in a while. But there are bits that you can work on to get better. Your grip is a bit too tight, you couldn't get a real decent feel for my next hit. Defence is pretty solid, though you could use a bit more acrobatics in your moves to spice things up a bit. But I'm happy."

"What can I say? I had an awesome teacher sempai," Naruto drawled happily.

Kisuke puffed out his chest, "Of course you did, now I'm going to show another awesome trick."

"Really?!" Naruto asked excitedly. "What is it?"

"Well, it's all about dodging."

Naruto fell flat onto his face, "Dodging?!"

"Of course. Get ready Naruto-kun."

_Okiro: Benihime!_ (Awaken, Crimson Princess!)

A bright indigo light rushed forward from his blade, making Naruto widen his eyes as he felt the pure reiatsu manifest itself and transform the zanpukuto. The blade widened and lengthened slightly, with a red tassel and forming around the now curved hilt as he held it out of him.

_Nake!_ (Sing!)

And from the blade burst forward a red energy blast that surged forward towards Naruto who dodged it with difficulty.

_Crap that was fast! _

_Nake! Nake! Nake! Nake!_

The consecutive strikes pretty much demolished the surround areas and left Naruto sweating as he tried to avoid the storm of crimson bursts that would have probably taken him out. He was genuinely afraid of the older man as that much destructive power could be unleashed in such a short period of time.

"Ok, I have had my fun. It's time for a bit of a shinigami lesson," Kisuke drawled out.

"Oh?"

"Our zanpukuto's are part of our souls, but have a variety of evolutions that it can go through. The first part is our sealed state, what you have right now in your hand. However, once we learn the true name of our zanpukuto's, it transforms into its proper form. This is _Benihime_. I'd let you touch it, but she is a bit picky about that kinda thing. The last time somebody did it, they lost their hand."

Naruto blinked at that, "Err… I think I'll pass on that."

"Probably a good idea. You need to get into communication and earn the trust and respect of your zanpukuto before doing so. It will make you much more powerful, but you might have to relearn your fighting style, if your zanpukuto isn't a blade anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there have been some in the form of spears and some really odd thing that my second has. It's like a trident. There have been fans and a weird wasp like thing. Hell, there really is no logic behind it."

_Kyuu, you respect and trust me right?_

…

_Right?_

_**Possibly, but there is a bit more that you can work on.**_

_Like what!?_

_**Well, I will respect you if you manage to beat me in a battle. How's that?**_

_Fine, tonight it is. Bring it!_

_**I'm in your head, but anyway, it's what I love about you.**_

_He he he he he_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_You ready Kyuu?_

_**Sure, when you are. But be warned that this is going to hurt.**_

A few scenes later, where Kyuu thoroughly beat up Naruto using her five tails and her sword. Naruto collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily as he tried to muster up some more effort.

Kyuu landed on his stomach, before sitting on his chest.

_**So, who is the bitch now?**_

_You?_

SMACK!

Kyuu pouted at the loss of her tails. Having five wasn't quite the same as nine. It just didn't make the smack as satisfying as it could be.

_Stop, stop, not the tails!_

_**And that kit, is why you can't hear my name just yet.**_

He sighed.

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Eighteen**

"Oh Ten-Ten, where are you?"

After realizing that he had kinda pawned off Ten-Ten's training to Hayate, he figured he would show up to see how things were going. It had been a while since the swordsman had tried to work his magic, but he wanted to see for himself if she gotten better. He did relish the idea that there would be more people using kenjutsu, which was a rarity in Konoha. He did want to spar against someone, and Ten-Ten seemed like the best option.

"Hey, Neji, where is Ten-Ten?"

The Hyuuga waved into a northerly direction and continued to scribble some notes down into his book, "Somewhere there. Don't bother me, I'm working on something."

Somewhat put off by his dismissive attitude, he sighed and walked off. He heard some feminine grunts and saw the kunoichi flowing from form to form.

She moved in a fluid manner, her strikes precise and technically perfect, but there was something missing from the scene. It was just too rigid for Naruto's liking. If pressed, he would freely admit that he was a brawler who found his niche in the ebb and flow of combat, finding and probing with unpredictable movements, parries and strikes until he was successful.

He slowly clapped, which broke the girls concentration, her face flushing from the exertion that she had just been through.

"Nice, so you decided to use the ninjaken?" asked Naruto.

She nodded happily, then scowled at the boy, "Yeah, which you would have known if you had bothered to check up on me every so often. But no, you just left me. Why did you do that for? I thought we had a deal."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, "Well, you see, I was really, really busy and I figured that Hayate would be the better person to teach you. You seem to know your stuff now. How about a spar? I promise to go easy on you," he teased.

She growled at that implied assertion of superiority. She had always thought that she was compared to Naruto when Hayate tutored her, and she didn't like the feeling. His comments and glowing praise had only spurred her to get better, which was the shinobi's goal all along. Ten-Ten had proven to be a great student, picking up things easily and had the life long grace of wielding weapons and had most of the basis down. She wasn't as good as Naruto, who could have been playing with a sword as long as he was high since he was a toddler, but she was getting damned close to a master if given a few more years.

She stood in an easy stance, and waited for Naruto to take the next step.

"Um, how about using bokken instead, or blunted blades? Cuts hurt and leave scars. You wouldn't want that would you?" asked the blond.

"Eh, I don't care about scars. We are shinobi, not beauty queens."

And it was with those few words that Naruto's respect for Ten-Ten increased two fold.

"Alright, but no killing blows ok?"

"Less talking, more sparring! And don't you dare hold back!"

_Yeah, right. Not like I want to kill you and explain that to your parents. _

Naruto drew his zanpukuto and turned his body sideways, offering a smaller target and extended his blade. He found his void and concentrated the girl into it. It was a method of concentration that he recently used to help him focus all of his techniques. Oddly enough, it worked for his chakra based abilities, but really shone when combined with reiatsu. With it he could focus on the potential moves and track the enemy's movements, by incrementally focusing on muscles and movements. It was also the worst case of tunnel vision that could be experienced, but it allowed him to overwhelm most people in single combat.

_Ok, lets see how good your really are._

Naruto dashed forward, swinging his blade in a tight arc that was solidly parried, before Ten-Ten went for a riposte that the blond dodged, as he thrust forward into her guard and smacked her in the face with his left fist.

"Ok, lesson one; your entire body is a weapon. Don't forget that."

In response she lashed out with her feet, aiming for his crotch that connected. Unfortunately, she impacted onto the groin guard that did more damage to her foot than to Naruto.

"Lesson two, my crotch is off limits. You try to work the box, I work your face, understand?"

She meekly nodded her assent before limping away and trying to get a good position.

"Ok, let's really dance."

And Naruto blurred, his sword strikes looking like blurs as he pushed Ten-ten to her limits. She tried to parry each strike instead of avoiding them, a sore point of pride that she could match him blow for blow. It was punishing on her and her blade. She could feel her wrist complaining to the strain of each strike, that nearly threatened to dislodge her grip. Her blade was being nicked and chipped, while Naruto's zanpukuto staid perfectly sharp and glimmered in the sun.

And she was jealous of that ridiculously fine weapon that he wielded. It was balanced, deadly sharp and retained its edge when he used the thing like a machete. While she tried to convince herself that he was only good because of the katana, she knew that Naruto just had skill. He was fast, agile and could swing his blade like it weighed nothing. His footwork was flawless as he transmitted all the force from his blow with the correct anchor point, making the strikes the most efficient and painful things she had to counter. He had nicked her several times, but she had no illusions that he could have ended the match on at least five occasions. She felt like a mouse to the cat.

And she slowly realised the difference between the two of them. While she could memorise and replicate the movements entirely, it seemed that Naruto understood the inherent meaning behind each act and moved with purpose. It wasn't like Neji who moved like he was guided by some pattern or plan, Naruto needed to do the simplest and easiest thing to get the job done. His fluidity stunned her as he weaved in and out of her blows, his eyes never wavering and avoided getting cut while lightly grazing her, at one point even slapping her cheek with the flat of his blade with a cheeky grin on his face. Any ill feeling that she had evaporated as she saw that the boy wasn't being malicious: he simply was pointing out her flaws in a practical manner.

He managed to leave a slight opening which she took, and the two of them ended up locking hilts. They tried to get leverage, but Naruto had the stronger wrist and easily manipulated it such that they were facing each other. Not wanting to admit defeat, Ten-Ten tried to head but Naruto. The thing was that Naruto was in the kunoichi's position when he was sparring against 'Mi' and knew all of the tricks that could be pulled by the desperate. Hell, he had tried them all from painful, painful experience. He simply disengaged their blades and placed his pommel into the path of her head. The girl cursed and swung out blindly, hoping to catch the blond who just battered her blade to the side and gave her three slaps. One to both cheeks and one to her chin.

She just looked murderous and wanted to throw her scarred blade and strangle the jinchuuriki, but she vowed that she would land a decent hit on him. She knew that straight out kenjutsu was a bad idea, so she decided to show him a little trick by combining her expert markswoman skills.

She drew out five kunai and threw them at Naruto, who just battered them away. It would have worked if they didn't contain explosive tags hidden inside the frangible steel outer jacket that exploded on impact, sending the shards everywhere. Now, it was probably a bit extreme, but Ten-Ten really wanted to win and she was more than willing to see Naruto turn into a pincushion. She was only vaguely surprised when she saw a log replace the jinchuuriki. But she was totally surprised when she felt the kiss of Naruto's zanpukuto on the nape of her neck. She swallowed heavily and hoped that things would end well. She couldn't even tell that he had managed to get behind her.

"I thought we agreed that we wouldn't try to kill each other Ten-Ten," Naruto said softly and dangerously.

Sweating slightly, she tried to defend herself, "Well, you see, I was kinda frustrated –"

"But nothing, that kinda attack was made for one thing only. Don't you damn try and lie to me. This is just a damned spar, not a fight to the death, what the hell?!"

The kunoichi just hung her head, knowing that she did screw up and try to hurt the boy.

"I'm sorry?"

Naruto snorted at the apology, "Not good enough, I don't think that we shall be spending much time with each other. Goodbye."

"No, please, I'm so sorry, I really am. I didn't mean it, I just wanted to – to – I don't know. Something. I couldn't even fucking touch you! I just wanted something..." she was breathing hard, and her arm ached from the strain. She just wondered how it got this far.

Naruto relented and smiled at her in a grim manner, "Ok, consider that your first and only warning. Don't you ever dare do that again. Besides the attempted murder, not bad, not bad at all. It looks like you are getting the hang of things. Good grip, strong wrist, you just need to learn to dodge. It's not a bad thing, unless you want to get the feel of the next strike. But look at your blade."

She did and swore loudly. It was beyond nicked, there were gouges there that made it look like a hacksaw in certain areas.

"You – you bastard! You have any idea of how expensive those things are to replace?!"

"Hey, don't blame me, I wanted to use bokken. Geez, it's just a ninjaken, a dime a dozen."

"No they're not! I had it specially made for me! There is no way that I can regrind it and still have a blade. Kami, damn it!"

Naruto shrugged and look at his zanpukuto. It was pristine as always, and wondered if it was indestructible.

_**No, it isn't really. It can get damaged, but it will repair itself.**_

_Cool. What could damage it though?_

_**Contact with something stronger than it. Which would be quite difficult to find really. **_

"How about I treat you to lunch? You like ramen?" he asked hopefully.

She puffed at that.

_Does he really think that ramen will make things better?!_

The truth was that Naruto did indeed think that to be the case. But she realised that her sessions with Hayate were not enough to get her to the level that she needed. And as she eyed the blond, a calculating look appeared on her face.

_Ok, she is looking at me like a piece of meat. What do I do now?_

She rubbed her hands and went up to the jinchuuriki, "Teach me dammit!"

Naruto scoffed at her, "Don't you go making demands from me after what just happened. Who the hell do you think you are, a Uchiha?!"

She blushed at that and put on a meek expression, "Come on, it's clear that you're so much better than me, can't you show me the ropes?"

Naruto gave it some consideration, "Well maybe, but you would have to make it up to me first. What do you have in mind for that?"

"I don't know, what do you want?"

Naruto stroked his chin in contemplation, "You know, I'm not sure. Let's say that you owe me some kind of massive favour that I will collect when I want to. For now, I want you to treat me to ramen."

The kunoichi sighed and looked at her blade morosely, "I really liked this sword as well. It was just right."

"Eh, dodge next time. Makes no sense to meet another's blade unless you have a zanbatou to break another's guard or destroy their sword. Always take the easiest step. Like dodging. If I had channelled raiton chakra into my blade, you would have been toast."

That thought stopped her cold.

"Scary ne? Enough of that, I'm getting hungry. Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ten-Ten was wondering if Naruto had some sort of sealing scroll lodged into his gullet or stomach, because she knew that putting away ten bowls of ramen shouldn't be possible for anyone, without bloating up and feeling ill. Naruto showed no discomfort in gorging himself at her expense, but she figured it was the least that she could do. She was pretty harsh in throwing those special kunai at him, and winced at the memory. She was so desperate that she didn't think properly. She was just glad that Naruto forgave her even if it meant a few weeks of being destitute.

Well more correctly, Naruto still held that against her, but could marginally accept the fact that it was spontaneous and not truly intentional. He just sighed and lamented the fact that he either held back on people and earned their resentment, or showed enough skill to seemingly humiliate his peers and pushed them towards dangerous stunts like that.

_I can't win, it's just not fair. But I'm not going to go cry in a corner like certain people who shall remain nameless._

_**What a vague and oblique reference, I have no idea to who you may be referring to.**_

Smirking at their repartee Naruto slurped away, chewing on the noodles and sighed when he was finished.

"Kami Naruto, how do you put it all away and still stay so thin?"

The boy shrugged nonchalantly and stretched, "Beats me, I guess all the training pays off, working away at those calories. And I love ramen. Just love it."

She nodded at that, the empty bowls testament to his adoration, "So, what now?"

"Eh, I don't know. Didn't plan ahead for this. Umm… well, I guess we could spar a bit, but this time we use training blades. And no fancy exploding kunai. Right?"

"Yes yes, of course, no more fancy exploding kunai that I can't replace because they are so damned expensive," she mumbled out.

"Great! Meet me training ground seventeen in … say an hour? I got something to do before that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yo Neji!" Naruto called out.

"What is it Naruto? I'm kinda busy."

"I got some awesome training moves for you, but since you're busy, that means I should go and see how Hanabi –"

Not been able to finish that off, the Hyuuga uncharacteristically dashed up, an intent look on his face with his pen gripped in anticipation

"No, please, go on."

"Ok. Well, here is a little something that Hinata was working on, but never really got the hang of. You know how Jyuuken is pretty good but only against living beings right?"

"Well yes, that is one of its limitations. But most enemies are alive and have chakra systems," Neji said dryly.

"True, but say you were fighting an enemy that could harden their skin with chakra, or wore armour that prevented strikes to go through. What would you do then?"

"Err… I would goad Lee into fighting it for me?"

"Ok, sure, but do you get my point? The way I understand it is that the Jyuuken works like a needle that hits tenketsu points to make them useless. Ok, that's great. Hinata and I have made this thing where she makes those needles into chakra scalpels that can rip through muscle and bone. And then we are making this other one, where it penetrates like a spike and splinters like one of Ten-Ten's special kunai."

The possibilities of it were racing through the Hyuuga genius, and left him impressed at taking the style to a new level.

"Hi – Hinata-sama thought of that?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, we both did. I figured that if you were going to hit someone, why would you just prick them with a pin, even if it messes up their system. You could do that and take off an arm at the same time. Sure, it could be messy and 'undignified, beneath the standards of the Hyuuga' but that's just a load of crap. Do you want to bet your life on that?"

"Alright, so what do I do?"

"Come see Hinata, Hanabi and me tonight in the training field. Oh, and bring bandages, lots of bandages," He then affected Anko's trademark cackle, 'Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu."

"… Stop that."

"Yeah, I guess I just can't pull it off. Oh, I wasn't kidding about the bandages."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Compound  
South Eastern Training Ground**

Neji didn't know what to expect when he saw his two cousins and Naruto waiting around the place, eating some cake as they chatted to each other. His highly developed perception identified a bizarre undercurrent of tension between the two sisters as they seemingly vied for the boy's attention, with Naruto seemingly oblivious to it all. Though Neji wasn't completely sure about that. There were times when he could see some stress lines develop on his face, and the seeming tug of war that would have dislocated his shoulders if he wasn't as developed as it was. He just didn't know to be amused or concerned.

"Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama, Naruto," he said as a greeting.

Naruto gave a wave, "Yo, you came great. Show us what you got."

Neji decided to oblige and went through the motions of the Jyuuken, his movements examined under their critical eyes.

To Hinata's eyes, it was all correct and showed a sense of innovation that left her impressed. It was apparent that what he had learnt was all from observation, leaving gaps in certain parts where he didn't actually figure out the purpose for some of the gestures.

Hanabi felt that it was all wrong, in purpose and in execution. She was the most traditional of all the Jyuuken users, being tutored into the style constantly and her form never deviated from the conventional pattern. But the more she looked, the most she realized that some of the shortcuts that he had taken were for good reason, the main one being economy of movement. And she couldn't help but admire the more simplified combat system that Neji had pioneered.

But Naruto was probably the least impressed. It was awfully showy and impressive, graceful and elegant. But some of the manoeuvres were just plainly unnecessary, wasteful or left openings ripe for an attack. Naruto favoured efficiency beyond all else, and felt that Neji was modifying a style while keeping the more useless parts in place. It was good, but could have been so much better.

Naruto laid out his criticism, which Neji didn't take particularly gracefully.

"Look, you son of a bitch, if you wanted to get to the Hokage tower, would you go in a straight line or run around the village outskirts?" Naruto asked with exasperation.

"Straight there of course," Neji replied with impatience

"Exactly, fighting is like that. Why do you have this need to show off and prance around the enemy, waving your hands like you're fanning them? You want to get to the point, not prove to the world you're like Gai and Lee and run circles and circles before getting to the point, shouting all sorts of nonsense and double upping on movements!"

Neji blinked at that. It all made a horrible sense to him, creating a feeling that made him open up his eyes. He was so desperately copying the Jyuuken style that he didn't think that it could be improved upon. The Hyuuga love of symmetry had left rather glaring openings in their form and stances, which any enemy would capitalise on. And the whole Gai analogy just scared him. He had always prided himself on working smarter, but his near slavish adherence to the style of the Main Branch was in some ways as meaningless as the rants about youthfulness that he had to endure.

"Neji, why are you looking at me like that? No, really, stop it… I'm not bending over for you dammit!"

He shook his head and scowled at the blond. It didn't help that his two cousins were laughing at him softly. He glared at them but they refused to back down.

Well, Hinata looked abashed, while Hanabi just smirked at him. An insufferable 'I told you that Naruto was just awesome' look was clear on her face.

"Naru-kun is so awesome," she said, like she was stating an obvious fact.

"I sure am," the boy agreed, nodding solemnly as walked away, whistling as he went.

"So Hana-chan, ramen time?"

"Actually, I feel like dango."

Naruto stopped, feeling cold. He slowly turned to the puzzled Hyuuga before grabbing onto her shoulders and stated shaking her, "What?! Never, never say that word ever again. You like ramen Hanabi, R A M E N. do you understand me?"

The girl just stared before shaking her head with a mischievous grin, "Hmph, dango dango dango dango UMPH –"

Naruto showed a handful of pocky into her mouth before throwing her over his shoulder and walked to Ichiraku's.

"HMPH!" she pounded her fists against his back, before spitting out the chocolate snack and tried to get back to her feet.

Hinata just looked at Neji, who shrugged impassively.

"Don't ask me, she is your sister, and he is your teammate."

Hinata just hung her head before following the odd couple.

Naruto was muttering underneath his breath, "Damn Anko, brainwashing everyone. Hah, I'll show you all how great ramen is, no way some stupid sweet dumpling can be better than noodles and soup. Hell, if I have to force it down your throat, or chew it in my mouth before, I'll do it, so kami help me," he finished darkly.

Hanabi stopped struggling and looked up in expectation, "Really?"

Oblivious to the implications, the blond nodded before continuing.

_That's like some sort of indirect kiss! With Naru-kun._ She had a semi dazed look in her eyes that Hinata didn't really like before she snaked her way onto Naruto's shoulder and hugged his head to her chest.

"Dango, dango, dango," she whispered into his ear, trying to provoke a reaction.

Naruto just went into a sprint, desperate to save her from the dark side. Any victory for Anko, indirect as it may be, was not something he could tolerate.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hanabi?"

"Yes?"

"You do know that there is an empty seat next to me right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Why are you sitting on my lap then?"

"I like it here."

"Well, ok I guess. But more importantly WHY ARE YOU EATING MY RAMEN?!"

He more felt the shrug than anything else, "Ayame likes you better, and puts better things into yours than mine. In fact, I think she tried to poison me once…"

Naruto blinked, "What are you talking about?"

"Eh, nevermind," she just continued to slurp happily away, with a disgruntled Naruto trying to get in a bite edgewise, but was constantly denied.

"Dammit Hanabi, I'm hungry," the blond complained.

"Meh, the only way that you're getting any is if you get it straight from my mouth," she dared, a semi hopefully expression on her face.

Naruto didn't know to stand down or to call her bluff on that or not. He slowly edged his mouth closer to the expectant girl, licking his lips as Hinata fought an urge to maim her sister.

_Woah, what am I thinking?_

As their lips were an inch apart, Hanabi closed her eyes in anticipation. After being left waiting for so long, she opened her eyes and say Naruto finishing off his bowl and onto another one.

"Wha-what?! You coward, kiss me dammit!"

Naruto blinked, "Sorry?"

"I mean, eat me! I mean, eat my ramen… from my mouth! You cheated Naruto-kun, you don't play fair. I thought that you were a man, but nooo."

"Meh, it's my ramen."

"Sasuke is so much cooler than you," she grumbled out, hoping that would get a rise out of the boy.

The blond looked up so quickly that he suffered whiplash, "Take that back!" demanded a mortified Naruto.

"Why don't you make me?!" she taunted, sticking out her tongue.

The jinchuuriki growled before lip locking with the young Hyuuga, catching them all by surprise. He gently held the back of her head as he gently pushed his lips against hers, surprised when he felt the furtive tip of Hanabi's tongue vying for entrance into his mouth. He opened it slightly and opened his eyes, seeing her blushing and somewhat dazed face as he smirked. He continued to gently move his lips, breathing slowly through his nose as he enjoyed the rather intimate moment, before he was acutely aware of a two glares potentially drilling into his cranium. And he was right in public.

_**Yes! Yes! That's my kit, now, what you need to do is slowly tongue wrestle with her by - **_

_Ah! Stop it already! I'm just proving a point!_

_**Such a boring boy. You weren't complaining a few weeks ago. **_

Ayame looked at the scene with surprise and a strange sense of jealousy.

Naruto finished and found two angry sets of eyes on him, "What?" trying to take on the clueless defence.

Ayame smirked, "Naruto, I dare you to kiss me, because if you don't, I know that your not a man. And I guess I have to find a real man, like, oh, I don't know, Sasuke, to show you how it's done."

_Ah crap, that backfired._

He felt Hinata gripping on his arm with a vice like grip, "Oh Naru-kun, Neji was saying these awful, awful things about how he was more of a bishonen than you, and you couldn't kiss a girl to save your life. And something about his lovely long hair. He isn't right is he? You can always get a bit of practice with me to show him that he is just jealous of how... manly you really are," she asked suggestively, coyly tapping her fingers together.

Hanabi was touching the clouds as one of her many daydreams had crystallised into reality and fought the urge to giggle. She just lay back into Naruto's chest and sighed in contentment, oblivious to the fight happening in the ramen stall.

_So soft, so gentle..._

Naruto looked to Hinata and Ayame, wondering if they were serious, and if they were, how the hell was he suppose to service the two of them without upsetting the tenuous balance that existed with him and his potential romantic interests. And that was not counting the ones he would encounter given a few more years under his belt.

_**Well, its not that hard, all you need to do is –**_

_Oh, be quiet._

* * *

**Konoha  
Outskirts of the Forest of Death**

Kisuke looked bored as he waited for his fellow blond to arrive. Things were heating up in Soul Society, where things were moving at a pace that baffled him. Those odd disappearances involving shinigami and Rukongai residents were on the rise, with no explanation in sight. He saw the guarded looks from Yoruichi and Isshin, which hurt but he considered that there were some valid points to their hesitation. There were times where he wondered if he was a 'pure' shinigami himself. His skills with portal creation were prodigious by any measure, and closely followed the techniques employed by the Menos Grande. The fact that it had become easier after the events of the Sealing made him question the circumstances deeply.

And that was why he was here in Konoha, to observe Naruto to see if he had changed into something not quite normal to the shinigami condition. So far, he hadn't shown any signs of hollowfication, but with chakra being the dominant power in the world, he couldn't bee too sure that wasn't a matter of coincidence.

Naruto arrived soon enough, giving a lazy wave as he approached the older man.

"Yo, what's happening?"

"I am going to teach you something new," declared Kisuke.

That made Naruto excited and he asked in a rush, "Really?! It's about time, what is it?"

"Well, the reason why I didn't teach you blade work was because –"

"You were lazy and incompetent?" Naruto broke in unexpectedly.

" – No, it was because I am really more attuned to the art of hakuda."

"Hakuda?"

"Yes, the shinigami form of unarmed combat. Here, observe the beating that I am about to give you," said Kisuke with a dark grin.

_Why must all my tutors believe in the hands on style of teaching,_ Naruto lamented as he hit the floor after a throw caught him off guard.

"There will be times when you can't use a sword, and this is what is left. It's that or kido, which takes time and singing."

"Singing?!"

"Well, chanting. Whatever, thing is that it is slow and gives away your intentions. You can work it so you can do it with only gestures, but that does take a long time and mastery. Hakuda is useful when you just want to take down a person without killing them. That is kinda hard with a sword, so that is why we go hand to hand. And sometimes it's just satisfying to beat a person into the ground."

He nodded at that, before accepting Urahara's hand to get up.

"Now Naruto, what you need is very, very important. Without it your training is going to be useless."

"What is it?" he asked eagerly.

"You need a massive, massive underground training complex that is hidden away from everybody where you can plot, I mean, practice all sorts of techniques away from prying eyes," Kisuke said with excitement and conviction.

"Well I kinda have 'Ne' for that," Naruto pointed out.

"True, but it isn't yours is it?"

Naruto nodded, "I guess not, but where the hell would I put it?"

"Hmmm if you were as ballsy as I was, I would do it right underneath some sort of public monument where no one would suspect it. That is what I did."

Scratching his head, the jinchuuriki thought aloud, "Hokage monument?"

"Possibly, but the fact that we have to hollow out an area, with a mountain on top of it, makes it a bad idea, unless you want to whole thing to cave down onto you. Which might be a bit of fun if you like to do a bit of mischief."

Naruto was struck with a thought, "Actually, I have an idea; it would be under a training ground not too far off but is used very rarely."

"Great, I'll get my tools and we can go dig a massive spherical hole. I can't wait!" Kisuke rubbed his hands with glee, his guilty pleasure having another convert.

"You do know that I can summon shadow clones that can do the work for us right?"

Kisuke blinked at that, "Really? Like how many are we talking about?"

"Well, at one go I could probably do about one hundred. And then another hundred half an hour later," Naruto said casually.

Urahara's eyes just widened at the implications of Naruto's technique. In some ways it was a mass gigai summoning technique that had him salivating at the mouth.

"Err sempai, are you ok? It looks like you're really hungry. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all," he laughed, pulling out his fan to mask his mouth as his eyes had an eerie glint as his eyes seemed to be shadowed.

_Ok, that's kinda creepy._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey boss, I think you wanna see something."

"What is it?" asked Naruto.

"Just... come over."

He did, making his way over until he saw something unusual. Kisuke had looked pleased at the progress, left some rudimentary plans and promised to come back soon. He reached the bunshin and say that there was actual foundation and infrastructure. There was rubble and it was apparent that a cave in had occurred. He looked closely and saw that some of the broken bits of glass, steel and stone were fused together.

_Katon and explosive seals? What the hell could it be? No, it couldn't be..._

**Flashback**

"Naruto, here are a list of enemies that if you ever hear anything about while on duty, let us know ok?"

Naruto glanced at the list before shrugging, scanning through the names before finding one that he recognised.

"Orochimaru," he said with distaste.

'Mi' nodded grimly, fighting the urge to spit upon hearing that person's name.

"What did he do exactly? I heard some sort of story from Anko, but it wasn't very clear..."

_No, it wouldn't have been. It's not something that a kid should know about. Hell, its something that adults shouldn't know about_, he thought sadly.

He laid it out, the crimes that the Snake Sannin had committed while he was a Konoha nin. Naruto's stomach wretched at the inhuman experiments that were conducted in his laboratories.

"We... managed to find a few of them. When he fled, he sent out a self destruct signal that destroyed most of the caches that he had lying around. The ANBU found a few of them, but not all. At least I don't think they have. He was a paranoid bastard that was too brilliant for his own good. Undoubtedly, some will be around the place, but I doubt that there would be anything there that would be of any use to anyone."

**End flashback**

His eyes hardened.

_So, what secrets are you hiding you bastard?_

He crossed his fingers before summoning more clones, "Clear this area up, there is something important that we need to do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey boss, we cleared the area."

"Oh, what was in it?"

"It was a bunker that had all sorts of notes in it, and dead bodies."

"Dead bodies?!"

"Yeah, skeletons and all that. It looked like a torture cell that Anko would have been proud of. But here, this is it."

He looked at it and swore his head off. It wasn't everyday that you found a cache of Orochimaru's archived documents when you were digging out a secret base.

"What did you do with the skeletons?"

"Well, we laid them out and figured we would bury them elsewhere. I really think we should burn the lab. It's pretty messed up."

"Ok, go and do that."

He turned his attention to the documents and wanted to burn them as well. From the little that he knew, the Snake Sannin deserved to die and have his soul tortured for the rest of eternity. He didn't want to read what the maniac had done to Sai and Anko and countless others.

_But..._

That cursed seal on Anko made him angry, especially how no one had managed to remove the filthy thing in the first place. He had asked 'Karasu' who said that all attempts to excise the matrix had been unsuccessful. While it was just a prototype seal, it had odd connections that linked her to her former master and could render her useless if the case would be.

_Maybe, maybe there would be something useful here._

He summoned twenty more clones and had them read the transcripts. Though it would give him nightmares, he would read onwards for Anko's sake.

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

"Now, we all know that Naruto can just about brute force any jutsu he wants by chakra alone –" said 'Mi'.

Said blond just puffed out his chest at hearing that.

"But there will come a time where it doesn't work, and might actually backfire on him, causing pain, exhaustion and him falling from that tower we call ego."

Yugito nodded at 'Mi's' words, while Naruto just grumbled, shooting dirty looks at 'Mi'.

"But hey, no one is perfect, and you guys are just kids still. Kinda. Anyway, to help speed things along, I gotcha a little something," he tossed two blades to the blondes who caught it and tested its balance.

"Nice, how much did it cost?" asked Yugito, admiring the fine lines and grains of the steel. It was shaped in the form of a trench knife, a double edged blade that would complement any close quarter battle with significant stopping power.

Naruto just looked at the knife and his zanpukuto. After weighing it all up, he threw the knife over his shoulder.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing?! Do you know how rare those blades actually are?" shouted the assassin in outrage.

"What's so special about them?"

'Mi' repressed his urge to hurt the boy, "Well, unlike most steel, the composite mixture of chakra blades means that they take on properties unique to other weapons. While you can channel chakra into normal blades, they mess up the tempering and crystalline structure after a while. Not good when you go for that dramatic blow to finish off the battle, and then it just fucking snaps on you. But these blades are attuned for elemental chakra training, they can survive the element being channelled into it. Here, let me show you."

He picked up his own blade and isolated his katon element, which set his blade alight.

"Woah, doesn't that get kinda hot?" asked Yugito.

"No kidding. I can only do it for so long before it starts to hurt. It's good for lighting up kunai to detonate explosive tags, and whatever. Raiton isn't so bad, if you get used to it. But this is best suited towards fuuton. It makes the blade able to cut through nearly anything."

That got Naruto's attention, "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Give it a go."

Naruto retrieved his blade and concentrated on extracting his wind element. It was easier said than done, but a slight whispy noise could be heard. His blade shimmered as currents of air circulated around his hand.

"Ok, throw it at something-"

He wasn't even able to finish that sentence off before he leaned to the side, letting the blade rush past him and into five consecutive walls.

"Err, where did that go?" asked Naruto.

They walked along and traced the trajectory of the knife, ending up in an interrogation room that was thankfully empty.

"Ok, that was pretty cool. What else can we do?"

"Just keep on doing that. It took you way too long to actually channel fuuton, in battle that would have meant that you were dead by now. This is really just an extended training exercise. And because there is only one blade, kage bunshin will not be that helpful to you. You can't replicate these things"

"... Nuts."

"Which means that you two are on even footing. And be aware that the whole of 'Ne' has placed bets on the two of you. So don't be surprised if people come up to you wanting to give you help, or otherwise. Oh, and Naruto, you better look out for Katsumi, in fact, just stay away from her, period. "

Naruto shrugged, "I get that a lot. What is with her and that test tube she keeps waving at me whenever I have a check up? It's like a joke I'm not getting..."

'Mi' and Yugito looked at each other and grinned, though in the blonde's case it was more of a grimace.

"Just stay away from her Naruto," ordered Yugito.

"Bah, make me!" the boy just stuck out his tongue, which brought a laugh to 'Mi's' face.

_Oh man, I'm going to be so rich when he's older._

"So yes, 'Hebi' has some rather flashy jutsus to show you later on, so Naruto, you better shape up with the elemental chakra training. We got this rather nasty wind jutsu that will just blow you away. Pun intended."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So Naruto, I'm guessing you know a bit about elemental chakra?"

"Well yeah, got a slight explanation."

"Ok, let's go through some specifics about wind. It is probably the most powerful offensive element at short range. Just look at the world, even mountains one day will be worn away by the wind and water. It can literally tear through anything and isn't limited to a point of impact, like raiton. But the point is that it is usually a short range attack, as its strength is limited to the distance it has to travel. But there are some jutsus that tend to get around this little limitation."

"And a great thing is that fuuton cannot be seen, so it's practically invisible. It makes for a great defence, as people can walk into a fuuton wall. And hell, this is what we are going to teach you."

_Fuuton: Tetsu no kaze no tsurro no jutsu! (Corridors of Iron Wind Technique)_

"This basically creates a wall that you can partition off the battle ground so you have a defence, but anyone that actually walks into it will be cut in half. Think of it like a razor blade that you set up that no one can see but you as you tag it using your chakra. And the best thing is that it pretty much flows through your sword so no one will know it and the seals are all one handed."

"Hmm..." mused Naruto, rubbing his chin.

"What, you don't sound impressed, why aren't you impressed Naruto-kun?" asked the kunoichi.

"Well, I thought it would be kinda more ... "

"Visually impressive and inspiring?" she said dryly, suppressing a sigh.

"Yeah, I mean, it's just a wind column isn't it?" he responded.

'Hebi' crossed her arms, "Use your imagination you silly boy! If you manage to cast a katon jutsu, the fire will use the wind as fuel for a bigger flame. And you can also collapse the jutsu so that miniature whirlwinds go everywhere and a vortex occurs."

"... Teach me! Teach me now!"

She chuckled at his sudden enthusiasm, "Of course, that is what I'm here for. This is an A ranked jutsu, so normally I'd say it would take a month to learn, and another to perfect, but with kage bunshin, I think a week is more than enough."

"Hah, five days. I bet you five days."

She smirked at him, "Woah, ambitious aren't we?"

"No, people forget how special I am," he said with a cocky grin.

"Now now, don't get cocky," cautioned the blonde.

"I'm not it's just a fact."

"Well anyway, first thing is to ..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto cursed as his arm was cut up again. It was a pretty deadly jutsu that he was playing with, but its utility was remarkable. It allowed the shinobi to control the battleground to their favour, a potentially defensive and offensive jutsu that was only limited by the high control and chakra consumption.

The control issues he just fudged over by making them unstable constructs that were not anchored, but drifted over the battlefield. It surprised 'Hebi' who lauded his genius, before realising it was the result of laziness and haphazard chakra manipulation, and was then torn between hugging the boy and braining him for not listening to her.

It wasn't conventional, but useful in its own way. Naruto just shrugged and said that any battle was fluid enough, and he didn't need them to stay defined in shape or location. As long as he could see where they were, he could anticipate and box in an opponent.

To aid their training 'Karasu' had developed a smoke machine that allowed outsiders to observe the brands that hovered in the air, until they dispersed or Naruto caused them to implode, sending a disruptive displacement of air and pressure to hinder the enemy. He had figured that once he had a better grasp of fuuton manipulation, it would be more than useful; it would be deadly.

"Ok, not bad. It took you six days, but still, that is just remarkable for anyone that doesn't have the Sharingan."

"Bah, that thing is so damned cheap," Naruto grumbled.

'Hebi' nodded with a smile, "Yes, but still, they were one of the weapons that kept others from messing with Konoha. But really, I have always wondered why such an overpowered clan did not get higher up on the ladder."

"Eh? What do you mean, they were the MP's before weren't they?"

"Yes," she acknowledged, "But they could have gotten much higher, reached Hokage position. And since the founding, we have had four Fire Shadow's, none of them were Uchihas."

Naruto scratched his head at that, "Yeah, well, no Hyuuga's either."

"Very true. Isn't that just odd?"

"I guess. But after what happened with Itachi, I don't know how they can get back on their feet."

"Ideally, Mikoto would marry someone, pop out babies like there is no tomorrow and get Sasuke engaged. With artificial insemination treatment, we could be impregnating women like that and have a new clan out by two generations."

Naruto retched, "That's disgusting."

"Yeah, but it's the best way of ensuring the survival of that bloodline. The civilians have been moaning about that for years, kami bless their selfish and myopic hearts, but Mikoto and the Sandaime have been silent on the issue. I don't think that it's going to happen anytime soon."

"Hey 'Hebi', when are you going to tell me your name? It feels odd calling you that, especially now that you are my sensei."

She laughed, ruffling his hair in good nature before getting right up to his face, "Why do you want to know Naruto-kun?"

He shrugged, "I mean, it's just weird. I can call 'Mi' Mi, because he is just a scary bastard. But you're different."

"Different?"

"In a good way," he hastily assured the kunoichi, "In a better way, it seems like this training is so much more fun and less... what's the word I want, ummm-"

_**Traumatic? Devastating? Bloody? Eviscerating?**_

"I guess traumatic is the word I want. Makes learning so much nicer when you don't have to be careful not to slip over your own blood," Naruto said earnestly and casually.

'Hebi' scowled at the regime that 'Mi' and Danzo had placed the boy under. It was inhumane in many ways, forcing a seven year old boy to endure treatment that would have broken adults. In her eyes it was actual and intentional torture, by destroying his body and healing it up again, constantly pushing the limits of his resistance so that he could shrug off blows that would render most shinobi in debilitating pain. It had really put a strain on her relationship with 'Mi', who wasn't comfortable with what he was doing, but was enamoured over the fact that he had a student that could take his teachings and flourish. The assassin had a great fondness for Naruto, but realised that his life would be characterised by strife and conflict. He just wanted the boy to be prepared for anything that could have been thrown at him. His methods were not nice, but their world was not pleasant either. But it was still offensive to the kunoichi who felt that it was disproportional to the means.

"Yes, well, who would you say was the better teacher?" she asked cheekily.

"Err... he isn't standing behind me is he? Because that is what usually happens. And then I get brained and it's all fuzzy after that."

"No, he isn't behind you. Look, you can tell me, be honest. It's not I will go bragging to anyone about it. I just want to know."

"Well..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Naruto-kun likes me better than you ,'", taunted 'Hebi', holding her saucer of sake in triumph.

"What?! That ungrateful son of a bitch! Wait till our next training session, oh, he is going to get it –"

"Bah, I'm just winding you up. Geez, like I would ever care that much to what Naruto's real feelings are the matter," she smirked, crossing her fingers as she continued to savour the crisp alcohol and the feeling of vindication flowing through her veins. Hearing Naruto's admission had made her feel damn good about herself and her instructional technique. The rather bashful way that he had admitted it was endearing in ways she couldn't describe.

'Mi' just raised his eyebrows before letting the matter drop. It wasn't that important to him, considering that the latest intelligence showed that there were ... movements that were awfully suspicious. Added to the fact that Konoha were scheduled to host the next Chuunin exams, where the city would be flooded with foreigners and shinobi from other villages, 'Ne' were quietly contemplating their next set of actions. It was tempting to stay back and let the 'official' forces take care of it, but if there was a slight chance that they could operate without being detected to keep the peace, then they would take it.

"How is Yugito going?"

"Well enough, her healing isn't as great as Naruto's is, but it will do for now. Capacity isn't an issue, and her control is remarkable for someone her age. I think you can teach her some of the finer raiton techniques, as she seems to be able to get it down easily enough. She doesn't like using a blade very much, but I guess you can change her mind. But it is interesting to teach her genjutsu in battle, but the fact is that she is too fast for her to take advantage of it. Though if she could do it before the battle, it's a near assured victory."

Hebi sighed, "Sounds like you are copying Sharingan combat tactics."

The shinobi shrugged, "Well yeah, they had the right idea about it, and backed up with their doujutsu. They were a handful and difficult to face as opponents. They weren't almightily powerful, but grouped in a cell, they could take out most things."

"Kinda true, they were probably the ultimate ninjutsu specialists. But that made them too reliant on chakra, and you could wear them out by attrition. The Kumo nins were figuring that out, but Itachi wiped the floor with them before they could make him break a sweat," the kunoichi observed.

"Do you think that Naruto could accept a Sharingan eye implant?" asked 'Mi' in all seriousness.

"... No. I don't think so. His body seems to be able to regenerate flesh, bone, organ and muscle to its original state. If we take out his eye, it would probably regrow. I mean, that seems to be the most likely position, but it just might be possible. And even if it does work, it would probably be rejected as the chakra pathways will not be correctly aligned. And given how much energy is in that boy's body at the moment, I'm not sure that it's a great idea."

"Just a thought. I mean, most bodies do reject the eye, and the Sharingan is forever impaired as a result. Hatake Kakashi was probably the only exception to that rule, because of a few special reasons that were never really made clear to anyone. But the thought of a Sharingan wielding Naruto makes me... excited."

'Hebi' shivered.

"No! Not like that. But could you imagine that? Naruto with his massive capacity with the ability to use nearly anything he sees and memorises?"

"Yes, until someone decides to employ an aerosol agent designed to impair vision or target the eyes," she said drily.

"Yes, well, those things are just too dangerous to use these days, with the wind shifting the gas anywhere it goes. Hell, even directed fuuton jutsus don't seem to be able to control it well enough. Iwa had some success, but it was all very experimental. I don't like having a weapon that can turn on me like a rabid hound."

"So, are they prodigies yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, but getting there. He could probably manage to match most ANBU captains right now, to a standstill. Hell, even win against some of the lower ranked ones. But I wouldn't put any money on him against the ANBU Commander just yet. That bastard would give me and you trouble. Or his vice."

"Yamato?" she queried.

"Yep. He doesn't look like much, but his control of mokuton is really ridiculous. It made you appreciate how strong the Shodaime really was."

'Hebi' shrugged, "It seems like more of a support role to me,"

"Yes, possibly, but he was a great generalist and specialist. He could hold off most attacks with his 'ultimate defence' and bash away until people just gave up. And given that rumoured power to control the bijuu's power, he would give our kids issues."

"Did you ever really believe that? It all seemed a bit of ... misdirection to me. How did the Senju ever manage to do that in the first place, control the power of the tailed beasts?" asked a sceptical kunoichi.

"I... don't know. Maybe you are right. I guess it was part of the legend that the brothers Senju built for themselves. Kami knows that they didn't need anything more. They were direct descendents of the Legions of the First Empire, had enormous chakra and elemental control, and could fight the Uchiha to a standstill. I guess their skills couldn't be copied. In any event, that is what makes everything so much... odder."

"What do you mean?"

"Where are they now? We have what, Tsunade doing whatever the hell she is doing normally. And Tenzo, who was genetically implanted with the Shodaime's cells and managed to live through that. Where are the rest of the founding clan of Konoha? We know of the rivalry between them and the Uchiha, yet look at the situation now. It seems like both of them were stalked by _Dessembrae_."

She blinked at that odd reference, "Who?"

"Ah, it's a bit of a reference to the Elder Gods. Back in the day, there were a tonne of cults that shinobi had worshiped, each clan having a deity that they called their patron. _Dessembrae_ was the _Higeki no Shu_, the Lord of Tragedy, who was the Mortal Sword of the Shinigami before it took away his daughter in it's arrogance. Or was it ignorance? It's hard to say really, to describe a god according to our perceptions. Either way, he grew mad from that and swore vengeance against the Death God. And he had the power to survive any attack by the Shinigami, having invested its strength into him as his servant and was effectively immune from it. People started worshiping the man that defied Death and hence his cult. They called him _Dessembrae_."

'Hebi' shook her head at that tale, "Who the hell would worship tragedy in the first place?"

"Good question. It was more like he granted power to those who suffered like him. I only know about it because of the Senju library that we have in 'Ne'. You should have a read one time, it's actually quite interesting," 'Mi' said, sipping sake to soothe his parched throat.

'Hebi' waved that away, "Err... no thanks. Dead gods don't really interest me."

"Hmm... you never know. There are rumours that an acolyte of Jashin is walking about. The stories said that those Ascendants once did walk amongst us, but they suddenly stopped. The reasons were never really clear."

"People lost their faith?" Suggested the kunoichi, "They died, and a god without worshipers is a powerless as a new born kitten,"

"Possibly, but I guess we never know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto smiled as he felt Kyuu hold him as the two of them laid back into a remarkable garden that seemed like it had never been soiled by human presence.

_Where is this place again?_

_**It's... a memory I guess, **_she said sadly.

_Oh, what happened?_

_**All things must die Naruto. All things must die. Even the prettiest, most vibrant flower will eventually wither away and become nothing but dust.**_

_Geez, way to kill the mood,_ he stuck out his tongue and laughed.

_**Haha, true enough. Is their a reason why you are here kit?**_

_Well, I was wondering about something. _

_**Oh?**_

_Why did you attack Konoha?_

_**Who said that I attacked Konoha in the first place? I might have been minding my own business, walking along before that bastard of a Yondaime decided that he wanted to cement his name in history by taking on a bijuu. And after getting his ass handed to him, he decided to fall back to the village to let his shinobi die in his place.**_

_For some reason, I don't buy that._

_**Ok, errr. How about this? I was going back to my really, really massive and hidden cave to check on my baby kits, and I found them all dead. There was this pasty looking man with a Konoha headband so I assumed, in my anger and rage, that Konoha were responsible.**_

_Oh come on. Are you telling me that you have kits? And that you, a thousand foot demoness could see a hitai-ate from that far away? On a figure that is one thousandth your size?_

_**... Yes, that's exactly what I am saying.**_

_I am not an idiot._

_**Now now, that's debateable.**_

_Bah! Why can't you tell me the truth?_

_**Why do you want to know?**_

_Because, my entire damned life is... determined by that event. If you were not sealed into me, who knows how the hell I would have turned out like?_

Oh oh.

_**Well, if I wasn't with you, imagine what you wouldn't know or have right now. You are a half shinigami, alive yet wielding the power of the dead. You realised what kind of people your 'parents' really were. You realised what kind of place Konoha is, and how it treats people that it sees as being different to them. How they blame people without reason or any sense whatsoever. And I'm hurt that you see me as anything other than an affectionate maternal figure that brought you up the best way I knew how to.**_

_... Roight. How about I go ask you again in six months time? That was pretty good, I liked the whole Orochimaru reference there. It's like he is the universal scapegoat for when things go wrong. _

_**Great! I can think of more constructive tales to tell you.**_

Naruto just laughed. He knew that he probably wouldn't ever learn the truth of that night, or the reasons behind it. But Naruto didn't care as much as he did when he was younger. In a twisted way, he had made peace with her presence in his mind and soul, and he did shudder at the thought of growing up without her. Especially after he was abandoned, she was the one who helped him through his insecurities and loathing that had ensued.

For the Kyuubi, things were working quite nicely after all. The truth was concealed and would probably never need to be voiced in the open. Her devious mind was working in overtime as she calculated the possibilities. Her host was progressing at a prodigious rate and would soon be able to handle most things that could have been thrown in his direction. She absentmindedly kissed him on the forehead as she just imagined the fun that they would get up to when he was capable of hearing her true name.

Oh yes, fun times ahead of us all.

* * *

**Konoha  
Forest outside Training Ground Seventeen**

"What is the distance to the target?"

"Eight meters, I am good to go."

"Same"

"Likewise."

"Go!!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tora!!"

Naruto looked on with very little sympathy as the cat was squeezed in between the ample arms of the Daimyo's wife as she cuddled it to death.

"Ha! In your face you stupid cat," scowled Naruto, his fingers itching towards his blade as he wondered if he was fast enough to –

The Sandaime absentmindedly picked up the outstanding missions orders and cleared his throat, "Now Kurenai's team has the following duties: Babysitting a council members daughter, shopping in the neighbouring village, helping with the potato digging, cleaning, cat retrieval, cow milking, a request from the Daimyo's wife for Naruto to entertain her children-"

Naruto blanched and tried to hide behind Kurenai.

" – and once again cleaning the Hokage's monument."

Naruto lost it, "Fuck this."

Everyone was fairly shocked.

"Naruto! Mind your language," bellowed out Iruka.

The blond refused to back down, "Oh, hell, no. I am so sick of this pussy footing bullshit that you call a D ranked mission. I did not sign up for this."

"You're just a genin Naruto," bellowed Iruka

_Only a genin, only a genin._

Naruto's face just closed up.

It was days like this that Naruto wanted to show everyone how strong he was, that he wasn't someone that people fucked with without serious repercussions. He was sick of the condescension that adults had showed him, especially the bigots of Konoha who he could dominate and make them bleed through their eyes and ears if he wished to. He was utterly tired of their contempt, when they were nothing compared to him and what he could do.

_Just give me a reason, you bastards. One, reason. _

Sarutobi say the hardening of Naruto's eyes and grew concerned. He knew in vague terms that Naruto had received training from Kisuke, and that gave him some pause. There were too many unknowns regarding the shinigami, that made him really uncertain to how to proceed with the boy. It might be true that he possessed more power than he had let on. Being able to stand toe to toe with Mizuki in his cursed seal form was something beyond most chuunin, even some green jounins.

Naruto just snapped, "I don't care, those are all terrible! Find us a better one!"

Iruka looked offended at the way he was addressing the Hokage and stood up in a rage, "You idiot! Everyone starts off at the beginning and works their way up!"

Naruto gave a queer smile at that and his mouth curled into a grimace.

As Iruka went on to explain the mission allocation system, the Sandaime grew concerned at the insolent and undeniably angry look on Naruto's face. It wasn't frustration and impatience. It was something much deeper, something that made him feel very uncomfortable.

"So you see, D ranked missions are perfect for you guys," concluded Iruka.

"Hmm, I had miso ramen for lunch, but I feel like sushi for dinner, what do you say Hinata? Should we go out with Hanabi tonight?"

Iruka was offended at the lack of attention, "Hey! Listen to me dammit, you can talk about food later!"

"Naruto-kun, pay attention ok?" asked Kurenai nicely, and the boy sighed before nodding his head, a fake smile plastered over his face.

"Sure thing sensei."

The Sandaime chuckled out how seemingly obedient Naruto was to the rookie jounin. Kurenai was widely perceived to be cold and uncaring to others, but when she warmed up to someone, it was like an entirely new side of her had taken over. He had seen it before with Kurama, but after that tragic incident, she had closed up even tighter than an oyster. But here she was open and genuinely fond of the blond who had wormed his way into her heart. He felt that he had made the right choice, and hoped that he would get along with the other senseis that were to be assigned to each of the teams during the rotation.

He took a puff before looking over the mission scrolls, "Ok, if you want it that much, I'll give you a C ranked mission."

Naruto blinked, unsure if it was a joke or not.

"It's a protection, body guard mission for a certain individual," the Hokage continued.

"Yes! Who is it?! A princess? A lord? A delegate for a ramen chain?"

"Now now, calm down. I'm about to introduce him," Sarutobi asked his secretary to send in the client, "Can you please send him in here?"

The door opened, revealing the sight of a dishevelled and slightly portly man with a bottle of alcohol clenched in his fists, taking a long shot as he inspected Team Eight in front of him.

He widened his eyes, "What the hell is this? They are all a bunch of brats! I want ninja dammit, not that short one with the super stupid looking face. How can he be a ninja?"

All the shinobi winced at hearing that, and Kurenai discretely went behind Naruto and grabbed his hand and pushed them behind his back. The jinchuuriki just developed a nervous twitch and a throbbing vein on his forehead as he smiled maliciously at the man, "I am going to kill you."

Ino sighed, "Naruto, what is the point of killing the person that we are supposed to protect? Don't be such an idiot."

"I don't give a damn," Naruto said cheerfully, planning an accident in his head already.

The man gave them all a disdainful look all over, "At least blondie has some brains over there,"

Ino took offense to that, "… Naruto, I am going to look the other way for a few moments, you know what to do."

"Hah! Whatever you pipsqueak. Anyway, I am the super expert bridge builder Tazuna! I expect you to provide me with super protection until I get back to my country and complete my bridge. And I want decent ninja, not children."

Sarutobi coughed at that, "Rest assured Tazuna-san, these are not children. They are all genin of the Leaf, and will be more than suitable to protect you from any bandits that you might encounter on the road as a lone journeyman."

Tazuna continued to protest, "But what if something happens?! I am not going to place my life in the hands of kids! I demand better protection. I am the customer, aren't I?"

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, "Yes, but the mission parameters that you gave us were very clear. There was no mention of any specific attempt on your life. As a bridgebuilder, I wouldn't have thought that you would have many enemies. If you think there is a credible risk, then we will be happy to provide more experience nins, provided that the fee is tendered."

Tazuna grew slightly nervous, but he knew that there was no way of getting around it. The Sandaime and Kurenai had the feeling that something wasn't quite right with the situation, but wanted to see how Tazuna played his hand.

He ended up laughing awkwardly and scratched his head, "Well, I guess I am just being paranoid. I guess I'll meet you guys at the gate," He gave them a final look over before leaving.

Ino and Hinata were a bit put off by the way Tazuna had dismissed them like that, and were hoping that the mission would be finished without incident. Naruto had an elaborate plot going in his mind.

_And then when we get to Wave, he suddenly falls into the water and a… shark eats him, problem solved._

_**I like my piranha idea better.**_

_What is with you and piranhas?_

_**What? They get rid of evidence nicely and painfully.**_

_Well sure, but it's too slow. He would make enough noise that he will be saved, in one way or another._

The Sandaime laid down his misgivings and got their attention again, "Ok, prepare for the mission and I wish you the best. Kurenai, could you please stay behind?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What is it that you wanted to see me about Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi smoked on his pipe before giving her a serious look, "I am sure you are aware of how valuable Naruto is to us and Konoha."

She blushed slightly at the innuendo in his tone, but nodded anyway.

"And the fact remains that he is a target, if people know of what he is. I have no doubt that someone, a thoughtless villager, has let it loose that we do have a jinchuuriki in Konoha, that happens to be Naruto. I am not that comfortable letting Naruto leave Konoha unless he has a capable escort, and I have every faith in you."

She brightened at hearing the vote of confidence.

"But if something does end up happening, then I want you to use this," he handed her a scroll. She accepted it and placed it into her stash bag.

"It has my personal summon in it, who can help out in battle. But if there is some urgent communiqué, take some of these ANBU pigeon summons as well."

She nodded.

"Once again, be careful. It could be that Tazuna is paranoid and jumpy, but there is nothing new in that. Many travellers are concerned about brigands, and most ninjas do not target poor people like him anyway. But remember to be vigilant."

"Hai Hokage-sama."

* * *

**Konoha**  
**City gates**

"Aren't you excited Naruto-kun?"

"Eh? Why?"

"This is your first time out of the village isn't it?" asked Hinata.

The blond laughed, scratching his head as he did so, "Well sure," he lied, "But I didn't expect it to be with him," pointing to their client who was indulging in sake right from the bottle.

Hinata giggled and playfully swatted him over the head, "Mah, you have me, Ino-kun and Kurenai-sensei. Don't tell me that we are not good enough eh? Think of all the fun that we can have."

"True enough," he agreed.

Ino came later on, giving a lazy wave before sitting down between the two of them, leaning back into Naruto as she was still tired from the exercise Naruto had put her through in the morning. On the bright side, she was at the height of her physical fitness, being able to run long distances without stopping and developed a lithe and toned physique that she regularly admired each time that she had gotten out of the shower. She really did appreciate the effort that Naruto had put into making her a better kunoichi, but she couldn't help but shake off the feeling that she was using him. It wasn't like she had done anything in return, besides freely accepting the benefit that was his training. Though she was sure that he got a sick enjoyment out of running her into the ground, it wasn't truly malicious and sadistic.

_At least I don't think it is_, she thought uncertainly.

"Oh yeah, Ino, I got this for you," Naruto handed over a cloth covered bundle that she gingerly took, giving him a quizzical glance, the question unspoken on her lips.

"It's just a little something that the MP's 'confiscated' and I thought you could use it," Naruto said offhandedly.

She unwrapped it, and stared at the 'Ne' issue crossbow with surprise. It was compact, with yew arms fashioned into a recurve. The action was a bizarre slide action cocking mechanism, instead of the traditional windlass. It was treated in a dull finish that didn't reflect light. It was perfectly balanced, with a retractable stock, with low weight as it was made mostly from composite materials.

"Are you sure Naruto? I mean, this must be so expensive…" she said with regret.

"Well, I'm not giving it to you. It's a loan. And anyways, it belongs in lockup anyway, doing nothing but awaiting destruction," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he lied. It was a particularly fine piece of shinobi gear that he wanted to try out, but it wasn't his style. If that was actually manufactured for retail sale, no genin could ever afford it. His excuse that it was confiscated gear was plausible enough.

"Ok, so how does this work?"

Naruto explained it, giving a somewhat vague explanation of how it all worked. The arms were actually twice as stiff as a conventional crossbow, and relied on chakra enhanced strength to actually cock the weapon. It was strong enough to penetrate ANBU armour, with an effective range of a hundred meters before an arced shot had to be taken.

Soon enough Kurenai arrived, and Ino had slung it over her shoulder, a quiver of quarrels strapped to her thigh. She raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing as she approached Tazuna and nodded for them to go.

"Finally, a real mission! Let's go!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

Tazuna looked nervous and sceptical at the seemingly loud mouthed boy and whispered to Kurenai, "… Hey. Am I really going to be safe with that brat?" he pointed to the blond.

Kurenai nodded, adopting her Ice Queen persona as she was sick of the man judging her team. Naruto was the strongest genin in the cell, possibly the entire year, "Yes sir. In any event, I am a jounin, so do not worry."

_I am going to kill him. Piranhas it is. _

_**Hurrah!**_

"Hey old man! Don't mess with shinobi, you don't know how incredible I actually am. I am Hyuuga Naruto, remember it!"

The bridgebuilder snorted, "Yeah, right, why should I remember a weakling like you? The only person worth remembering is the strongest in the village, the Hokage. And even if you were the kage, I still wouldn't."

Naruto blinked, gave a tight grin and made a move to punch the recalcitrant man, before Kurenai grabbed his arm and asserted her authority.

"That's enough. I ask that you do not provoke my subordinates Tazuna-san. And Naruto, we are on a mission now, so act professionally. Got it?"

"Yes sensei," Naruto ground out, wanting nothing more than to hurt the rude and thankless bastard.

_Man, now I know why 'Ne' never bothered with this bullshit._

"Now let us continue," she nodded to the four of them. Inwardly, she didn't quite mind the conflict between Naruto and the older man, as she was suspicious of a few things. She had hoped that Naruto would incite a tell from Tazuna. And she didn't like the subtle glances and leers that he had given her. She had dealt with them for all her life, men who had never taken her seriously because of how attractive she was. And she had noticed how Naruto had scowled every time he saw him do that.

_Well, I guess I am not expected to 'control' Naruto all the time, am I?_ She mused. _Well, this might keep him in line and get some intel at the same time._

She grinned slightly, which made Tazuna sweat a bit before the walked on the road.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you old bastard, why aren't their any ninja in Wave Country? I mean, Konoha isn't very close to your place, so why make the trip?" Naruto asked in a bored manner.

The old man walked on before replying, "I needed supplies, and Konoha was the right place to get them. When I made my way there, bandits saw me and I barely escaped before reaching the gates. That's why I need you guys, if you're useful at all."

_**Hmm, that's a bad lie. How he could have got away from bandits is laughable. And he looks poor, not worth the effort of robbing. What is he lying about?**_

"Kurenai-sensei, don't other places have hidden villages?" asked Ino.

"Only the larger, more important ones. The politics behind it are confusing and academically interesting. But in essence, the villages were developed by large partnerships between nins, who acted like mercenaries before things were all formalised. Only the large nations needed an active force in their borders, but Wave has been left alone, so they have never developed the demand for shinobi that Konoha has."

"Sensei, what can we expect on this mission?" asked Hinata.

"Well, as a C ranked mission, there shouldn't be any contact with enemy shinobi. That is really B to A ranked territory."

Tazuna staid silent, using his peripheral vision to scan the area around him.

Naruto grew concerned at his shifty behaviour.

_Fuck, is he setting me up? Is he a pawn for another village to kidnap me?_

_**Possibly, but the fear seems to be more personal than anything else. Keep an eye out kit.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The walked down the grassy path, in a delta formation with the client in the centre as they had passed by the road. Everything was quiet, where Ino and Hinata were chatting with each other while Naruto walked on autopilot, conversing with his zanpukuto as he tried to find out if the clouds looked different in other places besides Konoha.

_**Why would they kit?**_

_I'm just saying, that it's a possibility._

_**And you are wrong. Dead wrong.**_

Kurenai lagged behind, watching her surroundings with a deceptive nonchalance as she spotted a puddle of water on the ground to her left. Her eyes narrowed as she saw how fine the day was, and that any puddle would have evaporated by midday. And to her experienced eyes, she could feel the tinge of a genjutsu upon them. That gave her concern.

_Damn. Who are they after? Me, Tazuna or Naruto?_

The warning given by the Sandaime laid heavily on her mind, and she was undecided to how she was to approach the situation. She could turn the ambuscade on the hiding nins, but that wouldn't tell her who they were after, not unless she interrogated them. That was more of Anko's specialty than her own. Or she could take the risk and let them carry out the plan, potentially sacrificing Naruto or Tazuna. She could detect that a high chuunin or low jounin was hidden away, and she would be capable of handling them. Even Naruto would be able to take them on, she mused as she recalled the 'spar' between him, and Kisuke.

_**Oh kit, you see that puddle of water there?**_

_Yeah?_

_**It's not really a puddle of water.**_

_I was thinking it was too warm for that to be there, and that it hasn't rained in weeks. _

_**How about you stomp in it like a kid?**_

_As fun as that sounds, I have to wonder who they are after, me or Tazuna._

_**Why would they be going after you? Your 'Ne' profile is really well hidden, thanks to me and my passive genjutsu skills. And really, why any ninja would go after the inebriated and lecherous pervert known as your client is beyond me.**_

_So ... we wait and see I guess._

_**It's nothing you can't handle. Just be careful of showing too much away. We have to have our secrets after all.**_

_I'm wondering if Hinata has figured it out yet._

_**Her Byakugan is not active, but she should be able to be more sensitive to chakra now, thanks to all that training you forced upon her and Hanabi. But you never know. **_

The party made their way past the pool, Naruto whistling as he subtly loosened his zanpukuto from its sheath and focused chakra into his limbs, anticipating the eventual conflict.

Silent as wraiths, two figures appeared from the placid surface, chains hanging from their arms as they grinned in satisfaction. They were clad in cloaks, rebreathers on their mouths with a heavy gauntlet on their right hand. One of them threw the other into the air, who arced his body and fired their chains towards Kurenai, who looked surprised before it ensnared her, looping around her body as the rest of Team Eight looked on in shock. Naruto cursed and drew his blade, getting into his fighting stance as he wondered how the hostage situation was going to play out.

Except that it didn't.

"One down!"

The two nins pulled in opposite directions, catching Kurenai by surprise as her body tore apart, blood splattering over the place as her torso was ripped to shreds, organs and viscera bursting forward with blood as her vitae and skeletal structure collapsed into the ground.

"Kurenai-sensei!" screamed out Ino, her hands going to her kunai pouch as Hinata looked ill at the gruesome sight before getting into her Jyuuken stance. Her eyes hardened as she glared at the two demonic figures.

Naruto's eyes widened at the death of his sensei, his breathing growing erratic as he fought the urge to kill the two bastards, even if he knew that Kurenai had successfully replaced herself with a log. It was a sight that he never wanted to see, and he would gladly bring them down a notch.

"One down! Get the target."

The chains veered again towards Tazuna, before Team Eight sprang into action.

Ino quickly took out the 'Ne' issued crossbow that Naruto had leant to her, cocked the action and fired a quarrel into the two brothers.

Hinata batted away the chain heading towards the client, before she faced the two of them with their arms interlocked, their gauntlets levelled to render her flesh. They pushed forward, and Hinata used her kunai to parry them.

"It's over little girl!" they crowed.

Ino took a bead on one of them and fired. The bolt barely spun at all, its trajectory flat as it punched through their gauntlets, trapping their fists as they yelled at the pain.

Hinata took the chance to Jyuuken strike the right nin, hamstringing him with the new Jyuuken technique before punching out and knocking him unconscious.

Naruto came out and hakuda threw the other onto the ground. He was trapped still to his partner, and couldn't move out of the way.

The jinchuuriki piled a knee into his sternum before laying a haymaker to his chin. The nins face smacked backwards, before Naruto backhanded him again. He lay dazed on the floor, before the boy stomped on his crotch. Repeatedly.

Tazuna winced, followed by his teammates as they saw Naruto lay into the fallen ninja.

_Woah, so this is what a ninja is_, marvelled Tazuna. They were all skilled, but Naruto scared him with how methodical and disciplined he was in fighting, throwing an older man around like he was a rag doll. He gulped and made a note not to piss off the boy in the future. Especially seeing the damage he was doing to the shinobi's testicles.

"Naruto, that's enough." Out came Kurenai, her eyes radiating concern, but pride at how well her team had reacted under fire. There was no hesitation in their actions. Except that Naruto may have ended it a bit quicker, but was touched at the violence that she was doing on her behalf.

The boy stopped, nodding at her orders before stepping back.

The resident shibari specialist managed to tie up the two nins before addressing Tazuna with a deadly glare. He gulped at the fearsome expression and waited for the inquisition to come.

"Tazuna, these appear to be Kirigakure nins, who have a reputation for fighting to the last person. Why would such people be after you?"

"Yeah, who the hell did you piss off? They were going after you, not us. What are you hiding from us you old bastard," demanded Naruto.

"This is beyond our mission parameters, easily becoming a B ranked mission. We are not briefed to do anything beyond protecting you from bandits and the completion of your bridge. We do get people understating the danger to get a cheaper classification, but you have not acted in good faith. As far as we are concerned, you have breached the agreement and we are rescinding the contract."

"No! Wait, you can't!"

* * *

**The border of Wave and Hidden Mist  
Momochi Zabuza's hidden safe house**

"You failed?"

Gatou was met with silence.

"I paid you guys a lot of money because I heard you were very strong former ninjas. But –"

A massive zanbatou was swung with little effort, the blade coming under his chin as Zabuza gave a bored look to the shivering business man. His lips curled in contempt at the blustering coward before schooling his expression into indifference.

"Don't worry, he will die. Just quit your bitching. This time I will go with this head slicing cleaver and kill them."

"Are you sure?" he asked sceptically, "It seems that Tazuna have hired some skilled ninjas. And with your Demon Brothers failing, they will be ready for you."

Zabuza laughed at that, "Who do you think I am? There was a reason why I am called the _Akuma no Kirigakure_ (Devil of the Hidden Mist)."

* * *

**Wave Country**

"What thick mist, I can't see ahead."

"Hinata, use your Byakugan."

"Hai. No one that I can see."

"Alright, keep it active ok."

"Yes sensei."

"We should see the bridge soon. The Wave country is at the base of the bridge."

And suddenly, the bridge came into view. It was a massive affair, of concrete and steel, supported by pillars every hundred meters that were anchored into the seabed.

"Not bad old man," Naruto whispered.

"Everyone, keep quiet. We will be in deep trouble if Gatou finds us."

**Flashback**

"You're, you're right. This job is probably outside of your duties, but I had no choice."

"You are free to put your life on the line Tazuna-san, but not mine or that of my subordinates," she retorted coldly.

The man winced, before continuing, "Like I said, I had no choice. There was a super dangerous man after me."

Kurenai frowned, "Super dangerous?"

"Yes, his name is Gatou."

She blinked, "The shipping magnate? The owner of Gatou Company?"

"Yes."

"He is said to be one of the few extremely wealthy people in the Elemental Nations," she mused.

"Yes, officially he runs a shipping company, but he secretly sells drugs and other illegal items, using ninjas and gang members to take over businesses and countries. He is a nasty piece of work."

"Hmm, that is your word against his. And I don't particularly trust you at this moment Tazuna-san."

He sighed before continuing, "It was about a year ago when he set his eyes on Wave. Through money and violence, he quickly took over the control of our shipping. He now has a dammed monopoly on all business in the country. The only thing that is stopping him is the completion of my bridge."

Ino spoke up, "So you're a threat, which he wants taken care of."

Hinata nodded, "Those nukenins must have been hired by Gatou, but why did you hide that from us? Don't you want to be protected properly?"

Tazuna gave them a solemn nod, "We... the Wave Country is super poor. Even the Daimyo has no money. Everything was put into the bridge, that we had nothing left but a C ranked mission."

He looked at them with hope in his eyes, "Look, if you quit the mission now, I will definitely be killed. But –" he suddenly acted cheerful and shouted, "Don't worry about it! If I die, my cute ten year old grandson will just cry for a few days!"

The guilt trip fell a bit flat as he saw Naruto walking in the direction of Konoha.

"Hey wait! You brat, don't you have a heart at all?! My daughter will live a sad life hating Konoha nins forever! It will be all your fault as well!"

Rubbing her temples, Kurenai sighed at this, wondering on what to do. She had the authority to continue on the mission, but was chafing at the lies from their client. It was bad enough they had enemy ninja after them, but getting asymmetric information was just stacking the odds against them. Her time in CINT had taught her the value of intel and misdirection. She didn't want to get herself and her subordinates in a war between Gatou and the forces that he could hire. They were good, but numbers had a quality by themselves.

And yet Kurenai was a sucker for human interest stories, and this did tug at the heartstrings.

"Naruto, stop and come back here."

She turned to face Tazuna, "We will protect you until you get back to your village. But be aware that we are under no obligation to continue. And we will collect the appropriate fee later on in the future."

_Yes! I win._

"But first of all, we get the ANBU to take these nin into custody," With that said, she took out a summon scroll and unsealed it. A pigeon bird came out, and offered its leg. Kurenai dug out some paper and wrote a missive before wrapping on its leg. It went off.

"And we wait until they are retrieved. There is no need for us to kill them, they might have intel, but we can't just leave them here. They might have backup and escape. Team Eight, set up a perimeter around them, and keep an eye out until they come.

They waited for several hours until familiar animal face nins came and nodded to Kurenai. Tazuna shuddered at the menacing aura that they gave off, and swallowed.

Naruto stretched his muscles, his fingers cocked in a certain way as we gave an undercover 'Ne' operative a signal.

"So ANBU-san, where are you taking them now?"

The double agent grinned at him from behind the mask, and shrugged, "Likely Anko will get her chance at breaking them in."

Naruto winced at that, but figured that they deserved it, "Tell them that they nearly hurt Kurenai will you?"

"Eh, why not." The jinchuuriki turned around and made palmed a message that was addressed to Danzo.

The two parties then went off to their separate ways.

**End Flashback**

The boatman quickly brought them to an area where they could sneak back into Wave.

"This is it for me, goodbye and good luck."

While they were on the home stretch, Kurenai grew concerned and knew that if they were to be attacked again, it would be by a jounin, not a chuunin. While she was confident of her abilities, there was always some uncertainty when two high powered ninjas were fighting. And there was no guarantee that it wouldn't be more than just one.

"Eyes out everyone, we can rest once we reach friendly ground."

They nodded and continued to walk.

Naruto flooded reiatsu into his vision, just in case there was an ambush. Hinata preferred to keep her Byakugan inactive unless she really needed it. It did eat up chakra to levels that she couldn't maintain. Naruto was quite impressed by the doujutsu, but there were limitations to it that he had joyfully pointed out to Neji.

He saw something on the edge of his vision and he drew kunai, throwing it in the direction on instinct. It had disappeared just as quickly and Naruto sprinted towards the target.

"Naruto?"

"It's just a rabbit. A white snow rabbit."

_Hey Kyuu, you feeling hungry?_

_**Surprisingly yes. How can we do this? How about you hear my kami damned name!?**_

_Geez, it's not my fault. Isn't the rabbit cute? Doesn't it want to make a kitsune like you want to frolic around in a field?_

_**... No. I am not just some anthropomorphic representation of a fox! Do you see any naturally occurring foxes as sexy and beautiful as me?! Do you!?**_

"Naruto! What have you done?!" shouted at Ino, cuddling the rabbit to her chest.

"Sorry, my bad. I'm sorry little rabbit."

Kurenai grinned at their antics, but wondered why there would be a snow rabbit during the spring time. She suddenly becomes on full alert, noting that Naruto was doing the same thing as he made the connection.

_**Naru-kun, my kitsune senses are tingling. Somebody wants to kill you, and they are close.**_

Zabuza was hidden up in the trees and looked disdainfully at Team Eight.

_Kami, who the hell is she? I mean, nice on the eyes, but how did the Demon brothers lose to that? Unless those kids are something special, but still... let's see what you have got kunoichi._

With a blur Zabuza threw his blade towards them, arcing at chest level as Naruto sensed the disturbance.

"Guys get down!"

They all hit the deck, with Hinata pushing Tazuna to the floor as he barely avoided the sword. Naruto jumped onto his feet, zanpukuto out as he stared at the bare chested nin who stood on his sword, his back facing them.

_Holy shit, is that Momochi Zabuza?_

On his off days, Naruto had religiously read the Bingo Book, and they had the oddest and sickest collection of rogue nins to grace the Elemental Nations. Zabuza had an entire page dedicated to him, but most of it was speculative rubbish that was probably Kiri over-exaggerating the threat to help them save face.

_Great, a master swordsman and a suiton expert, right in the heart of Wave country. What are the odds..._

Kurenai widened her eyes, but kept her composure as she recognised him.

_This... is a bad matchup. In fact, for all of us, maybe Ino and Naruto are best suited to take him down, but I can't let my students take this fight. I am their sensei, a jounin. It is up to me. _

"You must be the nukenin Momochi Zabuza."

"Ah, I'm flattered that such a beautiful woman knows my name. Charmed." He gave her a mocking bow.

Her eyes tightened at the seeming dismissal.

She gestured to Team Eight, "Guys, get behind me. This is not your fight."

"But sensei-"

She cut him off in mid sentence, "No buts Naruto, this is my fight. I am your sensei, and we will all make it out of here."

Zabuza just shook his head, "I mean really, is it really worth me killing you and your subordinates? It's not, and I'm sure he lied to get his mission and you guys assigned. You have no obligation to protect this person. Just give him to me, and we can all move on. Or we could do it the hard way and I end up killing you and your kiddies, and the old man at the end. So what do you say?" asked the rogue nin, crossing his arms.

"Strong words Zabuza, but like your oversized sword, I think you are overcompensating for something."

The nukenin looked offended, "Ouch, why do people give me shit about the size of my sword?! It's big, it kills people and great for large crowds of people. But no, every pseudo intellectual has to make a crack about it, and some connection or implication that I have a small penis."

They all blinked at that.

He stretched his limbs and loosened his muscles, "Fine, I tried using words. Negotiations have failed. Show me whatcha got kunoichi."

"Team Eight, form a detail around Tazuna, do not enter the fight ok?" Kurenai ordered.

They hesitantly nodded.

Zabuza cocked his head, trying to think if he knew of her, "You know, when I was in Kiri's kill teams, we never had information on you. What's your name?"

She gave him a grim smile, "Yuuhi Kurenai. I may not be as notorious as you, but then again, not everyone likes to be in the spotlight."

He shrugged, "As much as I like the pre fight banter, I have an old man to kill."

Tazuna gulped and looked nervously ahead of him.

"Agreed."

The nin ripped his blade out of the tree and jumped to the centre of a nearby lake. He channelled chakra, forming seals as Kurenai looked on, preparing scenarios in her head as she outlined an ambush. Her hand formed seals just as Zabuza finished.

_Ninpou: Kirigakure no jutsu! (Ninja skill: Hidden Mist Technique)_

_Hmm, he will come after me first, with his patented silent killing method._

The mist around them thickened, until visibility was at an all time low.

"Hinata, Byakugan now!" Naruto shouted.

"Hai!" she activated her doujutsu and penetrated into the chakra induced haze.

"Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, neck vein, brain, kidney, heart... Which should I go after first?" boomed Zabuza's voice from all directions.

Hinata saw through it all and shouted out, "North West sensei!"

_Shit, that little bitch has got the Byakugan?! Might have to neutralise her first._

He directed an immense amount of killing intent to Hinata, who managed to throw of it off after being subjected to it on a regular basis from Naruto and Kurenai.

_Impressive, these kids aren't half bad, but still, it won't be enough. _

He appeared in front of Tazuna and raised his sword, swinging through –

To be met by Naruto's sword, who grunted at trying to hold back such a monstrous blade.

"Eh, not bad kid." Zabuza kicked out, catching Naruto in the gut before Kurenai suddenly appeared behind him and cleanly cut his throat.

The nukenin clutched at his throat was Kurenai sighed in relief, before it collapsed into a puddle.

_Mizu-bunshin?!_

He appeared again swinging the massive cutter he managed to slice through Kurenai –

Who disappeared into the mist.

_Ah, a genjutsu user. This will be interesting._

Suddenly vines came up and immobilized the man, gripping onto his limbs and the red eyed jounin dug her kunai to Zabuza's jugular.

"It's over Momochi!"

He chuckled eerily, "You don't get it do you?"

"Get what? I am the one holding the kunai to your throat."

"You are out of my league," came another whisper from behind her.

Naruto whistled at the use of clones, which was what he regularly did in his battle. And Kurenai was familiar enough with such spam tactics that she prepared a counter for the odd chance that they met another user.

She was irritated that she would never know which version was the right one, and had used on kage bunshin as a distraction while crafting a layered genjutsu that made Zabuza believe that she was the real one. She was hidden away under another genjutsu as she planned the next moves.

As she was stabbed, the clone fell apart and Kurenai threw explosive tagged kunai into Zabuza, who thought to bash them away before they detonated knocking him back. The jounin-sensei moved in for the kill, before getting kicked in the solar plexus into the lake.

Naruto grimaced at that blow, but stayed back, hoping that Kurenai had some sort of backup plan in the works.

She surfaced, and channelled chakra to get back to the surface. She noticed that something was wrong when the water was more viscous than it should have been.

_This water is too heavy, what the?_

_Suiton: Suriou no jutsu! (Water Prison Technique)_

Water coalesced into a spherical dome, that caught Kurenai by surprise, who cursed.

Zabuza chuckled, "Yeah, I get that a lot. You have been trying to escape the water, but that's just not possible. No one can get out of this one."

Naruto stepped up, knowing that it was up to them now.

"No, Naruto, get away! Save yourself!" shouted Kurenai, feeling like a failure at being caught like that.

"I just want the damned old man, so stop struggling," he said, holding onto the sphere. He formed more clones and had them approach the genin.

They are rushed forward but were quickly cut down by Naruto and Hinata, which made him widen his eyes in surprise.

"Impressive stuff. But are you guys really shinobi? Just wearing a hitai-ate doesn't mean you are a ninja. Not unless you have survived death in the face and have laughed at it. Once you reach Bingo Book status, and then you can be something serious."

"Run, run now! As long as he's keeping me in this prison, he can't move. And his clones aren't a match for you guys. Take Tazuna and run away," cried out Kurenai, wanting her precious students to survive at all costs.

Zabuza scratched his head, "Well damn, you're right. But what happens if I do this?"

He raised his sword and impaled Kurenai with it, all the way to the hilt, a somewhat regretful expression on his face.

_Man, I never liked destroying something so beautiful._

Naruto just looked in shock as he saw her, a massive wound in her torso as the turgid water kept her from bleeding out.

"Here's the deal, you hand over the old man or your sensei dies. She will go into shock soon if you don't do anything."

Hinata clenched her fists and looked worriedly at the deteriorating situation, "Guys, what do we do?"

"Stand back and watch," Naruto spat out.

"What?! Naruto, we know you're good, but you saw how he defeated Kurenai-sensei like that. We need to work together."

"Too dangerous and you will just get in my way. Just stand back," he said absentmindedly, planning out his attack.

Ino exploded into him, "Dammit, we are a team, we are not letting you go off on yourself. Teamwork, all that stuff that you talked about Naruto, don't tell me that you were lying!"

He looked at them with a sad smile, "The teamwork is you two protecting Tazuna. He might not be alone and have someone out there just waiting for an opening. But it's time."

_**All out?**_

Naruto growled, _Nothing else. Let's show that eyebrowless freak what happens to people that mess with my precious people._

"But?!" both Ino and Hinata protested.

Naruto just held out his hand that silenced them, "Just watch and see."

Hinata was conflicted between her desire to see Naruto safe and to listen to him. Ino was facing the same dilemma, as there was statistically no chance of Naruto being able to succeed. But there was something about Naruto that gave her...

"Faith." She whispered.

"What?" asked Hinata.

"I believe in you Naruto."

He gave her a smirk, twirled his blade and raised it out to Momochi, "Let's get wild."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zabuza looked at Naruto approaching with some disbelief, "Kid, you have no chance. Is the old man worth your pretty sensei?"

"Hell no, but there is no way that I am letting you go with hurting her like that you bastard. I know all about you."

"Oh?"

They were far away that Hinata and Ino couldn't hear them, while Kurenai was dropping out of consciousness.

_Ok, first step is to get her out of that damned prison._

Naruto channelled reiatsu, finding things to be supernaturally clear as he faced him down.

"You carry a sword as well, but can you use it?" asked the nukenin.

Naruto blurred off, creating after images as he utilised the Dance of the Crescent Moon. Zabuza's eyes widened at seeing such a rarefied technique being mastered by a kid and held out his sword defensively.

Naruto burst into five separate images, all of them leaving after images as they spun into the air, trying to find an opening as they dived bombed into him. The Demon was a stationary target that couldn't move, but he still managed to stab three of them, before taking flesh wounds as he avoided the strikes.

"Is that all –"

Before he could finish, the 'after images' charged into him and once they got into three meters they started to glow.

_Oh fuck!_

They exploded right into his face, where the nukenin had to use the width of the blade to avoid the worst of the blast. He let go of his jutsu and that was all the distraction that the real Naruto needed to shunpo'd Kurenai out of there and back to Tazuna.

The girls were shocked at seeing Naruto pull off that daring manoeuvre.

"Ino, Hinata, put lots of pressure onto the wound ok? We have to stop the bleeding, so use everything we got."

They nodded to him and Naruto faced back to Momochi. His seemingly kamikaze style move would have caught the other man by surprise, but he was fairly sure that he was still alive. And he knew that he wouldn't have been underestimated anymore. From what he saw, the older man was an expert with his sword and strong in taijutsu as well. His licked his lips in anticipation of the challenge.

Zabuza appeared from the mist, "Oww. You little prick. That hurt. And my blade, are those blast marks?! Do you know how much it will cost to get that polished out?"

"Not my problem. Eh, I'm not just a little kid am I?"

Despite the situation, he had to give Naruto credit, he was a ballsy boy, "Not bad, but you are still playing ninja. You have no idea of what it means to be a shinobi."

Naruto had seen many things through his 'Ne' career and just scoffed at that, "I have seen more than you will know."

And for some reason, he believed him. Those cerulean eyes looked haunted by things that gave him pause.

"Maybe," he allowed, "You do have that thousand meter stare. But when I was your age, my hands were already dyed red with blood."

Naruto nodded grimly, "Yes, I know all about it, _akuma_."

Thankfully far away enough that they couldn't be overheard, Zabuza felt loquacious enough to chat with the interesting blond.

"Do you know what really happened?"

"Not really, but from what the Bingo Books say, your village had the quaint idea that a ninja's potential could be measured at birth, and that they couldn't improve later on. So you had this graduation exam where you had to fight someone to the death."

Zabuza gave a bitter laugh, "Oh, it was more than that. It was a fight between friends who had been trained, eaten and confided in each other. We were made to fight them until one of them died. We were brothers and sisters, we helped each other, shared our dreams..."

Naruto blanched at that, and his disgust grew even more, "And you still killed them all, all of them. What kind of monster are you?"

Zabuza stopped at that, "You know, I ask that question to myself at times as well. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Good idea?!"

He nodded to Naruto, "They wanted monsters, killing machines, children who would sacrifice everything for their nation. Their lives, their morals, their friends, their souls. So I gave it to them. I gave them everything. It was what they wanted, wasn't it? They set up the graduation so only the strongest, the deadliest, the most heartless would prevail. I gave them that, gave them everything."

Naruto couldn't really muster any sympathy towards to man in front of him.

"But no one really understands why I did it. They graduated me and put me on the fastrack for ANBU. And the rest is, as they say, history."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Eh, I had this odd feeling that you would understand. And I figured I would do you a favour before I killed you. You got lucky with that exploding clone trick, but I am not going to fall for it twice. And you are no ordinary genin. Who are you anyway?"

"I am a ghost. And that's not all I got," Naruto promised.

And they then blurred into action. Zabuza moved his blade with a fluidity that belied the massive size of the zanbatou, while Naruto dodged it with inherent grace as he wasn't stupid enough to parry those blows. They danced around each other.

The nukenin swung low, Naruto jumping up and slashed diagonally down, keeping his guard up as he kept his attacks on the level, shaping the battlefield using his fuuton barriers as he forced Zabuza into them.

_Damn, the little bastard is quick with his blows. Can't even get a decent hand seal up._

He then felt razor strikes against his legs as he wondered what could have cut him.

Naruto dived forward before forming shadow clones that juggled between him, using kawamiri in a lightening fast exchange that was slowly overwhelming the older man as he tried to swat them away with his blade.

Of course that didn't help when they further exploded, blind sighting him.

_What is this kid?! How much chakra does he have to keep spamming out these things? Most jounin would have been laid low by chakra exhaustion if they tried to pull of that kinda bullshit!_

Naruto boxed in Zabuza and channelled a fire jutsu from his mouth

_Katon: Dai Endan (Fire Technique: Great fireball)_

The surrounding wind gave ample fuel to the fire jutsu and ignited in a flash.

Naruto looked around, sporting several wounds that were rapidly healing as he scanned his sight to see the incredibly dark stain on Zabuza's soul. The nukenin had dropped into the bottom of the sea and submerged with a crash, thrusting away and trying to kill the boy.

The jinchuuriki danced around him, taking light blows as he used a combination of hakuda and kenjutsu to keep Zabuza occupied before suddenly a quarrel took Zabuza in the shoulder. He grunted in pain and Naruto capitalised on it, forming more clones as they grabbed onto the swordsman, igniting again. He had managed to escape with a quick kawarimi before Naruto converged on him again.

_Ino, I can kiss you. _

His shoulder was ruined from the bolt, and every swing was brining pain to him. For the first time in a while, he was entertaining thoughts that he may not be able to win this battle.

Naruto was getting tired as the jounin managed to survive nearly everything that he could throw at him. His wind currents were swatted away, leaving gouge marks on the zanbatou as he had figured out the trick quick enough. Naruto cursed that fact that he couldn't make them slice through weapons grade steel yet.

Zabuza used more clones to distract Naruto while his hands desperately blurred:

_Ox, Monkey, Hare, Rat, Boar, Rooster, Ox, Horse, Rooster, Rat, Tiger, Serpent, Ram, Boar, Ram, Rate Monkey, Rooster, Dragon, Rooster, Ox, Horse, Ram, Tiger, Serpent, Boar, Rat, Monkey, Hare, Boar, Dragon, Ram, Rat, Ox, Monkey, Rooster, Boar, Rat, Serpent, Rooster_

Those forty four seals were formed in less than five seconds, he channelled chakra continuously and directed it towards the blond.

_Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu (Water Dragon Blast technique)_

Three serpentine dragons burst from the surface of the lake and chased after Naruto, before aiming for Tazuna.

_Oh shit!_

Naruto flash stepped over, and tried to decapitate the dragon but his sword just went through the water. He felt Zabuza behind him and groaned.

_This is getting to be a joke. _

Naruto took a deep blow to his chest so he could plunge a kunai into Zabuza's abdomen, one of Ten Ten's specials. Needless to say the frangible load detonated into his chest with caused the dragons to collapse.

Naruto limped over, his healing in overdrive as he approached the downed nin.

"What are you? How can you survive all those hits I gave you?" he asked incredulously.

"What can I say? I am special. Prepare to die." Naruto brought his blade to bear and swung it down –

Before he was struck by senbon to his neck.

Haku had been watching on the sidelines, admiring the skill of the two swordsman as the fought against each other. The shinobi was clad in hunter nin robes, growing concerned as Zabuza took on more and more wounds as the time went on. Haku considered taking on Tazuna right now, as everyone's attention was centred onto the fight or keeping Kurenai alive, but hesitated.

_Zabuza would really want the kill after all of this, and I am sure that he will be victorious in the end._

But the blond haired boy fought with an indomitable will that she ended up admiring. But as Naruto was going to bring the finishing blow, she blurred into action, aiming for Naruto's vitals as time was of the essence.

The needles penetrated into his nerves and Naruto found himself unable to move.

_Fuck! Kyuu!_

_**Working on it.**_

Zabuza kicked out Naruto's knees and jammed the senbon deeper into the blond's neck, trying to hit an artery as he was put through the paces. He could feel slivers of steel lodged into his body, and yet the needles seemed stuck before they were forcefully expelled from hi s neck and he received a right cross to his face.

Naruto looked around and saw the hunter-nin with long hair and mask, where he just groaned and kept the two of them in his fight.

"Zabuza-sama, are you alright?"

"No, I have a fucking hole in my stomach. Let's just kill the blond and get some healing," he muttered out.

Haku showed concern as she put a bandage on the wound and gave Zabuza some morphine, "Maybe we should just leave? I mean, that does look bad –"

He shrugged off the assistance, "Oh no, I didn't come all the way here and fight this little bitch just to go back empty handed. I can handle myself for a few more moments, and then we are done." Zabuza then ripped out the bolt in his shoulder and staunched the bleeding, wincing while doing so.

"It doesn't matter how many lackeys you have Zabuza, I will take care of you all. Just you fucking wait!" Naruto vowed.

"He's pretty ... resilient," Haku noted.

The nukenin laughed at that, "Yes, he sure is. He would make a fine weapon if weJ1 weren't trying to kill each other right now."

The both blurred together, dealing blows that Naruto desperately dodged or parried, but he was slowly overwhelmed by them. He had to fend off ice senbon, the guillotine that was Zabuza's blade and keep an eye on them if they tried to get closer to Kurenai and Tazuna.

He used shunpo sparingly, but found that Haku was fast, her arms a blur as the water around him became his worst enemy, where they would suddenly solidify into ice, breaking his stance. Worse yet was when they spiked up into his legs, nailing him so he had to kawarimi out of the way. Naruto used the last of his explosive notes in a desperate attempt to kill them. Ino did what she could, but Haku was too fast for her to get a bead on.

_Fuck, time for the flashy stuff._

_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu! (Mass shadow clone technique)_

Using up the last of his chakra, Naruto flooded the field with over three hundred clones who converged on the two nukenins. Naruto fell down, exhaustion nearly taking over as he formed some seals for one last attack. He had prepared one massive chakra attack to engulf the entire area.

But suddenly there was a massive explosion of chakra that got Naruto's attention as he cursed out loud. Zabuza had spun into a tight circle, clearing the pile up while Haku kept a guard for him.

_Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Sheep, Boar, Ox, Horse, Monkey, Tiger, Dog, Tiger, Serpent, Tiger, Ox, Monkey, Rabbit, Bird._

Upon completion the water around Zabuza created eddies as he looked triumphantly to Naruto.

_Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu! (Water Release: Grand Waterfall technique)_

It cleared away all the clones and Naruto had to shunpo away from ground zero, cursing as his concentration was disrupted. The two of them continued to surge after him, seemingly aiming for Tazuna as they diverted his attention and made him chase after them. Naruto breathed in and wondered if he could unleash one of the more devastating moves he had in his arsenal. He didn't get the chance as Haku blurred in and stabbed him in the chest, aiming for his ligaments and tendons in his shoulder and slapped an explosive note to his chest.

_Ah fuck, this brings back awful memories. _

The explosion blew him away and Zabuza went airborne, his cleaver raised high up as it crashed into Naruto's prone form. Naruto held up his zanpukuto, absorbing the impact which cracked the blade, sending him into the bottom of the sea.

Ino and Hinata cried out as they saw their teammate go down...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto found himself in his mindscape, in Kyuu's arms as he cursed with great anger.

_Fuck! I have to –_

_**Calm down kit, we have all the time in the world, now that you are in our little place. Not even a second has passed in the real world.**_

He stopped his rant, and relaxed into her embrace. It was a near nightly ritual, where he found comfort in the maternal figure that the Kyuubi had provided since he was six years of age.

_I – I'm still not strong enough._

_**To be fair, they are jounin level opponents, and you no longer have the surprise.**_

_Dammit, this can't be happening. I can't die here, not with Kurenai-sensei and that drunk bastard out there!_

_**You just need more strength. I can –**_

_Dammit, why can't you tell me your name!?_

Kyuu sighed, I _**can tell you it, you just can't hear it.**_

_I don't understand this, why not?_

_**Who really knows why, or why not? Naruto, right now, you are pretty powerful, but still, you hold yourself back.**_

_What do you mean?_

_**Oh come on, don't lie to me kit. Your reluctance and hesitance to do what is needed.**_

_Dammit, be clear on this!_

_**Fine, you refuse to kill.**_

She was met with shocked silence.

_**Every time you have gone out, you haven't ever directly killed a person. It has always been a bunshin that got lucky, or an exploding clone. Why are you afraid of this? Didn't you say that some people just deserve to die?**_

_I – I did,_ Naruto admitted reluctantly.

_**Then what is the problem?**_

Naruto hung his head in defeat, _I am a shinigami. I shouldn't be able to kill people. I – I can see them at times._

_**Ah, so that's it.**_

He nodded.

Kyuu just sighed and hugged him closer to her, _**Look, death is inevitable. Everyone has a certain amount of breathes in their body before they die. To live is to die, eventually. You can't be afraid to do it, just because of who you are. Remember the guy that tried to rape Yuugao.**_

Naruto tensed at that, his anger still burning in him.

_**You wanted him to die**_, she coaxed, hugging him, whispering into his ear, _**and who could blame yo**_u?

_It still doesn't make it right –_

_**Maybe, maybe not. But as your guardian, I cannot really give you any power if you are not ready for it.**_

_What do you mean?_ He asked in a confused voice.

_**If you can release me, then you can kill. Quite easily in fact. In ways that you can't imagine. I will not let you beat yourself if it happens accidentally. You are just not ready for shikai.**_

_But I need it_, he said desperately.

Kyuu was just wondering why her impromptu lies were working so well. A pacifistic Naruto wasn't something that she wanted to nourish. She wanted to see him revel in the sheer addictive nature of violence, the wanton and conspicuous displays of power and dominion over others.

_**You are not ready for it.**_

_What will I need to do then?_

_**Promise me that you will kill. You made three promises to me back then. Consider this to be one of them.**_

A long term investment, if Naruto could agree. And she knew that he would.

_But, but –_

_**Look, I'm not being unfair or anything, but if you cannot make the commitment and sacrifice necessary to wield the power that I can give you, then it just won't happen. This will be one step forward.**_

Naruto stayed silent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zabuza tried to get his breath, nearly exhausted from that sortie, "Eh, he was a tough little shit, but hey, he was just a kid. Impressive stuff though."

Haku sighed in annoyance. The blond swordsman had given both of them a run for their money, especially his lightening fast kawarimi with his explosive clones, his Dance and those fuuton jutsus to partition off the battle ground. It was a tight thing, but the kekkei genkai within remained unused. It wasn't meant for anything beyond one on one combat.

He looked to the shore and spat to his left, "Ok, this is way too much effort to kill that old fart, let's do it."

Haku nodded,"Yes Zabuza-sama"

And suddenly, the water beneath them erupted in crimson light, sending off blinding rays as the surface seemed to bubble and distort.

_What the hell?!_

Naruto burst forward, twirling in a somersault as he managed to get back onto the lake, his body bathed in the Kyuubi's chakra that healed all of his injuries before their eyes. His flesh melded together, the red chakra lovingly caressing his flesh as the two nins blinked at the sight.

Zabuza just lost it, "That's it! I am so motherfucking sick, of your motherfucking healing, in this mother fucking hit! Why won't you just lay down, let me kill this fucking bridge builder and move on with our lives!? What the hell, this isn't worth the kami damned aggravation. What is he to you?!"

Naruto just starred at him, a slight smirk on his face as he raised his blade and uttered out some words with deathly precision:

_Kaze no wameki koe oyobi bunsan subete hakai ni_: Kamujin! (The wind howls and scatters all away to oblivion)

Strands of indigo reiatsu surged forward from his blade, enlightening the surrounding areas in an eerie glow as the two nukenins warily prepared themselves for any new surprises from the blond. It was one new thing after the other, and they wanted to make sure that it ended properly this time.

But they were surprised to see that his blade had spun into two. And it was far different from the katana that he was wielding before. In lieu, there were a pair of shido, their blades curving a sinuous shape from black steel, tinged with red hues that were reminiscent of rust. A ring was in place of the conventional crossguard/tsuba, and they could see a red tassel appear from the end of each hilt. They were long, as long as he was tall, but Naruto seemed to have no trouble with their dimensions or their weight as he sized up the two before grinning.

Everything felt natural to him. Naruto had dual wielded before, when he was with 'Mi', but was never comfortable with it, as it disrupted his sense of balance and the ability to use jutsu if he needed to. But he felt like he had done what he was doing for his entire life, the blades an extension of his arms. Well, not exactly, but he could feel the raw reiatsu running through his veins, everything seemed so much more crisp to his vision. He could swear that he could taste the breeze that blew, disrupting and blowing errant leaves in their direction. Even individual water droplets in the mist were clear to him. And for the first time in his life, he felt his reiatsu flow easily and naturally, like a reservoir had opened up and allowed him access.

Zabuza decided to taunt the blond for a bit, "Ok, so you have two blades now, is that all you got?"

"Hah, not quite," Naruto shot back.

Naruto's shirt had ripped apart, sporting a pair of ephemeral wings that were made from pure elemental air. They waved lazily, almost invisible to the human eye, but for the light distortions in the surrounding environment.

_Kyuu, what is so special about the sword now?_

_**Everything.**_

_Can you be more specific?_

_**Why don't I tell you?**_

And she appeared right behind him, holding onto him from behind as she whispered into his ears.

_Ok, where the fuck did the bitch come from. And ... does she have fox ears?! And tails? What is this, some kind of hentai manga?_

Naruto was startled that the Kamujin could appear in real life.

She laughed throatily, grasping Naruto's arms with tenderness, luxuriating in her freedom outside the confines of the body.

"_**This feels so good, I can get used to this."**_

_Wa – what the?_

"_**Remember Naru-kun, I am a part of you. We will never be separated, but that doesn't mean I can't come out to play, once in a while."**_

_Alright, well, we can talk later. Right now I have this bastard to mess up._

"_**Ok, be careful though. Your speed, strength, concentration will be through the roof, as things will be much clearer and your reiatsu much easier to channel." **_

Naruto nodded.

"_**And you notice these fancy pair of wings on your back?"**_

_Yeah?_

"_**That means you can fly."**_

_Oh damn. That. Is. Awesome._

"_**Yep, but also remember that they can act as a shield for you."**_

_Meaning?_

"_**They can deflect away kunai and senbon, especially what that bitch has been throwing at you like candy."**_

Naruto's grin just got wider as he tested out his new abilities, going up in the air slightly as he got his bearings.

"_**And not the least, you have this funky attack where you fire off wind based energy attacks like Kisuke's zanpukuto. But this is much better."**_

_How so?_

"_**It's black."**_

Naruto face faulted.

_Is that it?_

Zabuza decided that letting the two of them talk was a bad idea so he nodded and surged forward, determined to see if the new Naruto was any good with his two swords.

And to his surprise, he was.

Naruto swung his blade, connecting and catching them between the tertiary blade, before wrenching them into the side, and moved his shoulder into his guard. This caught the man by surprise, especially when he felt a blade of wind cut into his side and he hastily disengaged, swinging a parting shot that was dodged by Naruto.

The boy was then belted by a swarm of senbon that his wings acted automatically, shaving them into metal particulates as Naruto jumped out into the air, subconsciously channelling reiatsu into his blade and gave a roar.

A current of darkness, as black as stygian fire lurched forward with a howl, and both nukenins jumped out of the way and cursed at the deep furrow left by the attack. It easily created a trench two meters deep and six meters long. An attack of that magnitude would have emitted some sort of chakra flare, but they had felt nothing.

And they all felt true fear as the blond floated above them, a manic grin on his face as he blinked –

To find Naruto slice into him with his blades, his zanbatou warding off the flurry of blows as he felt the blows reverberated down to the hilt as his arms were cut up by his wings. Naruto then fired a blast directly into his face, which he hastily blocked using his blade, nearly blowing it out of his hand.

Haku quickly moved in to double team the blond, was fending off the two attacks comfortably, his wings an autonomous being as they swung and defended him as he went all out on former Swordsman, leaving huge gaps in his guard as he tried to overwhelm the older man as quickly as he could.

The faux hunter nin decided to regroup and shoved an explosive note onto the ground. Naruto flash flew out of the way, his speed technique improved by a factor of two thanks to his wings and looked at them impassively. He went airborne and send a flurry of blasts, devastating the area underneath the two.

"Haku, buy me some time!" bellowed the Devil, as he needed a way to attack the aerial shinobi.

"Hai!" Haku quickly channelled Hyuton and tried to form spikes from the lake to hit Naruto, who rather lazily avoided them and shot more blasts at her, which managed to freeze the water surface.

_Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu (Water Dragon Blast technique)_

Using the last of his chakra, Zabuza formed some more dragons, who rushed into Naruto, their maws widened in anticipation.

"Eat this!" Naruto snarled, sending off his current which managed to slice them into halves, the impact points crystallising into ice as the reiatsu destroyed the chakra matrix that held them together. Haku and Zabuza paled at that, realising that the fight had gotten very dangerous for them. The tables had turned yet again.

Momochi Zabuza knew that there were children younger than him, and stronger than him, somewhere. He just didn't ever expect to find one who was desperate to kill him. Even in the prior state, the boy would have served easily in the Kirigakure ANBU forces, a prodigy that would have made Swordsman.

But he saw a literally killing machine, a kensai who was could have been his equal. Given his new weapons, his speed, concentration and those damned wings, he would be the perfect stand alone killer. And the fact that he could silently channel 'chakra', well, he was built to be an ambushing assassin.

And there were too many variables for him to consider. Even if he managed to kill the boy, he had his two other teammates to consider. And given the shitload of surprises that he had today, he wouldn't pass off the chance that the two girls had a trick up their sleeves.

"Haku, fall back."

"Oh no you don't!" Naruto snarled, desperate to finish them off.

"You should be more concerned about your pretty sensei, unless you want her to bleed out."

"Fuck!"

Naruto sent out two more coruscating blasts before he was satisfied that the two of them were out of the area. They left a parting gift of explosive senbon and kunai to cover their tracks, and thick smoke for good measure. His reiatsu saw their signatures disappear before he shunpo'd to Kurenai.

"Oh fuck, sensei, are you ok?"

Kurenai was dazed and bleeding out, despite Hinata and Ino's best attempts.

"We-we can't stop the bleeding, the wound is too deep"

_No, you will not die on us dammit._

Naruto suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed onto his knees

_**Your reiatsu is weakening, you better be careful kit. Your chakra is pretty low as well.**_

Normally, Kyuu might have taken this chance to break out of her prison, but she held back. She was having way too much fun with her host to leave now. Not when she had found the very thing that she had spent centuries looking for.

Naruto shrugged it off and channelled his remaining spiritual energy into his fists.

A green aura surrounded his hands as he placed them on top of Kurenai's wounds, making them close up. It was a slow process, but her internal organs managed to regenerate, closing the flesh like it was molten wax under Naruto's solicitous care. He didn't dare stop until it was fully sealed, leaving nothing more than a light scar, before even that disappeared.

Naruto stopped, finding himself sweating like a hog as he tried to breathe. He found that the sharp edge that he was under while fighting had disappeared, his senses retreating into himself as he got light headed. He saw Hinata and Ino asking him questions, but he couldn't hear any of them. His vision started to blur to white, as he felt like he was swimming underwater.

The next thing that he knew was that he was on the floor, staring into the sky as he saw the faint outlines of his teammates as they were reaching out to him, concern on their faces as he tried to move, but couldn't seem to move his limbs.

_Ah nuts._

"NARUTO! NARUTO!"

Hinata desperately checked his pulse, finding it to be weak and breathed a sigh of relief.

Tazuna just stared at the blond who had shown more fighting ability than any adult he had ever seen.

_Kami, what the hell are these kids? Hell, they are not kids, not that blond one anyway._

Ino looked around in concern, "Hinata, are they really gone?"

Her Byakugan active, the heiress looked around and nodded.

"Ok, we need to go just in case they come back with more people. Tazuna, do you know of a safe place?"

He nodded and moved to carry the boy, who had still managed to keep his grip on his zanpukutos even when he had passed out. He was going to loosen his grip on them before he touched the hilt. He gave a yelp as he felt a deep static shock that persuaded him that touching the blond's sword was a bad idea.

He sighed, crossing Naruto's arms so his blades were in a safe position and carried him bridal style to his home.

* * *

**Wave Country  
Tazuna's residence**

Kurenai woke up with a start, her hand darting to her kunai holster before she realised that it was missing. She cursed and looked around her.

She was in a clean room, on a decent bed and saw that Ino was sleeping on a futon on the floor next to her. She relaxed slightly, then hurriedly grasped at her abdomen.

She remembered how Zabuza had goaded Naruto into attacking by impaling that massive blade into her stomach. His water prison had made it impossible for her to bleed out quickly, as the viscous liquid acted as a compress. But her intestines and stomach were shredded, an unbearable pain as she had to watch Naruto fight the Demon of the Mist. Her heart cried out to him, for them to run away and save themselves. She could feel and remember the icy steel, the impending feeling of death overwhelming her. She had tasted the bitter taste of failure, as she realised that she was unable to defend her students. But she was then witnesses to some of the most inventive, destructive and flashy fighting manoeuvres she had seen.

Naruto had managed to break Zabuza's guard, get her to safety and fight them off. She stared helplessly as her star pupil lost the upper hand as he raced to protect them from those water dragons. She couldn't remember anything beyond the moment that Naruto had taken a haymaker of a blow before plunging into the water...

"Sensei?"

Her reverie was broken when she heard a voice that made her heart leap up.

"Naruto?!"

The concerned boy came in, soup on a tray as he carefully stepped over Ino and placed the food down by a desk. Kurenai was just gob smacked at how healthy the boy looked. She swore that he was nearly cleaved in half and that was beside the plethora of wounds beforehand. But by the way that he walked, his injuries sustained were fully healed, yet there was something about him that wasn't quite the same.

The quiet confidence that he had always carried was now solidified into something else. And to be honest, the boy was underrated by nearly everyone. Not even the Hokage had any idea that Naruto could fight off jounins the way that he did. It was all so mysterious and disturbing.

_How the hell did you get so good?_

"Are you ok?" Naruto asked with concern as he saw her eyes glaze over.

Swiftly and suddenly, she drew him into her embrace, not caring that her trademark bandages were not on her and that she was effectively naked. Naruto had the rather pleasant feeling of a perfectly formed pair of breasts pushing into his face as Kurenai held onto the blond.

"Don't you ever, ever disregard my orders ever again. Do you hear me?" she said fiercely.

"Mmph, shure thng."

The genjutsu mistress blinked and realised that she wasn't quite decent. She blushed and hurriedly pushed Naruto away and got the sheets up to her shoulders.

Naruto wasn't fairing much better, his eyes a bit dazed at being treated to a sight that most men would have given their testicles over. In fact, it was something that peeping toms had paid for, with their testicles. And sometimes a full castration wasn't out of the question. He hurriedly looked away, filing the image away for personal use later.

The boy then shook his head, clearing that out of his mind as he pouted, "No, not when someone I care about is in trouble."

Kurenai was touched by his concern. She was also infuriated by his insubordination.

"Naruto, I am your –"

"Yes yes, you're my superior, my jounin-sensei, blah blah blah. But I wasn't going to leave you behind like that. I am not a piece of trash who abandons their teammates. Believe it."

Ino had woken up who looked at Naruto with concern, "Naruto-kun, you shouldn't be up. Hell, how are you even up? You were facing chakra exhaustion just a day ago, you need to get rest."

"Mah Ino-kun, it will take more than just chakra-exhaustion to take me down. I'm not that weak"

Kurenai disagreed, "While that is true, you still need to get some rest. Ino, can you go get Hinata here?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Team Eight was gathered together into the room, all looking to Kurenai who had managed to get dressed.

"Zabuza is alive, and will be back. We need backup. This has become an A ranked mission."

Naruto nodded. Kurenai summoned a carrier pigeon and sent it forward.

"What do you think will happen?"

"Probably another genin team will come, or who knows? Maybe ANBU. But that's unlikely, there is no profit to be made here. We may even be told to get back to Konoha and send the Hunter-nins to take Momochi's scalp."

"Before they come, Zabuza and his accomplice might come again, so we need to prepare for that. And I doubt they would be coming without more allies. We need to train up."

"Oh Ino, thanks for the while bow fire, that saved my ass,"

She flushed at the praise, and demurely lowered her head, "Not a problem."

"In any event, Naruto, I need you to tell me about your abilities."

"Eh, it's a ... bloodline. A rare and unknown bloodline unique to me and my family, "he said, the partial lie coming easy off his tongue.

Kurenai rolled her eyes and sighed, "Right. How stupid do you think I am?"

The blond laughed nervously and scratched his head, "It was worth a shot, I knew I couldn't fool such a beautiful, smart and –"

"Please, save the compliments when I am not grilling you."

"... damn. So Hinata, have I told you how nice your eyes look lately?"

"No, but could you?" she asked hopefully.

"Naruto, I'm serious here. We need to train up, for what is happening. I need to know about your abilities, as your sensei so I can plan a training program. Time is of the essence."

Naruto shrugged, "It's a clan secret. It's not like the Hyuuga, Uchiha or other clans tell their sensei's what their secrets are do they?" he asked reasonably.

"This is hardly the same thing," she said, rolling her eyes.

"No, it is. This is an Uzumaki clan bloodline, that I am forbidden to tell anyone about," Naruto spoke the word Uzumaki with some distaste, but it was barely noticeable.

"Naruto, you haven't seen your mother in years, so how do you know that is the case?" Kurenai asked reasonably.

Naruto shrugged, "She left me a piece of paper, I must have trashed it years ago. But it was clear enough."

Quirking up an eyebrow, she asked, "What did it say?"

"Tell no one," Naruto said that a straight face.

His teammates face faulted, "How do you know that it related to your 'bloodline'?" demanded Ino.

"What else could it refer to?" he said with a shrug.

Kurenai was developing a headache, that Naruto noticed and quickly gave a wave over with his kido healing.

"Thanks," she said absentmindedly, smiling at the foxy smile that graced his features.

She sighed one more time, "Ok, I won't pry too much, but I can't help you train if you don't tell me about it," she tried to put some incentive as bait.

But Naruto wouldn't bite, not just yet, "Sure thing."

Night fell soon enough and Naruto sneaked out of his room, leaving a clone to cover his presence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_"It is good to be out and about, don't you agree?"_**

"Yeah, it must be irritating being stuck here inside of me all day, even if I do get up to awesome shit."

The Kyuubi laughed, before sitting in front of the fire, holding Naruto close to her body as they watched the fire burn, radiating light and heat towards them as Naruto felt content. He had survived his first major battle, and did it alone. Well, baring the help by Ino, which he made a note to properly thank his fellow blonde for.

**_"Well, yeah, but we have had great times together."_**

"That's true. So what now?

**_"I don't know, wanna train?"_**

"I guess so. I am not so used to using two swords, but it felt much more natural when I went against Zabuza. My balance felt a bit off, and the blades are so different."

He stared at his dual zanpakutos, admiring the sinuous curve, delicate balance and the razor sharp edge that followed through.

**_"They are something, aren't they?"_**

"Yeah," agreed Naruto, "It's almost as tall as I am, yet it weights like nothing."

**_"Another special property. But the bad news is that you have to relearn a new sword style."_**

"Really?"

**_"Yeah, you see those prongs, and how a U shaped channel is formed?"_**

"What's that for?"

**_"You basically trap a blade in there, exert opposite moments and break swords in half."_**

"Oh, oh, oh damn. This was definitely worth the wait."

She laughed again, sending a shiver down Naruto's spine as she hugged him closer to ward off the wind.

**_"While it seems natural, you can become a true master of the blades. Now, let's see what you have got."_**

The two of them spared, with Kyuu forming her own set of blades as they moved against each other. While they had spared in their mindscape before, it didn't actually physically improve the boy. His perceptions of events were clearer, but there was a dissonance in what Naruto believed that he could do, and what his body could keep up with. But now, they were working on both aspects at the same time, and Naruto quickly fell into the rhythm of the Dance.

Soon enough they had fought their way across the forest and all the way to the edge of the coast.

"I ... have never seen the ocean before."

**_"That's not true. I brought you to the sea in your mindscape, don't you remember?"_**

"It's not the same thing. This is much nicer and interesting. The, the wind, the surf, the waves, the moonlight. It's beautiful," marvelled Naruto.

**_"You know, it's funny, everything came from the sea, the midnight tides that brought the Legions of the First Empire here in the first place, before they settled in after their High Fist died."_**

That tidbit confused Naruto, "Wha?"

**_"Oh, it's just something that happened before the villages were founded. There was no peace, especially not when they came, on their Thrones of War, and burnt them all."_**

"Thrones of War?" asked the boy.

Kyuu shrugged**_." It was the name of their warships, a message that told everyone that they were not leaving. No defeat, no surrender. They would fight until they won. And they scared everyone, when the sky was full of nothing but ashes, over a thousand ships consumed by fire as they marched onwards." _**

Intrigued, Naruto asked, "Did they?"

**_"Well, kinda. They more or less colonised it in the name of the First Empire, before they splintered off into clans, which had lead to what we see now. But then again, the coastline wasn't quite the same."_**

"Better or worse?"

She pointed at the coastline. **_"It's hard to say. That wasn't always like this. It stretched out further, but with enough wind and water, the sea reclaimed it all."_**

The blond absorbed the news and blinked, "How old are you Kamujin?"

She refused to answer that one**_, "Kit, that isn't a question you should ever, ever ask. Let's just say I have seen a lot and I don't expect to die anytime soon."_**

They staid silent after that, feeling the salty tang of the breeze and they both closed their eyes.

After a few moments, Naruto remembered something, "Ok, but, what's the other lesson for tonight?"

**_"Let's work on your footing,"_** she suggested.

The rocky crags made him slip as he struggled to find a decent place to anchor himself. It was a different experience as he had to be careful when he struck out, otherwise he could have rolled his ankle.

_Ah fuck this, I'm flying._

**_"Ah, getting smarter. I like to see that. Let's see how fast and high you can get. And kit, call me Kyuu still, my nickname between you and me. If you let other people know about my real name, there could be issues._**

"Eh, like?"

**_"It makes you lose the surprise", _**she lied**_, "And I'm so used to Kyuu, that it's grown on me." That much was true._**

"Ok, sure I guess."

**_"Great, now one more time."_**

"Slave driver," he muttered.

**_"Well, at least I can teach you some really interesting stuff now, in the flesh. I call it shintai."_**

Naruto paled.

_God body? Why does that sound mysteriously painful?_

**_"Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu "_**

The jinchuuriki sweatdropped, "Remind me never to introduce you to Anko in the flesh."

She gave him a foxy smile before hugging him again, marvelling at her freedom, even when Naruto's reiatsu was ebbing and she would be called into his mindscape again.

She whispered into his ear, **_"I will be with you always Naru-kun. Now and forever."_**

* * *

**Wave  
Tazuna's residence**

"Girls, I need to know about what happened when Naruto fought against Zabuza."

The two of them looked at each other a bit uneasily, before nodding hesitantly. Hinata knew that Naruto kept his secrets close to his chest, and did not want to/could not betray his trust.

Ino realised that Naruto had loosened up considerably when it come to her, and discovered a new friendship that she had cherished above all others.

Seeing their reluctance, she tried to win them over, "Girls, this is important. I know how much that you care for him, but if Naruto isn't careful, he could hurt himself if he can't control what is happening. So please, help me help him. He doesn't need to do this all alone."

Slowly, the revealed the miraculous battle in detail, as the two of them were spellbound by the sheer level of skill that Naruto had shown to everyone. He had stood toe to toe with the Demon of the Mist, and would have won if his subordinate didn't come along and ambushed the blond.

If it wasn't shocking enough that Naruto demonstrated jounin level skills, she was stopped dead cold when she heard about Naruto's transformation. Even more so when she heard about the Kyuubi.

"Wait, was it some kind of summon?"

"I'm not sure; it could have been I guess. I didn't see any seals, she just appeared out of nowhere, rubbed herself all over Naruto before vanishing."

"What did she look like?" Kurenai asked intently.

_Oh kami, don't let it be what I think it is._

"She, was tall, about as tall as you, I think. She was wearing a black haori and had red hair. And I think she had ... tails."

Kurenai's blood froze at that.

"Are you sure?" she asked with a growing sense of horror.

"Yes, it looked like it."

"How many?"

"I – I wasn't really paying attention. Five maybe? Maybe more. I really don't know."

As they finished off the story, she felt a sudden fear that Naruto was hiding too much from them, that he was playing unknowingly with fire that will only serve to hurt him into the future.

She cursed the fact that she was still in crutches, thanks to the chakra wounds that Naruto couldn't heal. She didn't want to confront Naruto at anything less than her full capacity, and even then she had her doubts to whether or not she could be able to pull through any fight that might ensue.

She desperately hoped that they wouldn't end up fighting, not because of any uncertainty. It was just that she knew that it would destroy any relationship that she would have with the boy. She had walked away from one student in the past, and had no intention of doing so again.

_Oh kami..._

* * *

**Wave  
Outskirts near the construction site of Tazuna's bridge**

'Mi' arrived to Wave Country, along with 'Hebi', 'Ushi' and 'Saru'.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We wait for 'Rei' to turn up."

"How long will that take?" asked 'Saru'.

"Well, it could be three days, three hours, or when he feels like showing up from behind that tree up there," 'Hebi' responded dryly.

Naruto just scowled and jumped down, landing lightly and gave them all a light salute.

They all fondly returned it as Naruto dusted himself and walked over to their group.

'Mi' picked up on a few things different about the blond, which put him on alert. He gave some identification signals with his left hand, that Naruto returned with a bland look.

"Satisfied yet, you paranoid bastard?"

'Mi' smiled, while the boy was promptly glomped by 'Hebi' and 'Ushi', and the males just looked enviously on. They mockingly fussed over him like he was a little boy, while he took light jabs at their age that didn't go too far.

"Danzo told us that you found some vitally important information here 'Rei', what is it?"

"Eh, I will tell you, only if you call me by my proper name."

'Saru' blinked, "What, honestly, do you really expect us to call you 'Fokkushaundo'?"

Naruto nodded his head, with a serious expression on his face.

The masked operative just lost it, "Oh. Hell. No. Do you really know how long it takes to say that in the heat of battle?! Our names are one syllable, just one. Yours is like four! Four! We could be dead by the time we finish off your fucking name!"

"But, but, it sound so awesome!" Naruto pouted.

'Saru' shook his head, "No, I am not pandering so you can have a cool name. Do you think I want to be called Monkey? Do you think 'Ushi' likes being called Ox?"

That made Naruto think, before he shook his head, "Err, maybe. But 'Ushi' is really too pretty to be called that."

'Ushi' lightly blushed at that, while 'Mi' just smirked at the charm that Naruto was capable of pulling of.

"Just get to the fucking point! This had better not be some sort of useless jaunt. I had things to do back at home that go to this one horse town that makes you depressed just by being near it."

Naruto sighed, before addressing them all, "How do you feel about robbing from the rich and giving to 'Ne'?"

That got their attention.

"When you say rich, how loaded do you mean? Like loaded enough so that I can buy a tropical island and spend all day sleeping on the beach?" asked 'Hebi'.

"We have a son of a bitch called Gato who is hiring his own little army of mercenaries, bandits and nukenins to do his wet work. This gives us the chance to take care of him, along with all of his dirty, dirty money."

"Ah, Gato, the shipping magnate. He definitely has got the cash that we can steal – I mean, responsibly redistribute according to socially responsibly policies," 'Hebi' laughed nervously.

Everyone just looked at the usually serious and level headed kunoichi, surprised that she was acting as giddy as a school girl infatuated by a broody, self absorbed boy with questionable sexuality.

"What? Can't a girl dream about being rich and famous?" she demanded.

Naruto shrugged, "I guess I never saw you to be the kind of person to be so easily swayed by that kinda thing."

"I am not the only one. Come one, all of us have been on half pay for the last six months. It's getting harder and harder to make ends meet. This is like some sort of fortuitous event that only occurs in poorly scripted plots, like those deus ex machina endings where the protagonists are in trouble, then someone miraculously comes and saves the day."

"Yeah, this was awfully convenient. I wonder why 'Ne' never thought to rob rich people like this before? I mean, we are shinobi, it shouldn't be that hard to get around their defences, genjutsu their memories or otherwise do something similar," asked a perplexed Naruto.

Back at Konoha, Danzo sneezed before looking at his wondering if he should write some sort of will or last testament, thinking it might be a sign of some sorts.

'Mi' shrugged, "That's a great idea. But most rich merchant princes are protected by ninja, permanently hired or otherwise. And people aren't absolute idiots. If rich people suddenly and mysteriously lose their money, they would lose their incentive to become innovative and make a profit. Or they hire ninja to prevent that kinda thing from happening again."

"So we do steal from people like that?" Naruto asked with surprise.

"Yeah, they were the good ol days. But the merchants wised up and it was tacitly agreed that we wouldn't do that anymore. It was really bad for business overall. Poor people can't afford missions, and when you have a bunch of highly skilled and dangerous nins with nothing else to do and no money, they start to get antsy and the next thing you know WHAM! We are in the Third Secret Ninja War because a certain somebody couldn't keep it in their pants."

For an inexplicable reason, everyone stared at him.

"What?" he asked defensively, "No, I didn't do it. Stop looking at me like I am some sort of sex fiend!"

Naruto whispered into 'Hebi's' ear, "Is he as really as perverted as, say, Hatake Kakashi?"

The blonde nodded, "Probably worse, but at least most of it is in private."

"My ears are ringing. Is, is someone bad mouthing me? My defamation senses are tingling. Come on, who is it? Speak up you craven cowards!" 'Mi' demanded.

Everyone sweatdropped, before Naruto got their attention to the vast, vast troves of money that Gato presumable owned and they were going to liberate for the good of 'Ne'.

"Oh, oh, oh, can we roll around in it afterwards?" asked Ushi. She met the incredulous looks with a shrug, "I always have wanted to do that since I was a kid."

"Importantly, can I join you?" asked Naruto excitedly, who always had a fantasy of jumping up and down into mountains of cash like it was snow.

"Of course you can Naru- I mean, 'Fokkushoundo', I mean, you were the one that thought up of the idea," she responded with a happy nod.

"Yes! Say my name bitch!" he pointed his finger to 'Saru'.

'Mi' and 'Saru' sighed at their antics, but knew that Naruto was onto a good idea. While their stratagem in Iwa was working, this was much quicker and more direct. And kami knew that needed a little bonus after living on half pay for the last six months. Renegotiating rent was a hassle, as well as living without electricity or running water.

"So, what's the get go?"

* * *

**Wave  
Entrance of the town gates **

The four man team entered into the town, looking at the rather sad state of affairs before making their way into Tazuna's residence. They knocked politely and were greeted by Kurenai, her team at the ready as Naruto hid outside, his clones on alert for anyone trying to covertly enter into the home. They were not taking any chances, and Naruto was itching for a chance to use his new dual zanpukutos. Hinata was with Tazuna, her mind switched on as she scanned any openings and Ino was upstairs, crossbow ready for anyone stupid enough to get into her line of sight. She had to marvel at the exquisite machining that would send the bolt in a dead flat trajectory in under one hundred meters. And when wrapped with explosive notes, it would send a deadly payload to any thugs that Gato might have sent to them.

Kurenai gave a relieved smile as she greeted the silver haired jounin, who gave a lopsided eye smile in return.

"You're early," she noted.

"Maa, the road of life took me where I needed to go."

"That's great, because we have a golden mole situation."

Kakashi gave no indication that he recognised the ANBU code word for a potential hostile in their midst.

Naruto just had a cold feeling come over him, who just shrugged it off as he continued to look around for any suspicious activity. He felt the cold kiss of a kunai across his throat that made him gulp slightly.

"Hey gaki, did you miss me?" came a throaty whisper across his ears.

_Ah shit._

Team Seven had just arrived along with Mitarashi Anko.

Fin.

* * *

**Omake**

"So Naruto, how would you like to taste something from my world?"

"What is it?"

"Well, its a special errr... ball of ramen."

"Ball?"

"Yeah, so you can eat in while on the field without needing to heat up the soup."

"But, its not ramen without the soup," Naruto said doubtfully.

"Well, umm, the soup is inside the ball, but you have to swallow it whole."

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense-"

Kisuke quickly popped the orb into his mouth and sucker punched him in the stomach.

Naruto looked like he was about to choke, before Urahara finally punched the orb down his oesophagus.

The boy finishes choking and glared at the smug shinigami.

"What the fuck?! I am going to kill you!"

"Now now Naruto, I can explain. Let me get my cigarette lighter."

A brief flash appeared with Kisuke looking expectantly.

Naruto looked stunned, before decking him. The taichou lost his breath and fell down, before the jinchuuriki viciously kicked him, trying to break his ribs before he realised that he may have been poisoned and tried to force it out of his stomach by inducing vomiting. It wasn't successful and Naruto paled at the thought of it being expelled in the other way.

"I. Am going to kill you," he promised, drawing his zanpukuto.

The undoubtedly handsome, dashing and slightly deranged scientist just looked in awe at the boy who could withstand the mind altering device so regularly used by shinigami on humans.

_What are you?_

"Now now, umm, how about we call it even if I give you this?"

"Why the hell do I need a lighter?"

"It's not a flashlight, or cigarette lighter as such. It is a memory modifier."

"Ok, go on."

Well, it basically makes people forget about what they saw and replaces it with something else. But it definitely won't be what they did see. It's kinda a lottery."

Naruto blinked, "That sounds too good to be true."

"Well, you can't control what the memory is replaced with, but they definitely wont remember what they actually say."

Naruto snatched it out of Kisuke's hands, "That doesn't mean I forgive you. What the fuck was that anyway?"

"Eh, it's not that important right now. But you should be glad that it wasn't a suppository."

Naruto paled at that thought before kicking Urahara in the testicles once more for good measure.

He found Sakura who was looking at Team Seven train and gave a malicious grin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sensei, did you just see what happened to Sakura?" asked Sasuke.

Kakashi sweatdropped before nodding slowly, "Yeah, I mean, how did the entire Konoha zoo just suddenly break out of their cages, create a stampede, find Sakura, run her over, before reversing, and running her over again?"

"Yeah, and they defecated all over her. In fact, I saw some animals hold her down while some others acted as hunter gatherers, and repeated it for twelve hours."

"That's just freaky. Wait, since when did we have a zoo?"

"Of course we have a zoo, it's just over ... there? Wait, that doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, but, I mean, we saw it happen, right?"

Shino decided to speak his piece, "We did see it, but why did we do nothing about it?"

Kakashi sighed, "I think we all know the answer to that question. How many days did you give her again Shino?"

He gave an imperceptible shrug, before speaking softly, "Four thousand hours."

Sasuke grunted, "Hn, that's like, six months."

Another imperceptible nod, "I think I might be generous as well."

Kakashi grabbed both their shoulders and pushed towards the mess that was Haruno Sakura, "Remember, those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash. And I am sure that Sakura will appreciate all the help she can in getting out of that... mess."

"Sensei, I think I would prefer to be trash than go near that. I mean, god, it's just like piles and piles of shit!"

Shino grimaced, "My bugs are disturbed and warning me that a possible infection could result if we are to go any closer."

A dazed pink haired kunoichi cried out pathetically, "Guys, a little help?"

Meanwhile Naruto was skipping along merrily as he considered that with his new gift, he would be the undisputed Prank God of the Elemental Nations. Kisuke looked at him in horror and admiration as he utterly misused the memory modification device in such a perverse and disgusting manner.

"Naruto, where did all that faeces come from? Actually, do I want to know?"

"Well, I decided to seal some away on a scroll just in case I had to use it."

"Are you telling me that you sealed away shit in a pocket dimension for future use?"

"Well, I figured I could use it as a distraction. I mean, honestly, it was bad. And I guess I could have thrown someone into it if they annoyed me. And we were given that as a mission," Naruto shivered and resolved to ask 'Hebi' to how she dealt with those terrible memories. Sure, it just might end up with inappropriate cuddling, but hell, at least they would be suffering together.

"I have to ask Yoruichi about what her special forces really do. I always thought it would be exciting and all that. But now I really wonder. I was a warden for prisoners, and that wasn't very interesting."

"Eh? Who is Yoruichi?"

"Oh, one of my friends. My best friend actually. I might introduce her to you in the future. I'm thinking you will get along famously," he declared.

"Is she nice?" asked Naruto.

For some reason he wasn't reassured by Kisuke's devilish smirk and shadowed eyes.

**Omake Two**

Inspired by 'Akina no Hashiriya'

Kurenai carefully applied her disguise, peering into the mirror as she applied her makeup and contacts to disguise the characteristic hue of her eyes. She quickly placed on a wig and applied a complex genjutsu to hide her appearance. She nonchalantly picked up her bag and walked out of her apartment.

_Ok Kurenai, just keep it cool. It has just arrived but no one can know that you are interested._

As she arrived at her location, she was surprised at the sheer number of people waiting in line. She scowled until she saw Anko right at the front, tapping her foot impatiently for the store to open up. Knowing that she had to reveal her identity in order to jump the queue, she was conflicted before going up to her.

"Nai-chan?"

"My name is Akae," she ground out.

"Roiight," Anko drawled, "I knew you would cave in. I never knew that you were interested in that kinda thing. I could swear that you gave me so much shit for it. But look who is here, crawling on her hands and knees to get her hit."

"Just shut up, shut up!" she snapped.

"Woah, withdrawal already? Don't worry Nai-chan, it would come soon enough. Don't get your panties in a bunch. Are you even wearing any today? I know I'm not"

It was a glorious day. After much anticipation and reluctance, there was a new saga of Icha Icha dedicated to single, nubile kunoichi for those days in the field where their teammates got to annoying. And when they needed a bit of escapist fiction to relieve them of their stress.

It took much pleading and threats by Jiraiya's publisher, and even then until it was pointed out that their market share was being cut into by other pieces of erotic fiction, that the necessity to branch into the female readers. And he decided to dedicate to a special someone that he hadn't seen since he was born.

Icha Icha Shotacon: The Blond haired Wind God.

Anko was ecstatic and had harped on excitedly for days to anyone that would listen. Most people didn't, but she persisted on anyway. Normally Kurenai would have been amused and disgusted by it until she say the release cover for it.

It had Naruto.

More importantly, he was clad in a towel with an arrow suggestively pointing downwards. How he got it was unclear, but the signs pointed towards Setsuna who was promised a lifetime subscription. All she had to do now was hide from the boy and think up of an alibi.

And the pitch it had was undeniable.

The Toad Sage had visited the Mount and consulted the Prophet upon the Peaks. And Verily, the truth was revealed to his eyes. The glory and dominion of a child, one born to Prophesy, holding the fate of nations in his hands. And importantly, he had the most valuable thing on offer in the Elemental Nations. What else could it be but the innocence of a god kissed boy? Whoever took it would earn the envy and undying hatred of women around the globe, and it was rumoured to give everlasting life to the recipient. Or something. At the very least a good time was guaranteed.

And Kurenai found herself desperately needing a copy of it, just to sate her curiosity. Close proximity to Naruto had awakened a lustful and somewhat unhealthy fascination with her student that Anko had fully encouraged, even prompted during their get togethers. She had wanted to go incognito, but decided that it was better to get a copy as it was truly limited; there were only fifty copies on sale in each village. And it was going for a premium as well.

"Anko, how many are you planning to buy?"

"About ten."

"Ten?! What are you going to do with so many?"

"Oh, I figure that I would wear out my first copy in a few months, with sticky fingers and all that."

Kurenai shuddered before rubbing her temples, "Have you thought about laminating it?"

Anko stopped cold, "T- That's a great idea! Finally, my library will be intact! Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu," she crowed, rubbing her hands in anticipation of the cost savings. She looked at Kurenai quizzically before asking her a question, "Why are you here?"

The genjutsu mistress blushed before trying to think of her ready made excuse, "Well, I need to protect my student from all those unscrupulous women who would take advantage of him. Who knows what will happen now that his presence is exposed! He isn't exclusive to us anymore!"

And that was a frightening thought to Kurenai. After hearing about the seriously heavy petting that went on with Naruto and Hinata, that lasted for four hours, her imagination went into overdrive, creating elaborate and somewhat unconvincing reasons for them to be alone and Naruto to be wearing as little as possible. Her poolboy idea didn't work out as well as she hoped that it would. And she was a bit leery of the condescending looks that Hinata had given her, like she was taunting her and her inability to attract Naruto's attention.

_Bah, I will show her what a true woman can offer Naruto. Not just inexperienced touching through clothing. I can offer him the real deal. _

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Kurenai growled, "Don't you see? Before this, Naruto was our little secret. Hell, don't lie and tell me that you weren't subconsciously grooming him to be your boy toy later on, with all that 'endurance training'. But now, now all kunoichi around the world will be after him as well. It was hard enough just being in Konoha, but with all the hidden villages? It doesn't look pretty for any of us."

Anko looked like a stunned mullet before cursing, "Jiraiya must die. There is no way that I am sharing him around, not his long, elegant limbs or having anyone hold his cute little face in their hands."

The jounin nodded, "And by making it exclusive, he is just making him more attractive and a myth to women. He has never, ever based a book of any real character. But this open declaration is like an endorsement by the Toad Sannin himself. The implications... that is why we need to see what he had written to prepare ourselves."

Nodding, Anko subconsciously twirled her kunai, giving the assorted kunoichi around her a glare as she thought of ways to stake her claim before those filthy sluts got their undeserving claws on her Naru-kun.

Meanwhile, Naruto was having the equivalent of an epileptic fit as his body was shaking uncontrollably and 'Hebi' was holding him, concerned at what was going on.

"So cold, so cold... I feel like elephants are trampling on my grave, and then pissing all over it," muttered Naruto.

"Now now, maybe we should get Katsumi to look you over. You're all pale, and that isn't like you at all," admonished 'Hebi'.

'Yeah, that might be a good idea," he said, making his way to the infirmary, 'Hebi' holding onto him tightly.

The found the 'Ne' medic with her head buried into an orange book, a light blush on her cheeks which deepened when she saw the jinchuuriki enter into her office. She licked her lips before asking Naruto to strip down and into a gown.

"But, I think I'm feeling fine now," he protested.

"Look, who is the certified and registered medic here? That's right; it's me, so get into the damned gown already! And while your here, we might was well get that sample that I have always been meaning to get."

Naruto blinked, "What kind of sample?"

Elsewhere, Kurenai and Anko looked at each other in concern.

_My Naru sense is tingling!_

* * *

A/N

This is on ongoing omake, that will fully and utterly blow out into limey and possibly lemony goodness. But that is just a taste of what you can expect for now. Jiraiya thought it was a good idea to get his godson a harem at the age of fourteen. Well sure, that would be fine if he didn't have one already.

As always, read and review

Ja ne


	15. Distributive Justice the first

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N

Good news and bad news this month.

Bad news: Loosing hope in humanity, desire to write fanfiction waning, waning, waning... gone. Lost a job, kinda.

Damn.

Good news: easier semester. I passed last semester. And there is a double chapter. Gained another job.

As some people were wondering, the black wind attack that Naruto has is there for a few reasons. It gives him a long range technique, it's visually exciting (if this was ever animated) and it is metaphorical (more on that later).

And yes, people will inevitably give me crap for my depiction of Haku. All I can say is look at manga Chapter Twenty One, page two.

This chapter is split into two for convenience of posting. I will release the next one as I see fit.

Thanks to Akina no Hashiriya, now known as Otomonashi for his help in making up Japanese names and allowing me to bounce off ideas late at night. Kudos to the Archfiend of Lightning as well for beta assistance.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 05Jun08  
Chapter completed:02Aug08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_Kurenai gave a relieved smile as she greeted the silver haired jounin, who gave a lopsided eye smile in return._

"_You're early," she noted._

"_Maa, the road of life took me where I needed to go."_

"_That's great, because we have a golden mole situation."_

_Kakashi gave no indication that he recognised the ANBU code word for a potential hostile in their midst._

_Naruto just had a cold feeling come over him, who just shrugged it off as he continued to look around for any suspicious activity. He felt the cold kiss of a kunai across his throat that made him gulp slightly._

"_Hey gaki, did you miss me?" came a throaty whisper across his ears._

_Ah shit._

_Team Seven had just arrived along with Mitarashi Anko._

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen  
**_**Distributive Justice**_

**  
Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

Sarutobi looked over the mission reports, concerned that there was something going on that wasn't quite making sense to him. He had feelings that Tazuna had not been entirely genuine when he had disclosed his requirements for his allocated C ranked mission. The screening process did depend on utmost good faith from both parties, and if the client were to engage in deceptive and misleading conduct, it was an instant ground for the recission of the contract. It just wasn't possible for them to screen out every situation as he would have liked. But they always had the option of holding a lien or otherwise when things went pear shaped. His fears were not allayed when Kurenai had sent back a messenger pigeon with its ominous message:

_The Demon Brothers were encountered. Target was Tazuna. Mission is beyond parameters. Hostiles subdued, intending to complete mission to ascertain Team Eight's competence. Request ANBU detainment. Please advise._

_Yuuhi Kurenai_

He snarled at that knowledge and shook his head.

He then made an order for his ANBU to incarcerate the captured nin and was about to write an order to recall Team Eight. However, he caught himself when he realised that he couldn't shelter Naruto for the rest of his life, that he would need to face danger in one way or another. He just hoped that he wouldn't live to regret his decision.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Momochi Zabuza was encountered. Naruto saved Team Eight. Request reinforcements. Honour of Konoha has been insulted. Unknown enemies expected. Economic interest threatened in Wave by Gatou. _

_Yuuhi Kurenai._

And not for the first time, he wondered if the red eyed jounin had something to prove. She was the rookie sensei who didn't have much experience behind her, unlike Asuma, Kakashi and the others. She had accepted a C rank mission that had escalated itself into an A ranked nightmare. And if things were going to progress at the current rate, then an appearance by an S ranked nin wasn't out of the question. He was tempted to pull them out and leave Wave to their own devices. But then again...

There were many great assets out there.

Hyuuga Hinata.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Yamanaka Ino.

They were important, to the clans of Konoha and personally. He frowned, realising that the time frame would likely be short and dangerous. If Momochi was desperate for revenge, he couldn't really risk a problem that needed to be nipped in the bud. He would hunt down Team Eight, if only to protect his reputation and send a clear message to the public. And if Naruto was the one to save the team...

That meant Kurenai must have failed in protecting her cell. And the only way, according to his information, for Naruto to do something like that was if he used something... special. To his knowledge, Naruto didn't have to power or the skill to take on a fully fledge jounin unless he had done something unbelievably risky.

Like unleash the power of the Kyuubi.

And that was one thing that he needed to keep a secret for as long as he possibly could. For Naruto's safetyand to protect Konoha from any exposure and speculative attacks. He paled at the thought of having the jinchuuriki's status become a matter of public knowledge. It would be enough to start off a vicious cycle of mutually assured destruction. Every nation would be clamouring for them, and he had the peculiar feeling that if the bijuu realised that they were going to be actively hunted, then something bad would happen. He wasn't sure of what exactly, but a convergence of the most powerful beings in existence was something that he wanted to remain a nightmare. There was always speculation that they were sentient beings instead of mindless beasts of destruction.

_Ok, so I send some back up. Who do I send?_

He was loathe to dispatch an entire ANBU team, seeing how they were on active duty and it would essentially be overkill. Even the people that retrieved the Demon Brothers were just chuunins led by a CINT ANBU member. Even then it was a matter of sheer luck that they were available, considering that most ANBU were on deployment.

_Ok, there so no active ANBU, that leaves genin teams..._

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be enough.

_Actually, maybe I am not giving them enough credit..._

Hatake Kakashi was a renowned ANBU captain and his presence would be invaluable to any mission. On the other hand his estranged son was a former Shinobi Guardsman of Fire, the private guard of the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni. Both were great options, but there needed to be something more...

_Team Seven has Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Aburame Shino. Team Six has Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji._

_... Team Seven it is._

Shino and Sasuke would be ideally suited to support their sensei and it was time for his assault cells to be bloodied. He gestured to his secretary:

"Get me Hatake Kakashi."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Anko wandered into the Hokage's office, bored out of her mind. Ibiki had taken over the interrogation of the recently delivered nukenins, leaving her free to do what she wanted. The tokubetsu jounin didn't have much left to do, considering that her favourite blond had left for a mission along with Kurenai. She pouted at his absence, feeling conflicted emotions as she was forced to review their relationship after her drunken pawing the week before. It was embarrassing to the kunoichi, who hated the fact that her loss of control might have scared off the boy.

While she knew that Naruto was as hormonal as the next teen, she wasn't too sure that throwing herself at him and grinding into his pelvis was the best impression to give the swordsman. Their age difference wasn't that substantial... well to her it wasn't. She had the belief that age was no barrier to her feelings, which may have been the product of being shunned and hated for something outside of her control. As such she would accept anything as long as it was genuine. And she was sure that Naruto did care for her, which he showed in his own ways. The only problem was that she was all too aware of the other girls who were enamoured of the boy, especially those closer to his age.

Wanting to get a mission to take her mind off the rather troubling thoughts in her head, she entered into the Sandaime's office, disregarding the secretary who motioned for her to stay put.

Luckily she managed to catch the tail end of the Hokage's orders to Kakashi.

" – need to support Team Eight from the _Akuma no Kirigakure_."

She froze at that. Team Eight contained two of the most important people in the world to her. Her friendship with Kurenai was one of the rock solid constants in her life, which she cherished above nearly anything. And her feelings over Naruto were complicated to say the least, but still deeply significant to her.

"What?!" she blurted out.

Slightly startled at the interruption, they turned their attention to her.

The Sandaime sighed, but upon reflection he realised that sending Anko would be a great idea. He outlined the facts in front of the Snake Kunoichi, who looked shocked at the news. When Sarutobi explained that Naruto defeated Zabuza and drove off Haku, she grinned viciously.

"That's my boy!" she crowed happily, which brought a sweatdrop to the men.

_Figures, the Yondaime's legacy could have been exposed, but she is proud of the fact that he held his own against an A ranked nukenin,_ thought the Copy Nin.

But secretly, he was surprised and impressed that Naruto had done what he had did. He remembered the times when he was part of Team Seven under Minato, and how he had barely survived the attack on that day where he had lost his eye. He mourned the lost opportunity that might have been if Naruto had been placed under him. He had concentrated his attention to Sasuke, intent on discharging another debt on his soul. Sasuke had absorbed the proffered training like a fish to water, his hunger voracious and inspired. Shino had trained exclusively in his clan's style, while Sakura was content to improve her chakra control with exercises shown by the silver haired nin. Their teamwork was surprisingly good, with Shino obeying orders and Sakura obeying Sasuke. However, the Uchiha had developed a sense of arrogance and entitlement, as he saw his personalised training as somehow privileging him over the rest of his team. It was in part a request from Mikoto, who had asked the Copy Nin to look out for her son. But Hatake could see problems occurring in the future.

"So yes, go now to Wave, and make sure you bill Tazuna appropriately for your services," ordered the Hokage.

They all nodded grimly at how his duplicity had nearly cost them people important to them.

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

"I'm bored," complained Yugito to 'Hebi', who shrugged at her adopting a thoughtful pose.

"Can you channel raiton chakra easily yet?" she asked.

Yugito nodded, "Better than Naruto with his fuuton," she smirked.

"Well great, how about a new jutsu?" 'Hebi' offered.

The jinchuuriki nodded and the two blondes made their way to a vacant training room.

"Ok, you have learnt some good things, but it's time for an A ranked assassination jutsu. We just need to wait for my victim – I mean volunteer to come along."

'Mi' walked in, whistling and smiled at his partner, "Howdy, you wanted to see me for something?"

_This is for you Naruto-kun_, she vowed.

_Raiton: Yori furui kami no seppun!_ (Kiss of the Elder God)

Lightning coalesced into her fingers as she directed it towards the assassin's leg, shooting forward in a twirling helix as the beam passed cleanly through his thigh.

The assassin dropped to the ground, cursing at his partner who had shot him, "Fuck! What the hell was that for you crazy bitch?!"

'Hebi' gave a lecture to a shocked Yugito, ignoring 'Mi's' swearing, "That'swhat I want you to know Yugito. If you aim for the heart or head, most people will die nearly instantly. It'stoo fast to dodge as it travels nearly as fast as light. But it does flare chakra like crazy."

"Umm, is he going to be ok?" asked Yugito, pointing to a prone 'Mi'.

She gave the shinobi an unsympathetic look, "Yeah, he's just being a big baby right now."

'Mi' drew kunai and threw them at the blonde, shouting in pain while doing so, "No seriously, what the hell?! Why did you shoot me in the leg?! What- what the fuck?!"

The kunoichi dodged the projectiles before shrugging, "It was an 'accident', call it somewhat 'unfriendly fire', I'm sure Naruto can tell you all about it," she said dryly.

He looked incredulously at her before shouting, "Medic! Arrgh, I am going to get you for this, mark my words!"

Yugito looked at the downed shinobi and scratched her chin in contemplation, "Hey 'Hebi', do you think Naruto can dodge this with that shadow step thing that he can do?"

'Hebi' closed her eyes in thought, before answering the girl, "Probably not, but you wouldn't use that on your best friend, would you?"

Yugito looked artfully innocent, "Of course not."

"Yugito, promise me that you will not use it on Naruto," she demanded

"I promise I won't intentionally hurt Naruto with the technique you just used on 'Mi'," she acquiesced with a pout.

'Hebi' stared at the teen before rolling her eyes, "..."

Katsumi arrived in a few moments and knelt beside 'Mi', inspecting his wound. She clucked and shook her head sadly.

"Katsumi, what's the deal?" asked 'Mi' fearfully.

"I am afraid that we have to amputate, it hit a critical point," she lied while keeping a straight face.

"What?!"

"Yes, unfortunately that is the case. I'm afraid anaesthetic is out of the question was well," she said sadly.

'Mi' widened his eyes despite his agony, "Why?!"

"It will just mess up your nerve endings even more than they are already. Stop being such a pussy about this. If Naruto could take it, then so can you," she admonished.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he felt his karma being realigned by the cosmos.

Elsewhere Naruto had a smile on his face that he could not explain. He was chewing on some toast but it grew hard when his facial muscles refused to relax. He stopped and leaned back, trying to figure out why he was so happy.

Hinata looked at him quizzically before asking, "What's wrong Naruto-kun?"

"Oh nothing, Hinata, for some reason I feel incredibly cheerful."

* * *

**Wave  
Tazuna's Residence  
Prior to Team Seven's and Mitarashi Anko's arrival **

"Umm... how did such a scruffy drunk like you have a daughter as nice as Tsunami?" asked Ino with some confusion.

Kurenai was a bit puzzled over that as well, "Hmm I guess he must have done well for himself. Then again, love does do funny things to people. I have seen wives being continually bashed by their husbands but still go back to them for more. I guess it isn't too unusual for him to be the father of such a pleasant lady."

"Hey old man, where is your wife?" asked Naruto with curiosity.

Tazuna stayed silent and gave them a sad look that made them drop their line of enquiry.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A short distance away from the confrontation site between Naruto and Zabuza lay the two nukenins that had faced off with the jinchuuriki. They were both panting and leaned back against some tree trunks as they inspected their various injuries.

"Man that hurt, and how much longer will you wear that stupid mask?" complained Zabuza.

Haku shrugged at that question, "Well, it reminds me of the old days... plus it was useful for this act." She took off the porcelain mask and faced him, "If I hadn't saved you, you definitely would have been killed. I would have put you into momentary death, but it was easier to attack the boy and help you out. But that didn't quite work..."

He grunted at her answer, "Oh well, I hate it when you do that anyway. And I wouldn't have been able to move for a week afterwards, but it still feels like I got hit by a carriage. You are so pure and clever... that's what I like about you."

She grinned at his praise, "Hehe, that's because I'm just a kid."

She looked at the surrounding areas, _Kirigakure no jutsu_ fading and Team Eight was completely out of sight. She turned to face Zabuza and asked, "Next time... will you be alright?"

"Next time I will defeat that blond son of a bitch," he said with relish. He enjoyed a good challenge, one that Naruto provided unexpectedly. It wasn't often that he found another kenjutsu practitioner with such skill. It was a pity that he would have to kill the boy though.

_Soon, _he promised to himself_, soon enough. _

* * *

**Wave  
Tazuna's Residence  
Present Time **

The Konoha nins sat down in a state of relaxed vigilance as they stared at each other in awkward silence.

Shino was just naturally quiet, but Sasuke leaned back against the wall, idly observing Team Eight. Hinata and Ino were reading from manuals but Naruto just stared back at Sasuke, not blinking at all in an attempt to freak the other genin out.

_I can keep this all day Uchiha, just you watch me._

_**Naru-kun, don't you have anything better to do?**_

_Not really, we are just waiting for orders. _

_**Why don't you stare at Sakura for a while?**_

_Hmm, good idea Kyuu. But I'm afraid that I might go blind. Or something. You never know... _

Suddenly a little boy entered into the room, drawing their attention. He was dressed in overalls, sandals and had a bucket hat on his head. With him was Tazuna who tried to introduce them to his grandson. Tsunami was standing with him, smiling gratefully at the assistance sent by Konoha. She had long debated with her father about the merits of the mission, but she didn't think that he would manage to get pro bono assistance from three jounin level nins and two genin teams.

She was only half correct there, but Tazuna wasn't going to admit to that just yet.

"Inari, say hello to these people. They are the ninjas who protected grandpa."

He just looked at them, unimpressed and pointed a finger at the group, "Mom... They are going to die..."

Naruto took offense to that, considering that he was the one to take down Zabuza and make him retreat, "What did you say you little brat!!"

"There is no way you can win against Gatou..." he said as a matter of fact.

Tazuna lowered his head slightly and refused to say anything.

Ino and Hinata were having a hard time trying to restrain Naruto as he was determined to give him the Konohamaru special.

_**Yes, bitch slap that whiny little emo bitch!**_** Cheered the Kyuubi. **

Naruto stopped and calmed down, "Whatever, you know nothing about us you stupid kid. And Gatou has nothing on us."

Sasuke grinned at Naruto's attitude and Sakura could detect that even Shino was impressed by Naruto's self confidence.

Inari was sceptical, "What are you, stupid? Who do you think you are, heroes? There is no such thing as heroes."

There was dead silence in the room as Naruto didn't say anything to that beyond giving the boy a tight grin, "I never said that we were heroes."

The boy scoffed at that, "Whatever, if you don't want to die, you should leave," he shot back before walking away.

Tazuna got concerned at his grandson's pessimism and tried to stop him, "Where are you going Inari?"

The boy didn't even look back as he answered, "To look at the ocean from my room."

"So, what is up with him?" asked Ino as she looked in confusion at Tazuna and Tsunami.

Tazuna sighed, "Sorry about that..."

Naruto was inclined to prank the shit out of him for insulting him and his team like that and discreetly sent a kage bunshin to do some reconnaissance. His clone stealthily went around the back and listened to the door.

_What is that, crying?_

"Uu... Dad... Uu.."

The litany continued, the sobbing growing in intensity as the boy gave into his sadness, insecurity and emotional pain.

The kage bunshin softened his eyes in pity and dispelled itself.

The knowledge hit Naruto and he sighed a bit.

_Every story a tragedy..._

* * *

**Border of Wave and Kirigakure  
Momochi Zabuza's hideout**

Zabuza was lying in his bed, secure in his hideout that was protected by his nins as he was trying to recover from the worst of the wounds that he had suffered during the battle. Haku was sitting on a chair next to him, concerned that he was currently experiencing fever dreams.

_What the hell, I haven't thought of these things for years..._

**Flashback**

"Hey Zabuza?"

The boy turned his head and faced the girl calling for him, "Yeah?"

"Could you help me with the kunai throwing?" she asked hopefully.

The boy scowled at the girl, before shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"It's not that hard, what are you, useless?" he answered with a shrug.

"Hey, take that back you bastard!" shouted the boy next to the girl.

Zabuza sneered at him, "Why don't you make me?"

The boy kicked at him, which Zabuza avoided. They got into a scuffle as the two of them grappled and cursed at each other until their chuunin instructor separated them.

"What do you think you are doing?!" he screamed at them.

"Nothing –nothing sir."

"That better be the case, kid, because you are all on half rations for five days for your little fracas. Get out of my sight."

The both walked away, seething at each other.

"What's your name?" asked Zabuza.

"Why do you want to know bastard?" shot back the other boy.

"So I know who to beat in the our tests, you little bitch," he said with a smirk.

"Hah, you wish you piece of crap. My name is Hiro, don't forget it."

_Oh, I won't. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The chuunin instructor addressed them all with a harsh expression on his face, "Responsibility and dedication are the hallmarks of a shinobi. Is that understood?"

"Sir yes sir!"

"To that end, we are all giving you a pet to take care of. Anyone that lets their pet die, get injured or lost will be disciplined with fifty lashes. Is that understood?"

"Sir yes sir!" They chorused out.

Zabuza was confused by the whole affair and he looked at the cages that were full of rabbits.

Snow rabbits.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Their instructor had led them out to the marshy surroundings of the training field and addressed the kids in front of him, "A shinobi must be capable of surviving in any environment, given what he has with them. So your task is to survive three days in the wild with your kunai, ninja wire and shuriken and pet."

"What do we do for food sir?" asked a curious student.

"You do what you need to do. Scavenge, hunt, steal, I don't care. You just need to survive."

Zabuza looked at the desolate marsh that characterised most of Kiri.

"How do you like fish?" asked a sardonic Hiro.

"Beats starving I guess."

The two of them joined up into a team as they looked around for materials to form a shelter and for tools. All they had were the gear on them , but they could both see that they needed more if they wanted to survive. After all, it wasn't unknown for students to get lost and die from exposure and starvation in these exercises.

"Well, we better get to it I guess."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The children were gathered into the mess hall as they stood rigidly to attention. Their instructor gave them a baleful look and shouted at them.

"Shinobi are killers, weapons, who follow orders without question or hesitation. Can you all do that?"

"Sir yes sir!" they chorused at him.

He paced up and down before stopping at the front of the group, "Are you certain? Zabuza, front and centre."

The boy approached their instructor with a stoic look on his face.

"Present your pet now."

With a slightly confused look, Zabuza went to get his rabbit and placed it on the desk. He had developed quite an attachment to the animal, who blinked at being at the centre of attention.

"Can you follow orders Zabuza?" asked the chuunin.

"Yes," he said confidently.

"Can you kill?"

"Yes," again came the answer with little hesitation.

The instructor went right up to his face and asked one final question, "Are you a killer?"

Zabuza didn't flinch as he stared past the man and kept himself at the attention position, "Sir yes sir."

Satisfied, he made a gesture to the prone rabbit on the desk, "Then kill your pet."

That made Zabuza look up in surprise.

The man quirked his eyebrows and repeated himself, "You heard me. You have cared for this animal for six months, but the orders have changed. It must be terminated immediately."

Zabuza drew his kunai and looked at it and the snow rabbit. The rest of his teammates had the sudden and awful realisation of what was going on.

He faced the innocent eyes of the small animal as his grip shook as he contemplated on the killing of the rabbit that he had raised for most of his time at the Academy. The more that he thought about it, the less inclined that he was to carry it out.

"Well? What are you waiting for? If you can't kill a kami damned rabbit, then how will you kill a human being? What are you, dickless? What are you waiting for! I gave you an order recruit!" he screamed into Zabuza's ear.

_I, I don't want to do this_, he realised. _Oh kami._

The instructor spat at the boy, "Useless, you are useless to us." With that the chuunin grabbed the rabbit and snapped its neck. He took out his knife and skinned the animal in front of the shocked boy, before he wrapped the bloody skin around his neck. Zabuza flinched at that and made a move to take it of before he was struck in the face.

"This is your punishment for disobeying orders. You are weak, if you cannot do a simple act like that. You will not take that off and you will not clean it. Further disobedience will lead to corporal punishment. Is that understood recruit?"

Zabuza acted on autopilot.

"Sir yes sir."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He had worn the bloody carcass of his former pet for months until he was given permission to take it off. The smell of blood and rotting flesh was imprinted onto his consciousness as he struggled to understand the choice that he had made.

The Kirigakure Academy had made all its members understand the stark reality of what it was like to be a shinobi. It was cruel, heartless but effective. It had high dropout rates that ensured that the graduates were more likely to be successful in the field. It was flawed as it assumed that children couldn't change or become better as they attained maturity. But in forcing them to confront those issues, they in turn made them adults before their time. Or broke them irrevocably.

"Have you heard about the graduation exam?" asked one student.

"Yeah, is it really true, a battle royale?" asked another.

"No, that can't be true. It must be another psychological warfare thing they are doing again."

Zabuza knew that it wasn't. Not after that day, where the true nature of what it was to be a shinobi was made clear to him. They were killers, beings that acted upon instructions and were not capable of independent emotions. He had killed parts of him on the day that he embraced his purpose.

He would be a shinobi, the best nin that Kirigakure had ever seen. Even if it meant that he would have kill each and every single one of his teammates to show his dedication to the cause.

Kami help the rest of the world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hiro," Zabuza said.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" asked the boy.

"Tomorrow is the exam," he stated.

"And?"

"Do not hold back at all. If you do, you will be killed."

Hiro scoffed at that, "Nothing is going to kill me, hell, the only one that is my match is you."

Zabuza nodded, "Exactly."

The boy scratched his head and asked, "Wait, are you saying that?"

"If it comes down to you or me, then I expect you to come after me with everything that you've got," Zabuza said with a grim look.

Hiro spluttered at that, scoffing at him, "I am not going to kill you, you are my friend."

_Friend._

_Friend._

_ Friend?_

"Shinobi have no friends, if you can't get that around your head, then you are as good as dead tomorrow," he said coldly.

"What do you mean?" asked Hiro with a confused tone.

Zabuza didn't even look back as he walked forward, "Just be ready."

"Relax man, we are all going to pass. Just chill. I even bet that we will be in the same team as well."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The blood of dozens stained his hands.

He heard their cries for mercy.

He ignored them.

He felt the impact of his kunai has he stabbed it into their hearts, kidneys, eyes, throat, stomach. The resistance as it jarred against bone. The struggles as he brought it cleanly against their throats and sliced it, hitting the jugular as he moved on.

He was a bloody wraith, clad in the vitae of his teammates. No one was spared.

Not even Hiro, the closest person that he could call a friend.

He gave him a fighting chance, but Hiro didn't believe that he had it in him. He quickly disabused him of that notion when Zabuza gouged out his eyes and stabbed him in the kidneys.

"Why?!" screamed out Hiro, disbelief evident on his face as he felt the numbing cold take over his body.

"Because, this is necessary. I warned you… why didn't you listen to me?"

He moved on, killing his heart, killing the people that he had spent three years training with. They were his brothers, sisters, people who shared the dream of serving in Kirigakure's armed forces. They were closer to him than his family, but that was all ignored as he pursued his purpose.

The orders were to enter into the Marsh and kill one other student, bringing evidence back to the proctors.

He decided to go one better.

Always haunted by his seeming failure, they never let him forget the fact that he was incapable of killing his rabbit. The snow white fur felt like a chain, its bloody carcass a reminder of an innocence lost.

He would prove himself to them all. To make his dedication clear beyond all reasonable doubt.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kami..."

They looked at him, a boy not yet a ninja that had murdered over fifty others.

The chuunin didn't know whether to be pleased or appalled. They encouraged their recruits to be bloodthirsty, but this was beyond comprehension.

_Akuma..._

The Devil of the Mist was born.

He sat there, looking around him as he was completely blood stained, the liquid seeping through his clothing. The salty metallic tang of the crimson liquid was all over him, drying up in a crust with the consistency of ochre.

"Orders complete," he said hollowly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We should kill him now, he is a monster," demanded one of the proctors.

The examiners looked at the boy with fear. While they were training killers, they couldn't understand the level of psychopathy and sociopathy that Zabuza had displayed. Even now he was silent and cold, sitting down on a bench under watch from a chuunin guard who was awfully suspicious of the boy.

"No one will trust him now. He killed his entire cohort, that went outside of the parameters. We need to write this off and change the syllabus. He cannot be allowed to live. He is a risk to himself and any teammates."

"Nonsense, he is perfect," interrupted an imperious voice from the open doorway.

The Mizukage came in with his Swordsmen, clad in his robes and hat as the chuunins bowed at his presence.

"This "devil" child is what we need. Vicious, skilled with no conscience. He is perfect. Absolutely perfect. I must congratulate you on an excellent addition to the ranks."

He gestured to one of the Seven with his hand, "Kisame, take him into the accelerated ANBU program, we can expect great things from this boy."

The blue skinned shinobi nodded and bowed, "Yes Mizukage-sama."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The orders are clear; exterminate the Kaguya at all cost. Men, women, children, spare no one. Is that understood?" bellowed out Zabuza.

"Yes taichou!"

The Bloodline Extermination was a messy affair that relied on cold and heartless bastards like himself to kill enemy combatants. The suspicion and paranoia that had followed the clans that relied on _kekkei genkai_ had risen to a feverish pitch, where 'civilian' death squads had formed and tried to take out as many of them as they could.

It had started when the Kaguya had tried to challenge the military might of the Mizukage. He was outraged at the armed insurrection and brought down his ANBU and Seven Swordsmen upon the clan.

Though they were strong and had an impressive bloodline, they were nevertheless small and proud. They would refuse to stay away from their compounds, preferring to defend them to the death. While it was true that they had remarkably resistant and hardy bodies, sheer numbers, tactics and combined synergistic jutsus proved to be more than a match for their inherited abilities.

And they were too impatient, not organising supply lines or alliances with other clan members before declaring war.

Zabuza wondered at how stupid they really were, or if it was more personal in nature than anything else.

_Whatever, I have my orders. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Corruption was everywhere in the Elemental Nations. It was an undeniable way of life, especially among the upper echelons of government.

Faith is tested when the concept of fairness, justice and responsible and rational exercise of power is abandoned.

Zabuza had grudgingly accepted it as inevitable necessity, that no village was any different. But it made him wonder if it was worth it. He had done terrible things in the name of the Mizukage, in Kirigakure's name. He had followed instructions to the black letter of the mission orders.

It was drilled into him at the ANBU corps that it was not his place to decide policy, to question the merits or objectives of a mission. They were things to be worried about by his superiors. He was the instrument of their will, to be used as a surgical scalpel or an axe if they chose to see fit.

But the thoughts were troubling as he had led over fifty sorties against bloodline clans, in the guise of a civilian agitator as the Mizukage had personally approved and supported them. People had always feared the unknown, especially when they had a source of power over them that they could not individually counter. Thus the mob mentality grew, which was implicitly facilitated by the kage as he feared any threat to his power base.

_Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely._

He couldn't remember where he had read that truism from, but never did it hit Zabuza as much as it did when he made a report to his leader. The Mizukage was thrusting into a Kaguya girl as he was ordering his ninja to continue the extermination of Kiri's bloodlines. She was a small girl, of indeterminate age and whimpered under his assault. Very few people knew of the kage's predilections towards young females, especially ones from the Kaguya clan who could whether his assaults upon their person and still be in left in one piece afterwards.

Zabuza looked at the scene with growing disgust.

_What am I doing?_

He was in charge of the kill teams, and their orders were clear. Spare no one.

_No one._

Yet here was one of them, being repeatedly raped and apparently more were joining the harem.

He saw the opulence that the kage had surrounded himself with and grew disgusted at such blatant breaches of what he had preached. He was the commander in chief of Kirigakure, the head shinobi.

He should be setting the example for everyone to follow, not indulge in his vices behind closed doors.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Injustice

He saw promising ninja sent to their deaths as they grew to be a threat to the Mizukage.

He was responsible for more than a few of them.

And he grew more disillusioned, as the days turned into weeks and things became steadily worse.

Each kill that he took made him feel an emotion that he thought he had killed off a long time ago.

Regret.

The only question was what he was going to do about it.

**End flashback**

Gatou let himself into the hideout, flanked by his two body guards.

"So even you have come back defeated. It looks like the Mist country ninja's are pretty pathetic."

Waraji and Zouri sneered at the two nukenin.

Emboldened, the businessman continued, "You can't even avenge your own men? And you call yourself a devil? Don't make me laugh."

Zabuza refused to answer them, lost in his memories. Gatou's hired guards grew anxious and started to draw their blades in anticipation of combat.

Haku looked at them distastefully_. An attack?_

Gatou broke free of his guards and approached the fallen nin, "Hold on for a second, there is no need to stay silent Zabuza, how about –"

Haku grabbed his hand that was about to touch her master with a growl, "Don't you dare touch Zabuza-san with your dirty hands."

His guards reacted, partially unsheathing their blades before Haku was between then in an instant, taking their swords off them and slid the cold steel between their throats, "You shouldn't do that. I'm pissed off right now..."

Gatou coughed loudly to get some attention, "One more time! If you fail one more time... then you won't be welcome here anymore. You got that?"

He left in a hurry, nursing his arm that was sprained by the kunoichi's grip.

"Haku, temper," he chided, showing her his kunai that he had under the covers.

"I know..." she said softly.

"It is still too early to kill Gatou... We don't know where he keeps his treasury yet at the moment. If we cause a commotion again, they will be after us. Just a bit more patience..."

"Yeah, you're right as always Zabuza-sama."

* * *

**Wave  
Tazuna's residence **

"Hello Ino-pig."

"Sakura," Ino acknowledged before looking back at a training manual.

That short greeting with no corresponding insult shocked the pink haired kunoichi. The curt dismissal afterwards also hurt.

"Whatcha reading," she asked nonchalantly.

"Naruto gave me some books on the human body," she said absentmindedly, "and I want to give it a read before Zabuza comes back."

"Why? I mean, you shoot them and they are dead right?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Maybe, but maybe not.Ssometimes they will die, but slowly. It gives them enough time to do some sort of suicidal move, that will kill you, or your friends."

Sakura cocked her head before puffing, "Whatever, I mean Kakashi-sensei or Sasuke-kun will be able to handle any problem that comes up," she said confidently.

Ino gave her a look tinged with contempt and pity, "Sure, whatever."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Anko, we need to talk."

The Snake Kunoichi nodded before the two ladies walked over to a secluded patch of forest where they sat down. Kurenai hesitantly began to explain her fears to Anko, which pretty much ended up in a deluge of babbling that didn't make much sense.

Kurenai was just full of fear, about so much that had happened recently. Each of the occurrences and circumstances were reminding her of Kurama... Both had demons inside of them, that potentially threatened those around them. Kurama had killed her parents under the influence of her tenant. And she was desperately afraid that Naruto would do the same. She had become attached to the blond and it left her at crossroads...

The two of them knew of the Kyuubi and how it was sealed into Naruto. But they didn't really expect that it could manifest itself outside of the boy. It gave rise to scary thoughts about how it could have influenced Naruto as he grew up.

"Kurenai, did you see it for yourself?" asked Anko.

"No," she admitted.

The Snake Mistress continued, "Well, do we have any proof besides the word of the Yamanaka and Hinata?"

"No, well, we have Tazuna, but he is near sighted enough..." trailed off the red eyed jounin.

"You may be overreacting," Anko suggested weakly.

"I - just don't know what to do," she admitted. "Naruto makes me feel so... weak."

Anko blinked, "What do you mean?"

She laughed bitterly, her fist clenching as she aired her insecurities, "He is so strong, and I never really saw it. I was with him for three years, Anko, three years! And I still couldn't see it, that he was stronger than me. What kind of kunoichi, what kind of ANBU am I?"

Anko shrugged, "You're not alone there Nai-chan, he kept it from everyone. How the hell did it happen? I mean sure, I chased him around the place for a bit, but that was for running away from trouble, not getting into it."

"Was I ever a sensei to you Naruto, or did you just indulge me?" Kurenai whispered out.

"That's it, stop it. Stop this pity party," Anko demanded, grabbing onto her shoulders, "Look, we live in a messed up world out there. It's cruel, messy and just not nice at times. And there will always be somebody stronger than you, younger than you. Can you accept that?"

"I guess so," she admitted.

"Ok, now bearing that in mind that, can you think of any other person better to handle that kinda power than Naruto?"

"... No, no I can't," Kurenai answered honestly. The boy had a sense of compassion and kindness that was rare and unusual. And an admirable sense of restraint that tempered his actions. Unless you really pissed him off, then the gloves came off.

"Then good. I don't see what the problem is really. He has power, but he didn't show it to us? We are shinobi dammit, we don't go around exposing our secrets just because we have them. As long as he isn't a risk to himself or others, what is the problem?"

"... The Kyuubi Anko, the Kyuubi," she said flatly.

The violet haired shinobi shrugged, "The only way to find out is if we ask him, right?"

"So, do we tell Kakashi, or the Hokage?"

Anko shook her head violently, "Hell no. We keep silent on this. This can only end up badly if too many people know. We cannot say anything until we know exactly what is going on."

"But – but we have duty to the Hokage, to –"

"We owe our loyalty to whoever we give it to," Anko said silently, "whether that is to the Hokage or otherwise, it is our choice." Her eyes softened as she saw the indecision on her friends face, shaking her head slightly. She knew that Kurenai still had trouble over the Kurama incident, trying desperately to kill her feelings about what she had done. And in some ways, Anko had a heavy suspicion that Naruto was her redemption for what had happened all those years ago. She was determined to do the right thing, not blinded by the certainty of youth and how things seemed so crystal clear back then.

Anko knew that her loyalty lay with her friends and those close to her. Naruto was one of those people, especially after what had happened after her birthday. Things were ... awkward to say the least, but it didn't in any way change her feelings. Naruto was a bit puzzled by it all, but shrugged it off as he thought he had more important problems to deal with.

"I –I am not so sure about that. I mean, can I really ignore this –"

"You are not ignoring it. What is it they say, trust but verify? If we make accusations like that, even if they are proven to be wrong, can you think of what would happen?"

She could. Things were heavily stacked against Naruto in the first place that the mere idea that the Kyuubi was sentient within Naruto would make things uneasy at the very least. The suspicion that he was subtly influenced by its whispers would drive people to desperate measures.

"And you will know that Naruto won't forgive you for it," said Anko, having the last word as she left Kurenai alone to think about her options.

* * *

**Wave  
The construction site for the unnamed bridge**

Kakashi examined the bridge, looking for potential observation spots as he formed plans for a protective detail with the forces under him. Kurenai and Anko had deferred to him, in recognition of his experience and standing.

_How the hell did a 'super poor' nation manage to build this concrete and steel monstrosity in the first place? Either they are playing us for fools, or there is something else going on... _

He had two genin teams to deploy, but he was uneasy at using them right away. From the information that they had on them, Zabuza and his accomplice were experienced nins, but there was no guarantee that they were truly alone. ANBU intelligence had reported that the nukenin had gathered a coterie of followers, ranging from chuunins like the Demon Brothers to former Kirigakure ANBU who defected with the former Swordsman.

And the more puzzling question was why he didn't plan an attack on the bridge itself. It wasn't like Wave was wealthy enough to rebuild the bridge if they were to destroy it. Given some shaped charges in the right places, or some doton jutsu near the anchor points, it could be done simply and quickly.

_Well, not easily. It is a dammed sturdy concrete building. But if they take out a pillar or a supporting column, then it will go down quicker than an Iwa prostitute. But still, why bother with all this effort over one man?_

_Why are they targeting Tazuna? Is it a psychological thing? To show them that they will die if they stand up against him?_

_Hmmm._

_Maybe he wants to control the bridge afterwards, to keep it intact. He could charge a toll on it, along with the seaborne shipping, giving him a true monopoly over the village._

Believing that to be the most logical explanation, he made plans to deploy his shinobi so that they could be used to their maximum effect.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"One team will be with the bridge builders at all times, while the other will go on a hunter-seeker patrol along the outskirts to deter anyone from attacking," Kakashi stated to the kunoichi.

Kurenai nodded, "That makes sense, but what can we expect?"

"Anything. It wouldn't be too hard to a nin to creep up and shoot at the civilians before running off. They can do heaps of damage and cripple the morale of the workforce. And I would expect Zabuza to have some observers on the ground, to map out his next point of attack. Ideally we should kidnap and interrogate them."

Anko licked her lips in anticipation.

Hatake stroked his chin, "But that might not happen. We will just have to see. Everyone will need to wear a headset so that we can communicate easily. I will need Hinata in the centre with the bridge builders at all times so we can take advantage of her Byakugan and coordinate movements. "

He continued, "Anko and Kurenai will need to set up traps outside our visible perimeter just in case they try anything funny. I will be there in the CP. Naruto, Shino, Sakura and Sasuke can form patrols."

Tazuna looked at them and asked a question, "Well, can't the blond help out with the building? If he can use that clone technique of his, we could be done in a few weeks."

"Hmm, that is a possibility, but then again, it would not be in your best interest."

"What do you mean?" asked a quizzical Tazuna.

"Simply put, once you finish, we leave. And then you will probably die when Zabuza and company comes back to finish the job. We need to give him enough time to recover, plan something and attack. We will stop him right here, right then. We will not let him have the satisfaction of outwitting us. And he will not let us walk away either, if he can help it. It will be a black mark against his name. "

The drunk gulped and nodded.

"But we will have Naruto henge into some of your workers to bolster our numbers and appearance. In fact, we should exaggerate the number to make him look like we are amateurs about to exhaust our chakra capacity. Since none of our subordinates are in the Bingo Books, only me and Anko need to be _henge'd_."

They nodded at his instructions.

"Go tell your team Kurenai, there will be one Team and two instructors with Tazuna at all times. It might be a good idea to keep a few nins with Tazuna's daughter and grandson. We have to be prepared for anything.

Tazuna left them alone with their planning, intent on looking over his schematics one more time.

Anko pouted at such a defensive approach, "Why don't we just find him and hunt them down? You're the hotshot ANBU captain, and we are jounin level kunoichi. It wouldn't be that hard for us to do it."

"Perhaps," he allowed, "but that is too risky, with too many unknowns. This is the lowest risk with the highest return, making them fight on our terms instead of theirs."

_Plus, the Hokage did encourage them to be bloodied in one way or another. We could probably easily take care of the problem, hell, he could have sent hunter-nin or assassins after them. But this would be great preparation before the Chuunin exams._

_I just hope that this isn't a blind gamble._

"But we really need to speak to Naruto to find out Zabuza's capabilities. The Bingo Book only has so much on him and we cannot go into this situation blindly. And what was it that you mentioned about a 'golden mole'?"

Kurenai was expecting that question for a while, but didn't know how quite to respond to it.

"I might have been a bit antsy, considering what had happened so far. There was too much that didn't make sense, especially when I saw the bridge. There was no way that they are that poor yet still build it. I figured that there was some sort of trap being set up for us, or for Naruto. I think we should keep a tight eye on Tazuna..." said the kunoichi carefully.

Kakashi nodded, finding the situation to be a bit mysterious himself. Anko was just surprised at how well Kurenai had lied to the ex ANBU captain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three jounins found Naruto with Ino and Hinata as they were practising a group formation. Hinata took point, with the jinchuuriki behind her and the Yamanaka taking the rear. They rushed forward in a staggered column until there were five targets that swung down from ropes. Hinata jumped back, falling into a coordination role. Naruto moved forward to cover her, swords drawn as he moved to attack the left dummy. Ino took out her crossbow and placed a shot into a doll's chest. Hinata moved in a flanking manoeuvre to attack the right side and Ino moved with her to provide support. It was nearly flawless and performed with little hesitation.

Kurenai smiled happily at their teamwork, making Kakashi slightly jealous of how well they had worked together. His team was dysfunctional in comparison.

They turned in unison, facing them with weapons drawn.

Kurenai smiled at them before speaking out, "Great work girls and guys. Take a rest; we need to speak to Naruto."

_Kyuu, why did you decide to show up like that... How are we going to explain it?_

_**Well... uhh... my bad? **_

_That doesn't help me dammit. I know I convinced Hinata and Ino to keep quiet about it. But they told Kurenai-sensei already. _

_**See where the questioning goes and then if things do go bad, well, I can always take care of it. **_

_How?_

_**I have my ways.**_

Kakashi approached the boy and asked him, "Naruto, I need to know how you defeated Zabuza."

Naruto started off with his tale, carefully outlying a few facts before glossing over the details involving the Kyuubi.

Kakashi leaned back against a tree as he heard the story. He gave a pensive look at Naruto's new blades and had a foreboding feeling. Its new form was terrifying in some ways, as they radiated an ominous power.

_That's weird, I never knew that Minato or Kushina had a bloodline related to blades... Unless Kushina was unfaithful to Minato, but that isn't possible. Or was it?_

_No, he looks too much like sensei for that to happen. Then what is the real reason? Was it part of the sealing and that odd shinigami that the Hokage mentioned before?_

_This is all too strange. _

Naruto knew that the jounin was highly sceptical of his story. Then again, he didn't blame the man. It was a pile of bullshit that he was trying to serve to them, but he couldn't think of anything else that could explain it. He was just a 'genin' but was able to take on two jounin level opponents and battle them to a standstill.

"So you are telling me that you have a bloodline that makes you as strong as an A ranked missing nin?" drawled Kakashi.

"Yes, that is exactly right," Naruto said confidently.

"Rooight. And how did this all come about?"

"Eh, I don't know. It just happened. Life threatening stuff, forces other things. What am I, the expert here? All I know is that I have some kickass new powers to play with. Why should I complain?"

It was all to peculiar to him, but the silver haired nin knew that there were children younger than him but were several degrees stronger. When he had first met Naruto, he could tell that there was a power within the boy, hidden like a reservoir. He had thought that it was the Kyuubi at first, but it didn't seem that the blond drew on that source of power.

In many ways that comforted the man, as the boy wasn't relying on borrowed strength, but something inherent to himself. But having so much power at such a young age...

_You are one to talk. Passed the Academy at six, chuunin at eight... why am I such a hypocrite?_

"Ok, what are his weaknesses?"

"Well, he is good at taijutsu and ninjutsu. His kenjutsu is great, so no real weaknesses there. He likes to talk though, so maybe he could be distracted..." Naruto said in contemplation.

The jounin nodded, "And his accomplice?"

Naruto shrugged at that, 'Beats me. Turned the tide pretty quickly though and likes to use senbon a lot. But besides that, I got nothing."

"... Alright. if you remember anything, let me know ok?"

"I will."

Kakashi left, his mind trying to devise strategies to defeat Zabuza as the two kunoichi were left alone with Naruto. He knew that they wanted to 'talk'.

Anko grabbed his shoulders and pushed him into her lap as they sat down, "Gaki, we need to talk."

_I hate being right at times. _

* * *

**Wave  
Construction site of the unnamed bridge**

Kakashi scratched his head, "So, why is this bridge so important anyway?"

The old man took off his spectacles and cleaned them with a cloth, "This bridge is our bridge. We started building it together, all of us, believing that it would bring resources into our super poor country. But some people have given up..."

Kurenai sighed, "Do you really think that a bridge will be the solution to your economic problems?"

The builder nodded vigorously, "Of course, once we have ready access to resources, then we can get back on our feet."

"That's a rather simplistic way of looking at things," Kurenai commented.

Tazuna blinked, "What do you mean?"

"A supply chain is one thing, but can you even afford it in the first place?"

"Well... not right now but –"

"So you will be relying on goodwill, or private partnership arrangements between corporations and your daimyo. Which would be the same as Gatou except they will be nicer. Possibly. But still out to make a profit."

Tazuna was left nonplussed at that, "But, but –"

The ex CINT ANBU continued in her lecturing tone, "You need something more, like ready access to capital, some sort of legal property system and a method of enforcing law and order. And some sort of planning and governance. Right now, this just seems like a collection of people doing things. You need a mayor position of sorts."

Everyone looked at her in surprise, where she shrugged nonchalantly, "It's basic economics and how to wage a war in a really sneaky way. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to get enough attention for it to work. Shinobi still prefer to fight in the old fashioned way," she rolled her eyes and muttered 'philistines' under her breath.

"Err... when you said that you are poor, I thought that you were exaggerating because you were too cheap to pay for a mission and wanted us to die for you without knowing everything," said Naruto which brought some harsh looks to the bridge builder, "but how poor is Wave really?"

He sighed and gave a brittle smile, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Anko crossed her arms and faced the bridge builder, "Tazuna, how did such a poor nation such as Wave manage to build that bridge in the first place? That is at least a million dollars in materials right there. Yet you couldn't afford an A classed mission."

The man ran his fingers through his hair, "It cost so much that we are running on loans that will mean that if we can't repay the interest, we will be sold off as indentured slaves. We could have used that money to kill Gatou, but that would mean that there was no future ahead of us once he died. At least this gives us a bit of hope..."

Kakashi didn't buy that explanation, _What kind of lending institution would have sufficient leverage and poor risk management techniques to allow that loan to be given? What aren't you telling us?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto had somehow managed to end up with Tsunami as she was going for a shopping trip. The kind hearted woman was having difficulty in feeding the Konoha nins on her limited budget. She could cope with three people, but the addition of nine additional mouths was stretching things.

The boy walked along, his keen eyes taking in the feeling of abject poverty that seemed to permeate the village. He saw men with signs hung around their necks, proclaiming that they would take on any job.

"Stop!! Thief!!" was shouted, followed by a running girl with a pouch in her hands, desperately sprinting away from the rightful owner.

_Woah... he wasn't kidding._

Tsunami saw the looks on Naruto's face and felt somewhat ashamed. She had heard tales of Konoha's prosperity and she could only imagine how run down Wave must have seemed to the blond.

Naruto had seen worse in his missions with 'Ne', but it still struck him as being odd and unusual.

_Konoha doesn't know how good they have it,_ he thought bitterly.

"Here we are," said Tsunami, stopping at a market to grab some food for the next few weeks.

Naruto walked along, seeing pitiful excuses for vegetables and fruits in the stalls, leaving him to scratch his head at how bare the shelves were.

_I think I ate better when people hated me in Konoha._

_**Hated? They still do kit.**_

"There is nothing here," Naruto pointed out redundantly.

"Hmm... this isn't that bad when compared to three weeks ago,"

"But seriously, how hard is it to set up a farm and bring produce into the market? Sure, Gatou may control shipping, but you don't buy your food from other villages do you?" asked Naruto.

Tsunami stopped at that, scratching her head, "You know, you are right. But the problem is that things are so expensive that no one can afford it. So the owners buy less and less, but charge more and more. But there is just no growth and no one ends up spending anything."

The blond frowned at that before noticing a man eying Tsunami's ass and rolled his eyes. While it was particularly nice sight, it just wasn't polite to stare in such a way. But he crossed the line when he made a move to grab it. The boy casually dashed forward and placed the man's wrist in a lock, manipulating the joint that made the man scream.

"Don't do that," Naruto said gravely.

Tsunami was startled and shot the blond a thankful grin, securing her bag that was tied to her waist.

_Oh... he was trying to steal, not grope. Woops..._

They bought their goods and walked back home.

"What is happening in this place?" asked Naruto out loud.

He was suddenly approached by children who held their hands out in supplication. And Naruto's heart clenched, seeing how hungry and emaciated that some of them were. He remembered the times that he was hungry and was refused service by nearly everyone in Konoha. His shriven stomach had tried to digest food that simply wasn't there and he never wanted to feel that way again. He wouldn't wish that on most people, especially on children that reminded him too much of himself before he met Teuchi, Ayame and all those others who became his friends.

He reached into his backpack and handed them some energy bars along with some candy. They opened their eyes in delight and thanked him effusively before running off. Naruto watched them run off with a pained look in his eyes. Tsunami smiled at that act of generosity and placed her arm on his shoulder.

"That was a nice thing that you did, I just wish we didn't need to do it at all," she sighed and looked all around her, "It's been like this since Gatou came. All the adults have lost hope."

_**Pathetic**_, scorned the Kyuubi.

"That is why my father builds the bridge. As a ... symbol of courage. We need for people to lose their fear, to regain their desire to stand up for themselves again. If... if that bridge can be completed, then we may be able to return to that time where people used to be... like the way they were before."

Naruto didn't say a word more as they walked back to their residence. Tsunami felt something in her heart that she felt had died long ago.

It was hope.

Hearing her father's words and seeing Naruto today had reaffirmed her belief that what they were doing was going to make a difference.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Before they reached the property Naruto stopped and made his cross shaped seal.

_Kage bunshin no jutsu!_

Twenty clones appeared and gave the original a salute.

"Guys, survival training. Let's go hunting."

They smiled and started to jump excitedly.

"Hah, I bet I will catch more than you!" shouted one clone to another.

"Whatever, put your money where your mouth is!" replied the bunshin.

Tsunami looked at the quarrelling shadow clones and suppressed a laugh. It was oddly comical yet characterised the boy to a T.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

"Where are you going Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Well, I don't think that we have enough to eat from that, so I am gonna help out," he declared with a foxy grin, "I will be back before dinner. Believe it."

He set off, his past experiences coming back to him as he remembered the survival training offered by 'Ne'.

**Flashback**

"So, can you tell me what a survival situation is?" asked 'Saru'.

"Umm... being alone in a room with 'Mi'?"

The operator barked a short laugh and nodded, "Partial credit, but a survival situation is basically when you are in position that you are uncomfortable in that can affect your life and health. Sometimes things go bad in a mission and you are left behind enemy lines. You have to get out, but you have no equipment or supplies. You can give up and die, or you can try to get out."

"Alright, I get that."

"Now, there are several essentials to surviving. Food, water and shelter are the main ones. We will focus on that today. Now, human beings need food for energy. This comes in different sources, but we have vegetables, fruit and meat. They have all the protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that you need. Try to eat carbohydrates as they are easily converted into energy and chakra, while protein can weigh you down in the field. But you need protein to rebuild muscles and it just tastes nice. How do you like rabbit?"

Naruto laughed at that, holding his ribs as 'Saru' looked at him in a bemused fashion.

"What's so funny?"

_**Yes kit, what is so funny?**_ Kyuu growled out playfully.

"Ah, nothing. Nothing at all."

"Anyways, catching one isn't hard. Preparing it is more of an art than anything else. You kill it and then bleed it. Make an incision towards the jugular or throat and hang the animal upside down. Once the blood is gone, make sure you get rid of its traces by dumping it into a hole. Then skin the animal. Gutting comes next; remove all the organs that you don't intend to eat. But some of them are good for you. Then take out the bones if you want to. Then the cooking, which is optional."

Naruto's stomach turned at that, "Optional?"

"Yeah, most of the goodness goes away when it is cooked. The heat and fire destroys the cells, but makes it taste nicer and easier to go down. But in a survival situation, you may not have the time to build a fire. In fact, a fire could give your position away."

"Right, how about I make sure I have a lot of energy bars on me?"

"Yes, you could do that. But they can always run out. Let's practice on some rabbits and then move onto bigger game. Then we can talk about preservation techniques."

**End flashback**

After three hours of hunting, the gang of Naruto's had bagged over twenty rabbits that were slung into a brace. They went to the back of Tazuna's house and knocked on the door that led into the kitchen. Tsunami opened the door and widened her eyes at the amount of meat that Naruto had caught.

"Yo, you got a cleaver or something?"

She nodded and handed it over to him, "Do you need any help?" she asked.

"Have you done this before?" he asked curiously.

"Not really, we usually go to a butcher, but I can help if you show me how," she said with some embarrassment.

_**... Civilians.**_

"Alright, well, bring along another cleaver and some clothes that you don't mind getting a bit messy."

She nodded and went off to get an apron.

Naruto waited, idly spinning his kunai as he saw Inari trying to discretely spy on him behind the treeline.

Tazuna's daughter soon came back and tossed him an apron that he reluctantly put on.

_Man, I hope no one sees me in this._

Tsunami thought that Naruto looked particularly adorable in it, but declined to comment just in case she embarrassed the boy too much.

Naruto took up a rabbit and held it to her, "Ok, let's bleed it like this..."

They spent a good two hours preparing the joints of meat, with Naruto carefully guiding Tsnuami's strokes and cuts until she was confident that she could do it herself. She was quite impressed by the level of knowledge that the jinchuuriki had in the art of butchering, moving methodically and quickly through his pile. Her deft hands quickly mastered the basics under his instructions and both of them were soon looking at a pile of meat ready for cooking.

And they quickly fell into a routine, where they started to gossip and mucking around like Naruto always did back with Nodoka. Being the one that usually prepared the meals, she was pleasantly surprised by the difference that a partner made in the whole process. She quite enjoyed cooking, but it had quickly become an expectation from her father and son that made her feel that they didn't quite appreciate it. Naruto changed that, wanting to know about her in a way that felt unobtrusive. But she waved his questions off, not wishing to burden the young boy with her issues. She had enough trouble trying to deal with them herself. She hardly wished to get him involved. And before she knew it, it was all finished.

"Right, might as well keep some for later. We could make a nice soup with this so I won't have to do this again for another few days," Naruto said with satisfaction.

He received a grateful hug and a kiss on his cheek as Tsunami grinned at him.

"Thank you, for everything."

_And here I thought that you were just a kid pretending to play at being shinobi. Kami, what kind of world do we live in if we have children fight our battles for us?_

Naruto smiled back and shrugged, "Don't mention it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow! This is super fun! It's been a long time since we ate with so many people," bellowed out Tazuna in surprise, "and the food smells wonderful Tsunami."

She blushed slightly at the praise and nodded, "Well, you have to thank Naruto as well for his help."

The jinchuuriki found eyes focused on him again as he gave them a blank look, "What?"

"Since when do you cook?" asked Ino in surprise.

"Eh, I have been doing it for ages since I was a kid. I help out Nodoka when I can in the Hyuuga kitchens. Is there a problem?"

"Oh nothing," smiled Ino, who suppressed a giggle at the thought of her deadly teammate in an apron. Hinata shared the same thought, except that she had seen the boy clad in that way before. It was the thought of a thoroughly domesticated Naruto that made her smile.

There was a somewhat condescending look on Sasuke's face that Naruto didn't like but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had to cook for himself when Kushina left him, so it was nothing new to him. And it let him spend time with people who genuinely cared for him, even if his initial intentions were to sneak a few bites in before dinner had started.

"Hey gaki, can you make dango?" asked Anko with an odd look on her face.

Naruto shrugged, "I dunno. Never tried it, but I guess I could."

Anko's mind was overcome with visions of an adult Naruto cooking dango and eating it off her body. She shivered slightly and here eyes glazed over.

Kurenai sweatdropped and waved her hands in front of the tokubetsu jounin, "Anko, Anko? What's wrong?"

"Must-have-Naruto-baby-make-now!" she said incoherently.

The jinchuuriki blinked at that, "What did she just say? Baby?"

Kakashi raised his eyes, somewhat amused at Anko's behaviour. He had heard rumours to the odd relationship that she had with the boy, but didn't think too much of it. He wondered if she was just playing with him, as she was wont to do at times. But there was something in her eyes that gave him some concern.

_Well Naruto, your life certainly will become interesting when you hit that age_, he thought with amusement.

There were twelve people sitting on the table which was fully set out. They started eating when all the dishes were brought out.

Naruto was sandwiched between Ino and Hinata, who were trying to talk to him at once. His neck was beginning to hurt as he tried to continue on two conversations at once. Shino was silently sipping his soup, observing his surroundings, particularly Sakura trying to engage Sasuke's attention with little success. The three jounins were content to eat their meal in peace, having scheduled some time to talk later.

Sakura grew a bit deflated at her lack of success and looked around the living room. She spied Inari staring at something on the wall and looked at it. She walked up and saw a picture that was hung up. She cocked her head and asked curiously, "Hey, why do you have a torn picture on the wall? It seems like someone purposefully removed the person that was in the picture."

Inari, Tazuna and Tsunami stiffened at the question and held their breaths.

"He is my husband," Tsunami said reluctantly.

Tazuna raised his voice, "... He is the man that they called the Hero of Wave."

Inari pushed back on the table and stood up. He left in grave silence.

"Inari, where are you going?! Inari!" shouted out Tsunami with concern. The boy didn't even turn back as he walked away.

"Father! I have told you not to talk about that man in front of Inari!" she snarled at her tou-san.

"What's wrong with Inari-kun?" asked a bewildered Sakura.

Tazuna stayed silent before speaking. "Inari had a stepfather. They were very close, like a real father and son... Inari would laugh a lot back then..."

"What happened?" asked Hinata.

All the jounins paid attention to this conversation.

"... Inari changed since the... incident," Tazuna replied solemnly.

"Incident?" echoed Naruto.

"Yes... but before I can get to that, I first have to tell you about the man who was called the hero of this city."

_**Ah, there is that word again. **_

And he described the incident that had led to everything changing. From Pochi's theft, to Inari's inability to swim, to him being saved by a man called Kaiza. And his words that had inspired the boy to do his best:

"_If you're a man, choose a life of no regrets. For something that is precious to you, no matter how tough, no matter how sad, you must try and try and try. Even if you lose your life, protect it with your two arms. If you do that, even if you die, then the proof of your life will remain always. Forever."_

The words resonated within Naruto, finding it similar to his nindo.

"His name was Kaiza, a fisherman who came to Wave to seek his dreams. He and Inari bonded like a real family. He was a hero that Wave needed, but didn't deserve."

Tsunami's eyes watered at the mention of her past lover.

He described the flooding that had made the dam overflow, how he risked his life when no one else was willing to do so.

"He was declared a hero, but then, then Gatou came."

"What happened exactly?" asked Kakashi.

Tsunami hung her head as Tazuna said sorrowfully, "... In front of everyone, Kaiza was put to death by Gatou."

**Flashback**

In the public square, Kaiza was crucified, his arms missing as he was nearly unconscious from the beating that he had taken. Everyone looked in shock and disbelieve as he was strung up in the open market, paralysed by disbelief and fear that their hero was trussed up like a common criminal, condemned for an offence that he didn't commit.

Gatou smiled cruelly at the citizens of Wave, before shouting to them, "Listen up! This man has been conducting terrorist activities against Gatou Corporation! He has been disrupting this country's peace and as punishment, he will be put to death. I just hope that something like this will never happen again," he finished with a sneer.

Kaiza gave them a final smile before the blade descended upon his neck...

**End flashback**

"From that day, Inari changed, so did the entire village."

_**It's like you said kit, every story a tragedy. **_

Naruto stood up, his eyes screwed in disgust as he eyeballed Tazuna with contempt and left.

"Pathetic," he whispered out, his low tone icy cold as it carried across the room.

"What did you say?!" shouted Tazuna in outrage.

"Are you telling me that you and your entire village was so gutless that three men could take you over?!"

"It wasn't just Gatou, it was his entire company, all his resources, all his –"

"Shut up! All I hear are excuses. If each and every one of you picked up weapons and faced him like men and women, Gatou would not have dared touch your village. No matter how many people he could hire, if you stood up to him as one, then you could have stopped anything."

"But no, you wanted somebody to be your hero, so you could place the responsibility onto them, so you could blame anything but yourselves for your weakness. So you did nothing, but stand back and watch him die when he was innocent," he spat out.

Kurenai, Anko and Kakashi could tell that Naruto was speaking from his heart.

"I am going to leave before I say something that I regret. Thanks for the meal Tsunami-san," he bowed slightly, eyes softened in sympathy before leaving.

Tazuna started to bluster out, "Dammit! We would have done something if we could, but we were not shinobi-"

Shino stood up and spoke. And in the case of silent people, when they did, people paid attention, "You do not need to be a shinobi to be a hero. It is as Kaiza-san said, if you have something precious to you, you will defend it with everything that you have. If you do not, then you do not deserve it at all." He made a move to go to the living room.

"You are being unfair to these people Shino," said Kurenai, "they are not warriors or fighters. That is why we exist, to do the fighting so that civilians can live a life without knowing the horror of war or knowing what it is like to see comrades die in front of your eyes. But still... how were you cowed by three men? They would have backed off if you had a united front. But did you really let them crucify your hero while you just watched?"

Tazuna closed his eyes, body shaking in regret as tears made their way down Tsunami's face. They had their fair share of guilt from their inaction, and having it shoved into their face was painful.

"It is easy for you to say, but the retribution –"

Anko snorted, "Would have been the same as now. Your little bridge will break his monopoly on shipping in this region. How is this any different from standing up to him back then? Sure this is slightly more passive, but the results will be the same. But better late than never I suppose."

* * *

**Wave  
Outskirts**

_Kyuu, this isn't working._

**What do you mean?**

_Oh come on, it takes so fucking long to say your name I could be impaled by kunai left , right and centre before I finish! Are you sure that I have to say that entire introduction before your name to get to these new zanpukutos?_

_**Yes**_, she said seriously, _**you have to.**_

_I don't buy it, why do I need to?_

_**It is part of my Name Naruto, my very identity given to me by the universe itself.**_

_... Really?_

_**Well, maybe. It's not like the universe gave me a birth certificate and told me that my name was that. Though it would be pretty cool if that did happen. **_

_Right, I get that your name is really Kamujin, but isn't the rest just unnecessary?_

**How dare you say that! **_**Kaze no wameki koe oyobi bunsan subete hakai ni**__**!**_

_But! But! It takes like five seconds to say it! I could be dead by then!_

_**... Kaze no wameki koe oyobi bunsan subete hakai ni**__**!!**_

_Alright, I admit that it does sound pretty bad ass. I would be shitting myself if the 'wind howls and scatters all away to oblivion' and seeing the zanpukuto's appear. But it takes too damned long!_

_**You know, you are an interesting contrast kit.**_

_What do you mean?_

_**You love economy of movement and efficiency, but you also love a good, explosive flashy jutsu. And those take ages to prepare, most of the time. It is a bit inconsistent.**_

Naruto stopped at that and scratched his head, _You know, I have never really thought of it in that way_.

_**Funny, but humans were never meant to be consistent anyway.**_

_Oh?_

_**Yeah, the presence of emotions and stuff like that. It makes anyone and everyone... flexible in their actions and behaviours. Otherwise we would all be robots and not know or feel how it is to live.**_

And thanks to you Naru-kun, I do as well.

_So, are you sure that there isn't a way around it?_

_**Fairly sure. I guess you could keep it unsealed for as long as you can.**_

_Hmm, well if you do want to keep your Name a secret, then we would want to keep the information to a minimum._

Ah nuts.

_Why is that anyway?_

_**I have people and... things that want me dead and will not hesitate to go through you to get to me.**_

_How powerful can they be? You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune after all._

_**Yeah... but I have managed to make a lot of enemies, who I can't kill like this. They are like ants, small, annoying and numerous. But if there are enough of them, the can kill things larger than them. **_

_I guess. So keep you unsealed?_

_**Maybe, but I guess that would bring a lot of attention was well. How about you think my name really, really loudly. Or just whisper it?**_

_... I guess I could do that._

_**Give it a go then.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a particularly exhaustive training session, Naruto decided to crash outdoors. He lay on his back and watched the sky with contentment. Without the light radiation the stars were shining with a brightness that could only be achieved when you were several kilometres out of Konoha proper. His eyes were growing droopy and he sighed.

_Look out for me will ya Kyuu?_

_**Of course I will kit.**_

Naruto grinned and promptly fell asleep.

The Kyuubi was keeping a silent vigil on the boy, using his dormant senses to keep a surveillance until Naruto was in a deep slumber. When his unconscious mind was full active and dreaming, Kyuu gave a grin and manifested herself out of his body.

This is so nice, she marvelled. So many feelings and sensations that were long lost to her were back. She could feel the breeze on her skin and the fragrant wafting of the flowering blossoms.

She knew that conventionally her manifestation was highly unusual and the prerequisite to something her absorbed spirit knew as bankai. But her personality and determination had broken those barriers. Kyuu didn't particularly believe in playing by rules that she didn't make up or agree with.

It wasn't like they were barriers in the first place. More like self imposed guidelines. While most zanpukuto spirits might want to limit their prime's power, I have no intention of doing so unless it is on my terms.

The only problem was that she was unable to maintain her form for long. Even with Naruto maintaining an active connection, she could only appear for an hour or so before she faded away. Even then she could not be too far away from the boy without being pulled back into his mindscape. It was a puzzling problem and she vowed to investigate it further.

Her acute senses picked up movement and she narrowed her eyes to the person approaching them. She was dressed in a gi and had a basket slung over their arm.

Well, well, well. This is a small world.

In front of them was the hunter nin that had intervened with Naruto's battle. She pondered her options as she got closer to them. She and Naruto were developing a technique for her to manifest by his side and become a partner in his battles. It was like a kage bunshin technique but infinitely more powerful. The problem was that she was limited in what she could actually do. If she used too much of her chakra, Naruto's reiatsu would overcome her and take her back into the mindscape. So she was good for a desperate and fatal attack that could potentially level a mountain if she wished. It was probably Naruto's finest hidden ace in his sleeve.

But she stood there, pondering her options. Her secretive appearance was taking a toll on her, so she decided to let Naruto take care of the problem.

Figures that he would be the best person since he was wronged by her.

She went back in and tugged on his awareness.

_**Hey kit, we have company.**_

_Who is it?_

_**Would you believe that it is your mother?**_

_What?!_

_**Just kidding. It's just that hunter nin that slapped that explosive tag on you.**_

Naruto shuddered at that, bringing back memories he preferred to forget.

_**Just pretend to sleep and see what she does. If she does try anything, you can get one over her quickly enough.**_

The nukenin was gathering medicinal herbs as she spied upon the blond swordsman that had given them so many problems. She slowly approached him and wondered if she could take him by surprise.

_I mean, just a quick stab and he wouldn't even feel it. For Zabuza-sama..._

But her heart did feel uneasy about killing a sleeping boy. She observed him in the moonlight and smiled faintly. He had a lithe and toned physique that didn't surprise her. And there were those infamous whisker marks that were probably going to be registered in the Bingo Book sometime soon.

_No, I can't let my feelings get in the way of what needs to be done, _she desperately tried to convince herself of that_, if I have to, then I must. For Zabuza-sama..._

Naruto sensed her indecision and decided to end the charade. He opened his cerulean eyes and gave her a wide smile before yawning. Haku tensed up as Naruto stood up, stretching the kinks out of his muscles before facing her with a cocked head.

"Yo."

Haku blinked at the short greeting and didn't know what to do next. She was sure that Naruto was more than a match for her, unless she unleashed her bloodline upon him. But at the moment, it seemed like a needless waste. The boy smiled at her again before chuckling, scratching the back of his head as he asked her a question, "So, late night huh?"

Grinning at the somewhat inane comment, Haku nodded before giving a small smile of her own, "Yes, yes it is. What are you doing sleeping out in the open?"

'Well, it is such a wonderful night, why would you want to spend it inside?" he asked, spreading his arms wide open around him, "I mean, sleeping in a field of flowers is pretty nice, especially when you wake up to pretty things," he said with a mischievous grin.

And Haku found herself being drawn by Naruto's gravity, his demeanour softening her and she let go of the senbon hidden within her sleeves.

"I couldn't agree more," she nodded, "so what are you doing here though?"

"Oh, I am a shinobi," Naruto said absentmindedly, gathering his zanpukuto and tossed it into the air, making patterns while doing so, "I have training to do and it just went really late I suppose. How bout you ... sorry, what was your name again?"

While she wasn't comfortable with the boy playing with his blade like it was a toy, she had the odd feeling that Naruto was playing with her. She didn't appreciate it, but was prepared to play along for now, "My name is Haku. Someone very important to me just got hurt. I need to find some medicine to help him out."

"My name is Naruto. Man that sounds bad. Why don't I help you? " asked the jinchuuriki earnestly.

Still reluctant, she acquiesced if only to get a better reading on the boy. Haku had to instruct Naruto to find the right flower before they ventured further into the field. Naruto cavorted around the place, pestering her with questions to see if he had gotten the right flower that was irritating and endearing at the same time. She couldn't believe that this was the same boy that had stood the two of them down with such fierce determination and resolve that they were the ones retreating from the battle.

She had also gave him surreptitious looks as well, to see if he still bore any of those injuries that he had sustained. She knew that there were odd _kekkei genkais_ that allowed for accelerated healing, but what she had saw bordered on the ridiculous. It was like he regenerated flesh, muscle and bone in an instant. The rather sinister red chakra flare didn't help as well. But as a medic nin, she knew that the human body wasn't supposed to be able to shrug off an explosive note to the chest followed up by a cleaving blow to the same chest.

Naruto blinked at the attention that he was receiving and asked innocently, "Why are you staring at me for Haku-san?"

The girl startled and blushed slightly, before trying to cover for her mistake, "I think I see the plants that we need over there," she lied, pointing behind Naruto.

"Ok, let's go then!" he said, taking her hand and dragging her along to the place that she had pointed to. She tensed slightly at his grip, but could feel no malice or killing intent coming from the boy.

_I mean, it's possible that he doesn't recognise me as I was masked and everything. But no matter how innocuous things seem, it still feels like he is playing a trick on me._

Naruto remembered that he had grabbed the hunter-nin's hand during the battle and recognised the similar grip, _Hmm, so it is you. She really does have cold hands._

_**What is that human saying, cold hands, warm heart?**_

_I guess so._

_**I always found that to be an interesting phrase. I wonder if Orochimaru has the same problem.**_

Naruto shuddered at the thought of the Snake Sannin touching him at all, _Please don't say that again._

They made their way into another part of the clearing and didn't see anything.

Naruto looked at Haku with a question in his eyes, "Well?"

The nukenin shrugged with slight embarrassment before sighing, "I guess it isn't here either."

Naruto gave her a foxy smile before offering his hand to her again.

She frowned at that gesture and wondered what he intended.

"I can show you a cool ninja trick that can help us find those flowers real quick."

"How quickly?" she asked with intrigue.

"Oh, trust me, really, really quickly. Do you trust me?"

There seemed to be more weight and significance behind that question than it seemed at face value. But from the brief time that she had spent with the jinchuuriki, she could feel that he was an honourable person. Hell, he was a lot better than some of the clients that she had to deal with on a daily basis.

"I – I think I do," she admitted.

"Awesome."

_Kaze no wameki koe oyobi bunsan subete hakai ni_: Kamujin!

His zanpukuto split into two and two elemental wings formed again. The blond slung his blades behind him and held his arms open.

Haku felt a bit anxious about what Naruto was proposing, "Are you sure that is safe?"

"Of course it is! You trust me, like you said. And it's not like I am going to drop you or anything," he said cheerfully.

The kunoichi had to hide a sweatdrop as she did consider the possibility.

_But if he had really wanted to kill me, he could have done something by now, instead of something as elaborate as this. Hmm, it might be nice as well._

"Ok, sure. I hope that I am in good hands," she said with a bit of a flirt, trying to put the boy back on his toes.

Naruto realised then that he would have to touch Haku in a certain way, plus hold her close to his body. But since he had offered, he refused to back down.

"I promise that everything will be alright. Believe it," he declared.

She leaned back gently into his body while Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and the two of them flew upwards, the jinchuuriki having a few false starts as he had to readjust for the additional weight that he was unused to.

_Well, this might actually work. But it's not like she weighs much in the first place._

They then ascended up a bit, getting an aerial view of the ground that took Haku's breath away. Everything was so clear to her from above that she couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

"Hmm, pretty." Naruto whispered.

"Isn't it," Haku breathed out.

The life of a shinobi was a brutal one, where they saw blood and fighting more often than not. But to see a sea of sparkling white petals in a verdant pool of green grass... It was quite breathtaking. Especially when you were up in the air and could see it contrasted to everything else in the way. She felt awfully privileged to see this and found it deliciously ironic that it was an enemy that had shown her something that beautiful.

"Umm, we are too high for me to make out details, do you mind going closer to ground?"

"Sure," Naruto nodded, "give me a direction."

Haku squinted for a bit before pointing north west. Dutifully, the jinchuuriki flew over their, before decided to indulge in a few acrobatics that led to a scream and a death like grip being applied to his arms.

"Oh come on, it was fun!" he protested as they landed again. They had sighted the flowers and Haku was busy tendering to the clippings that she had taken, placing them carefully into her basket.

"Give me warning next time," she huffed, secretly suppressing a grin at how free and uninhibited it felt to be doing loops in the air. And not for a moment did she feel that Naruto's grip would waver and let her go while in mid air.

"Whatever, I know you enjoyed it, so why pretend?"

Haku grumbled at that and crossed her arms, "Some warning would be nice next time."

"Funny, I could say something about that exploding tag," he remarked.

Haku went into full alert, dashing backwards and grabbing onto senbon as she faced the jinchuuriki warily.

"What?!" Naruto asked nonplussed.

"Errr, most people would be angry at having a tag put on then, you know, the whole exploding thing and all," she pointed out wryly.

"Yeah, well, if I had to kill everyone that did that... " he laughed darkly.

Haku grew nervous, wondering if the standoff would continue. It did for several tense minutes where no one did anything. If she remembered the battle correctly, and what he had just did, she wouldn't be able to outrun him. With his flying abilities, he could hunt her down like a dog if he wished to.

Naruto soon got bored with the silence and sighed, "So, what happens now?"

"Well, I guess we could stare at each other for while," said Haku dubiously.

"But that is sooo boring," Naruto complained.

The kunoichi blinked and gave him an amused smile, "You are not much of a ninja are you?"

The blond shrugged, "I guess not, but then again, it's not like I want to be. I assume that those are for Zabuza?"

She gave him a small nod.

"How is that bastard anyway? I'm sure I gutted him, but he still put up a hell of a fight," Naruto said slowly, remembering the battle.

Haku gave a short laugh before shaking her head in disbelief, "He is ... fine. Does complain about that 'mother fucking blond bastard" every moment that he can."

Naruto chuckled before sighing, "Tell him not to hurt my sensei next time, otherwise he won't live to regret it next time."

"If you hurt Zabuza-sama, I will be forced to kill you," Haku declared, though there was a touch of doubt in her voice.

"Well, if you hurt anyone precious to me, then I'm gonna do the same," Naruto said just as strongly.

_Precious, precious, precious..._

"Why do you fight?" she asked suddenly.

"Eh?"

"You ... are strong. But why? Why do you do this?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" he joked.

"Please," she said softly, giving him an intent look that made him shrug.

"I fight because if I don't, other people will use me. Or kill me. Or those close to me. I get stronger because if I don't, the people that chose to be my friends will be hurt because they are my friends. It is fine if I die, but I will not bring them into it," he said softly.

"So, you have someone important to you?" she asked.

"Yes, yes I do," he declared softly.

**Flashback**

She could remember the night, an image seared into her retina as she had run away in terror. Her _kekkei genkai_ had awoken in a violent and uncontrolled manner. She leaned back into the wall, her eyes losing hope as she looked forward and saw him.

A masked nin who walked with pride and purpose, wielding a zanbatou who stopped when he spied her.

**End flashback**

"You are strong," she admitted, "and when a person has something important to protect, they become truly strong."

Naruto graced her with a smile, "I guess you are right."

There was silence yet again before Haku spoke out, "So, what happens now?"

"I guess you won't be able to walk away from this and leave Tazuna alone will you?"

She hesitantly shook her head.

Naruto sighed, "Hmm... then I don't know. If you or he threatens my friends, then I will stop you."

The kunoichi nodded at that, "And if you threaten Zabuza-sama, I will stop you as well."

The jinchuuriki laughed at that, "Ok, so it seems like we understand each other, ne?"

She smiled as well, "Funny isn't it?"

Naruto shrugged, "Not really. We are not really that much different, but I guess you can say that fate has placed us on different sides. But those sides can change. I hope we do meet again Haku-san, but in better circumstances."

"I – I would like that," she said before walking away, "Oh, by the way, I am a boy."

_Bullshit._

"Bullshit," said Naruto with a foxy grin.

She raised her eyebrows at him, before giving him a small nod.

_**Well, things have gotten interesting. **_

_Yeah, this is a weird world that we live in. _

* * *

**Wave  
Tazuna's Residence**

It had nearly been two weeks since Team Eight had encountered Momochi Zabuza. There was the sporadic attack that were more probes than anything else, but beyond that the bridge builders were left relatively unmolested. Kakashi wondered if they would ever make a move, considering that the bridge was nearly complete. He couldn't really afford to wait any longer as Konoha had other important missions to complete.

_Hmm... one more day, then we will hunt him down using Pakkun. _

The Konoha nins prepared themselves and were going to leave before Naruto complained of a sore stomach, preferring to stay at the home. Kakashi was somewhat reluctant to leave the jinchuuriki alone, considering that he would be quite the target but relented after a while. Naruto said that he would protect Tsunami and her son if they were under attack.

"Be careful Naruto-kun," said Hinata.

"Of course I will," he promised.

"Yeah, don't you dare die on us or anything stupid like that," added Ino.

"Why Ino-san, I didn't know that you cared," he said in mock surprise.

"Well, your presence grows on people," she said with a smirk, "like a skin condition."

Naruto laughed at that, remembering the hell that she had given Shikamaru after revealing that little description to Ino.

They left and Naruto formed his seal. He had a rendezvous with 'Ne' but he couldn't leave Tsunami entirely undefended. It was the logical thing to do, especially considering that Gatou was not above targeting innocents in his dirty war.

"Protect them ok?" he ordered.

"Roger that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Mi' looked at the rather opulent house hidden away in the cliff-side.

"That's pretty nice, and secure as well."

"Yeah, murderholes, arrow-slits, perpendicular corners, the works. Good thing that we can do this quickly enough with the right people."

They had four 'Ne' operatives, where Naruto was going to meet up with them later on. They were north of Wave, such that they were a bit doubtful to whether he could make it or not. There was no way that he could reach them unless he had mastered some sort of teleportation technique, which shouldn't have been possible yet.

'Saru' looked around before scratching his head, "So yeah, how are we going to do this? It's not like we managed to get blueprints of the place or anything like that."

'Mi' snorted, "Well, our intelligence states that there is only manned by some guards, with some shinobi training. Chuunin level at best, but really, nothing special. We hit them hard and fast, catch them with their pants between their feet and seal it all up."

'Ushi' stared at the man, "'Fokkushoundo' was right, you are a sex fiend."

"What?! Just because I use sexually explicit analogies and references doesn't mean I am a pervert."

"Whatever, I bet you have an entire wall dedicated to the Icha Icha series, which you wear out and replace on a monthly basis."

"Now that is a filthy lie, unless you want to come over and check it out," he said suggestively.

The kunoichi just snorted before double checking her gear. She was the explosives expert and had a massive amount of ordinance on her. It wouldn't be needed, but she claimed that it was her safety net. Most of them just wanted to stay away from her when she got into her moods to 'blow shit up'.

"So, what are we waiting for?" asked 'Hebi'.

Right on cue, Naruto appeared from the skies, giving a somersault as he dropped to the ground, ending up in a roll. Getting to his feet, he brushed his clothes and gave them all a foxy grin.

"Yo, what's up?"

They all blinked at the sight, "Since when do you have wings?!" they all shouted.

The jinchuuriki shrugged, "A few days ago. I just get more incredible as time goes on."

"Are they good for anything?" asked 'Saru'.

Naruto sweatdropped, "Isn't flying good enough for you? And yes, they act like a defence to protect me from things. Like kunai and shuriken."

The Snake Assassin shook his head, filing it away for future development, "Ok, well now that he is here, we can do what we need to do."

"Situation: we are poor, really, really poor. Gatou has money."

"Mission: we are to rob the fucker blind and live it up. That means electricity, water and food. Not the junk that we are forced to shovel into our throats."

"Execution: first of all 'Ushi' and 'Saru' will bust a hole using doton jutsu to crack the defences, before 'Ushi' lets loose with explosive tags and charges to get rid of any murderholes and missile slits. We then pair off, making our way to the treasury. All targets must be eliminated along the way. I have a basic mud map of what the grounds look like. There might be hidden rooms and levels, so be careful."

"Admin: Masks on people. That's pretty much it."

"Comms: everyone use the headset, and report in every fifteen minutes. If you find it, let us all know. We will have to sanitise the area afterwards."

'Mi' finished his briefing and opened the floor, "Any questions or queries?"

'Ushi' raised her hands, "What do we do about Gatou?"

"Well, we kill him. Cover our tracks and all that. But there is nothing else to do about it."

Naruto raised his arms, "What about the civilian servants and all that, we aren't going to kill them as well are we?"

'Mi' grew uneasy at that, before shaking his head, "They might get in the crossfire, but secure any non-combatants you find. We will deal with them later."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the obfuscation, but looked towards the target with anticipation.

"Let's do this," he whispered to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The teams got into position, with 'Ushi' and 'Saru' forming Team Alpha, 'Hebi' and 'Fokkushoundo' being Team Bravo, and 'Mi' was the solo Team Delta.

"Alpha in position."

"Bravo, is clear."

'Mi' observed the charges being put in place with a grin.

"On my mark... mark."

The charges blew off, and Alpha channelled their jutsus.

The cliff-face cracked, fault lines forming and sending a shale slide. The secondary charges blew open the holes as Alpha and Bravo rappelled into the openings. Delta progressed into the secondary ingress point to the rear.

The infiltration had begun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alpha burst in, throwing concussion grenades moments before they entered. The blast disorientated anyone nearby and they splintered off into single units, intending to clear the rooms one by one.

"Alpha, it's clear. Moving on."

They did, encountering two guards who raised their weapons at the sight of them.

"What the hell!"

'Saru' threw his kunai, taking one of the guards in the throat as the other drew a long knife and charged towards them. 'Ushi' took her ninjatou and carved her way through him, his body collapsing into half.

"Alpha, two down. Moving on."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You ready 'Fokkushoundo'?" asked 'Hebi'

"Of course," he grinned, looking disdainfully at the rope in his hands.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't need this, I can fly."

With that said, he jumped off the cliff, extending his wings as he swooped into the entry point.

'Hebi' sighed at his exuberance before sailing in.

Naruto came in, swords extended as he surveyed the sight around him. The charges and tags had taken a lot out of the infrastructure, and he saw bodies of guards that were undoubtedly stationed at certain points.

"Bravo, we are in. Preparing to search now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Mi' looked at the bolt hole used by the servants to get into the hideout. It wasn't like Gatou would cook or clean for himself, nor his guards. Unfortunately, he knew that they would probably be casualties in the conflict, as they couldn't afford to leave any evidence of their operations. He knew that Naruto would take great offence at that, but he sighed. It was evil, but necessary.

It was also the reason why he was going to enter in this way. It was a cold duty that was attached to him, but he would do it to spare Naruto the gritty necessity of what had to be done.

He placed a charge and blew it open, entering into the quarters like it was nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The tight quarters of Gatou's hideout was making it unwieldy for Naruto to swing his zanpukuto, so he sheathed them and drew out his kunai. Growing sick of being bogged down at a chokepoint, he looked at 'Hebi' who shrugged.

"Ok, this sucks."

_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!_

_Kage bunshin Bakuha!_

He sent out a wave of normal shadow clones to cover the explosive ones, who detonated themselves as they got into range.

BOOM!

"Problem solved," he said grinning. The boy soon got bored and sent scores of clones to clear the rooms, which worked remarkably well. Along with them came exploding bunshin's as well to handle any problems that might pop up.

"Woah, that is efficient of you," complimented 'Hebi'.

"Eh, work smarter, not harder," Naruto replied, ripping off Neji.

"So, what's been happing in Konoha since I was gone?" he asked his mentor.

"Not much, I taught 'Neko' a new jutsu while you were away."

The boy stilled at that, "What did you do?!"

"Oh relax, I made her promise that she wouldn't hurt you with it," the kunoichi tried to reassure the boy.

"But you don't understand, she is a dominatrix! She likes whipping me, and the last time you taught her a jutsu I accidentally killed her!"

'Hebi' blinked, "Na- ru- to, you what!?"

"Umm, what I meant to say was that I accidentally did some grievous bodily harm before helping her contact the Nekomata."

"... Slightly better explanation, but I must say, I'm disappointed in you."

The blond hung his head, "I know, I'm sorry, it was an accident, I didn't mean to do it."

"Just don't do it again," she ordered.

"Roger that,"

"And you might want to use your wind barriers as well to seal of the rooms that we have cleared. We don't want them flank us or get us from behind."

"Not a problem."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Another chokepoint was present, solidified by chakra resistant barricades and desperate missile fire. His clones couldn't get close enough to detonate near the barrier, and it was impossible to use the charges or other long range ninjutsu to damage the area.

Naruto sighed.

"Ok, we are stuck, again!" he complained.

'Hebi' shook her head, "Right, we just happen to draw all the enemy fire because we happened to clear all the rooms quicker than Alpha. You know how to make a girl work gaki," she teased.

"Well, what can I say?," Naruto drawled.

"Ah fuck this," the swordsman drew one of his zanpukuto's and leaned back on the adjacent wall. He then blind fired off three blasts from the safety of his cover. The black reiatsu combined with the wind element sliced into the men hiding behind the reinforced concrete. They screamed as they were cut into pieces, before quieting down.

Naruto walked out, spinning his zanpukuto on its hilt ring like it was a kunai. He smirked at 'Hebi' before asking, "How was that?"

She smiled at him before grinning, "You are so cute, you know that?"

"I know," he said unabashedly, whistling as he sent out more kage bunshin as advanced scouts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alpha was chasing down a fleeing security guard, who knew the layout of the hideout in a much better way than the two 'Ne' operators.

"Crap, we got a runner, get him!"

"I'm trying dammit, screw these bloody corners! Give me a clear shot dammit!"

The man sprinted across the hallway and was about the exit a door when he suddenly dropped into three pieces.

"... What just happened?"

They then noticed the distortion ahead of them, a hazy blur that was only visible if you paid close attention.

"Wait, is that?" asked 'Saru'.

"Yep, that is _Fuuton: Tetsu no kaze no tsurro _(Corridors of Iron Wind)," said an impressed 'Ushi'.

"Kami... that is so useful. Umm... remind me not to piss him off in the future. I don't want that outside my house or window," he said nervously.

"Yeah, apparently he got 'Mi' one time when he got careless. In fact, I hope he doesn't use that for pranks anymore because that is dangerous. At least you can see my explosive tags."

The body on the floor was testament to the jutsus ability.

"I just wish he could make it so we knew where he put them," complained 'Ushi', "besides on all the rooms that he cleared."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They eventually reached into the heart of the building and found a safe.

"Feh, child's play," sneered 'Saru'.

There was an elementary seal on it, which was quickly bypassed by the 'Ne' operatives with contemptuous ease.

They opened it and whistled.

"Woah,"

"Yeah,"

'Mi' shook his head, "It's fucking empty."

"FOK-KUS-HOUN-DO!" shouted out 'Saru'.

"At least he said my name properly," Naruto grumbled.

"Ok, we just demolished a pretty nice house, killed the guards, and there is nothing here. Next thing we know it just triggered a self destruct mechanism," complained 'Saru'.

There was dead silence, they all stopped at that and looked at the boy, who laughed nervously. They then looked carefully around the place, observant for any tell tale signs.

"So, do we get the fuck out, or what?" asked 'Ushi', "As much as I love a good explosion that makes me wet between the knees, I like living more. Lots more."

'Mi' shook his head, "Ok, our intelligence indicated that there was only one hideout. We had to wade through a bloody company here, with some pretty hefty protection. This has to be something important here, unless he is that fucking loaded that he can make these meaningless hideouts. Let's look some more."

* * *

**Wave  
Site of the completed bridge that is still unnamed **

"We might just make it," said a bridge builder excitedly.

"Who would have thought?" remarked another hopefully.

Kakashi stayed silent, wondering what game that Zabuza was playing. He might be content to wait it out, killing the old man when they left for home.

_... No. He cannot let his reputation take a beating like that. And from the Bingo Book profile, he is a proud man._

He called back the patrols, who indicated their acknowledgement on their headsets and waited for them to come back. He needed to give a briefing that he didn't want to be broadcast on the open channel. He wouldn't put it past the ex ANBU and Swordsman to have a radio interceptor on him. Zabuza did have over two weeks to hack the encrypted Konoha frequency.

As they gathered, he saw a thick bank of mist cover the bridge.

_Ok, here we go._

"Hinata, what can you see?" asked Kakashi calmly.

She activated her Byakugan and saw two figures approaching them from the north, "Two people Kakashi-sensei, right there."

Zabuza and Haku appeared, looking at the Konoha nins with some surprise. Kakashi quickly dropped his henge and flipped his hitai-ate off, Sharingan activated as he stared at them.

Zabuza slowly clapped his hands as he approached, "Lord, they must have money to spare to hire you, Sharingan no Kakashi. I am honoured really, having so many nins here. It's a pity it all ends now."

"You are pretty confident for someone that is outnumbered," said Kurenai, tightening her fists in remembrance of her defeat by the nukenin.

"And you are alive as well. Kami, how the hell do you survive a zanbatou to the chest?" he asked incredulously.

"What can I say, we have a good medic nin on our side," she said grimly.

"Where is that blond, we have a score to settle."

"He is busy. I will be your opponent today Zabuza," declared Kakashi.

"Whatever, I will kill you, you fucking monkey, then find him."

Ino raised her crossbow and took a bead on his head, "Will you really win against all of us?"

"Well, you have a problem that you didn't foresee," he said smugly.

"Which is?" drawled Kakashi, stabilising his chakra reserves due to his inefficient use of his doujutsu.

"Well, it's just me and Haku here. Two combatants. But you, you have civilians, who will be caught in the crossfire. What is that, ten, twenty men here? It will be a slaughter."

The Copy Nin cursed at that, hating the fact that he had to take care of frightened builders who looked at Zabuza in fear, "Hinata, Ino, Sakura, form a detail and take Tazuna and his men back to the CP. We will come and get you later!"

They nodded and they quickly herded them towards the south. Zabuza made a move towards them but was mirrored by Kakashi.

"There is still more than enough of us to overwhelm you. Give it up Momochi!"

The Akuma no Kirigakure laughed at him, "Did you really think that I would attack you with only two people? I had my men spy on you for weeks and had an idea of what was waiting here. I figured that you would attack me directly, so I prepared a nice defence at my base, but since you didn't take the bait, then I was going after you."

Anko whispered to Kurenai, "What happened to your traps?"

She shrugged uneasily as Zabuza overheard Anko and answered her question, "Your traps were pretty good, but counter genjutsu was one of my finer specialties. Call it part and parcel of my silent killing technique."

They cursed at that and pointed kunai at his person.

"Oh, in case you really did think that I came alone... well you better look again."

They did and saw a cell of nukenins flanking the group to the south. And in front of the Konoha kunoichi was a large group of armed militants, intent on massacring the engineers.

Kakashi swore again, "Anko, Kurenai, deal with those nukenin. We don't know how powerful they really are."

"If I were to hazard a guess, they would all be jounin level at the very least," Zabuza said offhandedly.

Haku stood back, letting her master wax lyrical and act dramatically. It was one of his vices and she didn't mind it too much.

"So, shall we dance?"

* * *

Ok, this was the first half of a chapter I couldn't post in its entirety. The action is set for the conclusion to the Wave Arc. The next chapter will be released soon enough, when I manage to get some kinks out of the works.

Please read and review. Or I might not post the next chapter at all. How desperate are people for closure?

Ja ne.


	16. Distributive Justice the second

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N

This chapter was split into two for convenience of posting. This took much longer than expected, which I apologise for.

Nothing more to add really. I can see that the new stat counter really works on FFN.

I guess this is the time for me to acknowledge the past efforts of Frozen Sin. He served ably and faithfully as a beta, who now enters into retirement. And I welcome some new people, Archfiend of Lightning, Warper and Hyperthermophile (if she ever gets back to me).

And I have posted a new story that I am quite proud of. It is called The Dark Knight so check it out on my profile.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 05Jun08  
Chapter completed: 25Aug08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

"_Oh, did you really think that I did come alone as well. You better look again."_

_They did and saw a cell of nukenins flanking the group to the south. And in front of the Konoha kunoichi were a large group of armed militants, intent on massacring the engineers._

_Kakashi swore again, "Anko, Kurenai, deal with those nukenin. We don't know how powerful they really are."_

"_Oh, they are all jounin level nins at the very least," Zabuza said offhandedly._

_Haku stood back, letting her master wax lyrical and act dramatically. It was one of his vices and she didn't mind it too much. _

"_So, shall we dance?"_

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen  
**_**Distributive Justice continued**_

Hinata, Ino and Sakura were dismayed by the large presence facing them, wondering about what their options were.

"Ino-pig, do you have any ideas?" said Sakura with apprehension.

The blonde nodded before loading her weapon with an explosive bolt, "We fight and we get through this, right Hinata?"

"Yes," she whispered, getting into her Jyuuken stance. There was a voice in her head, shouting at her loudly. It was haunting and instructive, sending shivers down her spine as it commanded her:

_Don't you dare die here Hinata. You need to live, to see Naruto after this, to look after him, to protect him. How can you do that if you die here? Don't you dare die Hinata..._

_I can't die, I cannot let Naruto-kun down_, she swore to herself.

"Got any ideas?" Ino asked the Hyuuga.

"Yes, you cover me with that bow while I get close. After you are out, then come join me," she said slowly, counting the targets in front of them.

"What?! Are you crazy?! There must be twenty, thirty of them!" shouted out Sakura in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter. We are kunoichi and we will do our duty. Forehead girl can stay behind and play guard duty if she wants. But Hinata is right. We can't let them close in on us and make us fight amongst these people. So we will keep them busy and you take on any that get though us, do you understand Sakura?" asserted Ino.

The pink haired girl was somewhat surprised at the collected and confident tone in Ino's voice. Before she was bossy and loud, but she had changed into something different. Ino was always proud of her looks, fully taking advantage of her assets. Now it was something else that she had pride in. And it made her feel envious.

Ino had to seriously reconsider her choices for being a shinobi after her father sat her down and told him a few stories. About what she could expect in the field and the dangers that a kunoichi faced. Needless to say it put the fear of Kami into her, making her nearly quiet for days as a result. But for some reason, she had persisted. And she took faith and solace in the fact that she wasn't the only one that didn't take the shinobi trade seriously at first. And bit by bit Naruto had helped her change. And it was time to show them how much she had improved since joining Team Eight.

"Alright, change to frequency eight, and keep in close contact with us ok?" asked Hinata. While she excelled in her usual command, control and communication (C3) role, there just wasn't enough people there to take advantage of her doujutsu. They saw Anko and Kurenai battling against some nins and were desperate to finish their battle so that they could assist in any way.

Tazuna gulped at the worsening situation, feeling a crippling fear overcome him and his men.

_Kami, they are just children! Why are they even still here?!_

**Flashback**

"I wanted to ask you this earlier, but why are you still here when I lied to you about this mission?" asked Tazuna.

Kakashi raised and eyebrow and turned to face Kurenai, finding a pensive look on her face. She stood up and walked around the room before answering.

"Duty, honour, truth. A shinobi cannot be motivated by money alone. We are not just hired killers, but people with conscience, regardless of the things that we do. We stand in the shadows but struggle to retain the things that make us human. But to abandon our duty is cowardice. And below cowardice, there is nothing. Nothing at all."

"That is the way of the shinobi," added Kakashi, "Shinobi don't move because of money alone. There are people important to us here and we will fight beside them. We will not leave them behind."

**End flashback**

Ino steadied her weapon and took a deep breath, "Covering fire!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi stared at the two nukenin before speaking softly, "Sasuke, Shino, take on the masked hunter-nin. Zabuza is mine."

They nodded at his orders and faced off with Haku. By agreement, the three of them found their own ground to battle.

Zabuza looked amused at his choice and chuckled softly, "You know, that is a bad idea. Haku is probably stronger than me, but the numbers just won't make a difference," he taunted.

Kakashi dismissed that as being trash talk that most Kiri nins seem to engage in before battle.

"Don't be so sure. The two of them are fairly special. Both are geniuses in their own right," said Kakashi confidently.

The nukenin raised his eyes in disbelief, "Maybe, but let's see if they can match up against my student."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I suggest you give up now shinobi-san, before you get hurt. I would not like that," said Haku softly.

Sasuke scoffed at the masked nin, before giving a cocky grin, "Hn, whatever. Don't be so sure of yourself. Hang back Shino, I can take this."

"... Are you sure?" asked Shino doubtfully. His keen power of perception noted that Haku had a sense of speed and grace that would give them trouble even if they worked together.

"Oh yes, I can handle this," Sasuke stated with conviction and a bit of arrogance.

"Well, if you insist..." said Shino reluctantly, but was content with waiting on the sidelines to observe the battles and contribute when necessary.

"Let's show you my speed," the Uchiha stated, smirking all the while.

The two of them blurred into action, their limbs striking out in feints and counters as they tried to find openings in the others defences. Haku was a degree swifter as she locked her arms with the Uchiha.

She stared him down through her mask and sighed, "It doesn't matter, you will not keep up with me, especially once I have one of your arms occupied."

Haku started to move, her lone arm forming shapes as Sasuke widened his eyes in disbelief.

_One handed seals?!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Anko cursed at the ex-ANBU Mist nins who avoided her strikes and flung her hands in disgust.

_Ok, time for the big guns._

_Katon: Karryuendan! _

Dragons of fire rained upon them, manoeuvring in circles as they tried to hit their targets. The heat had the effect of clearing up some of the mist that had formed due to _Kirigakure no jutsu_. The missing nin's splintered off from their formations, hands blurring in seals as they faced the two kunoichi.

_Suiton: Suijinheki!_ (Water Encampment Wall)

Currents of water moved from the sea below to act as shields, creating more steam to the mist as Anko and Kurenai faced off against three masked nins who moved with the grace of front line ANBU operatives.

The lead nin held out his hands and made several fast gestures as they split off into three different directions.

Kurenai tightened her grip on her kunai, cursing the fact that she never got around to learning to use a more appropriate melee weapon despite Naruto's not so subtle nudges.

_Ok, that is right on the list if we can make it out of here alive._

She knew that with Anko they stood a good chance of wining and making it out of their predicament. But there were other considerations at stake. She could see that Hinata and Ino were facing down a force much larger than them. Despite the fact that they looked like untrained civilians, all it took was a lucky shot or blow to take out anyone. They had to finish this off to secure their flanks and get back to Zabuza.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at Tazuna's house, two figures approached the house with a bored look.

"So is this where the old bastard lives?"

"Yep, damn, that braggart Zabuza is sure taking his time. Fuck that, we will finish it now."

"Yeah, his reputation was so exaggerated. Who the hell needs shinobi anyway?"

**Flashback**

After another day of guard duty everyone sat down for dinner, a pleasant silence amongst them as the bridge was nearly complete. That was until Inari noticed something about Naruto's smile. It reminded him of something all too painful, which he couldn't help but feel angry over. He felt tears gathering in his eyes that steadily dropped onto the table.

"Why do you guys bother to try so hard?! No matter how hard that you try, you will still be no match for Gatou's men. No matter how much you claim that you will do your best, when facing the strong, the weak die," he shouted out.

"Oh trust me, we are not going to die," promised a confident Naruto.

"That is what they all say. Kaiza said that, he promised, and look what happened to him! He died, he left all of us... he lied to us!" cried out Inari.

"Whatever kid," said Naruto dismissively, "I am not like you-"

"We are not like you," interrupted Sasuke, surprising most of them by speaking out loud. He knew that he was a broody person, but this display from a child so young was annoying even to him.

Inari looked at the two of them before exploding, "I hate to be like you! You don't know anything about this country, yet you're being so nosy! What the hell do you know about me?! I'm different from you; you're always clowning around and acting so cheerful. You don't know how had life can be!"

Team Seven and Eight looked at each other, sincerely doubting that the Uchiha heir had ever clowned around ever in his life. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, before bursting out in laughter. And it wasn't a cheerful one, but a hard, cold thing that made their teammates concerned about their sanity. And disturbingly enough, it was the first sign of genuine connection that the two boys had ever experienced.

Naruto knew of the tragedy that had befallen the Uchiha, and he couldn't help but feel pity and sympathy towards them. He had tried to be friends with Sasuke because they were so damned alike at times. But that had failed when Sasuke was determined to play the martyr, trusting in only himself and his own powers. He refused to rely on anyone else, seeing them as a temporary crutch that he had to overcome if he ever wanted to be truly strong. Sasuke understood that something had happened to Naruto when he was younger that made him lose his family. He wasn't a Hyuuga, yet lived with them. It was a curiosity that he had dismissed as unimportant, yet at times he felt that there was a secret there that lay outside of his comprehension.

"You know nothing of pain, of sorrow," Sasuke whispered out.

"You think that you are so special? That you can pose as the star of a tragedy and cry all day long? Why are you so angry at Kaiza for? And do you really want for your grandfather to die? " Naruto asked dangerously.

The blond continued, "He didn't fail you, _you failed him_. He gave up everything to defend you people because you mattered to him. But when it came the time to repay the favour, what did you do? Did you fight, or did you stand back? Didn't he mean anything to you, anything at all?!"

"And you dare, _dare _show up to all of us and insult us and the favour that we are doing?! You – You – you hopeless fucking sissy! Live like this, the life of a coward. Hide you little shit, because you are good for nothing!" spat out the swordsman in disgust.

Naruto's eyes hardened into sapphires that bore into Inari's soul, "Bad people exist in this world because of people like _you_. You complain but do nothing. And when people try to make a difference, you shoot them down for trying. Pathetic," he sneered at the boy.

"Naruto! Stop that now!" commanded Kurenai, seeing how his words were cutting deep into Inari's psyche.

"Fine sensei. I will stop now," conceded the boy.

Inari ran away from the table, sobbing all the way. Tsunami shot Naruto an angry look before chasing after her son.

The genin sighed before leaning back, "My god, he annoys me."

"He annoys all of us, but why are you so offended by him?" asked Kurenai.

Naruto looked up at the ceiling, "... He is everything that I hate. I could have ended up like him. And it scares me," admitted the blond with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Then why don't you try to change him then?" suggested Ino.

Naruto gave them all a sad smile before shrugging, "Maybe I will. But why can't people change by themselves?" he asked plaintively.

Tsunami came back with a hard look on her face as she walked up to Naruto, "_Do not do that again. Ever_," she whispered out with barely restrained maternal anger.

Naruto nodded slightly, "Someone needs to do the hard thing and tell him that life is hard. That if you let it, it will kick you into the corner. The only thing that you can do is try. To fight back because no one else is going to do it for you. You might not want to be tough on him, but I can. But then again, I don't expect to be loved for it," he said cynically. He got up and left.

Her eyes softened at that, before sighing and shaking her head. She walked back to her seat and finished off her plate.

_Kami, who are you really Naruto-kun? _she thought sadly.

Later on Kurenai found the little boy staring at the ocean and sat next to him, "Naruto didn't mean any harm by what he said. Sometimes he gets a bit... emotional."

Inari stayed silent.

"We know about your dad. Like you, Naruto grew up without a father... Actually, he only had a mother, but she left him when he was young to fend for himself. In some ways, he has led a harder life than you. Sasuke as well."

Which was the reason why Naruto seemed to detest the boy. He had a great father figure that protected him, while he couldn't shake off the feeling and knowledge that Minato had planned for his death, intentional or not, and would be unrepentant over it. For Inari to spit on Kaiza's memory like that... and to passively prefer for them to suffer was an insult to Naruto. Especially when he had a nice mother such as Tsunami, who he hurt without being aware of it. He saw how hurt Tazuna was when he kept saying that they would fail. While he wasn't fond of the drunk, he felt that Inari's words were uncalled for.

"But, why, why is he so happy then?" cried out Inari.

Kurenai chuckled at that, "Believe me, Naruto has his moods. But he would rather try to change something than let it beat him. As long as we try, then that is all that we can do. He is sick and tired of crying, because it doesn't solve any problems at all. The question is, what kind of person do you want to be Inari?"

**End flashback**

"So, you're that bitch that Kaiza was fucking before we iced him. Not bad, he did quite well for himself. What do you say Waraji, shall we show her a good time before sending her off?"

"Why the hell not? It's not like anyone will know, or care. Man, she has curves in all the right places."

Tsunami struggled out of their grip, trying to run away.

Zouri backhanded her before stomping on her diaphragm.

"Good, now stay still," he ordered out with a leer.

Inari heard the shouts and came down to see his mother being held down by the two thugs.

"Mom? MOM!" he shouted out in shock.

Waraji drew his katana and dashed forward, grabbing the surprised boy and placed his blade across Inari's neck.

"Hah, well isn't this a surprise. Is your grandfather here?" he asked maliciously.

Inari refused to say anything, but couldn't move either. The feel of the cold steel had paralysed him.

The thug shrugged before dragging him out, "Hmm, you are coming with me. Keep an eye on her Zouri, I will be back."

He made a complete circuit before arriving back.

"No sign of any of them," he announced with frustration.

Unfortunately for the two of them, Naruto's kage bunshin were hidden and were positioning themselves to move. One of them dispelled itself in order to inform Naruto, but wasn't sure if he was in distance for the feedback to transmit.

"How about we play a game? Strip for us bitch," ordered Waraji with a lecherous smile.

"W-What?!" gasped out Tsunami in shock.

"You heard me, strip for us. Give us a show, or your son will lose a body part for every second that you don't lose a piece of clothing and dance for us," threatened Zouri, twirling his blade for emphasis.

"Please, no! Not in front of my son!"

They laughed sinisterly at her, enjoying the feeling of control that they had over her, "You heard us. What the hell are you waiting for? Your son's fingers?"

"Mom, no!" Inari rushed forward, only to be kicked into the corner by Zouri.

He looked up weakly, his mother fumbling with the ties of her clothing as she tried to shield herself from his eyes.

_Mom... I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm a weak kid so I can't protect you._ Inari held himself and started crying again.

_Live like a coward!_

_Crying like an actor in a tragedy!_

_Do nothing, stand back!_

_You fucking sissy!_

_He is sick and tired of crying._

_If you love something, then protect it with everything that you have got. Even if it costs you your life..._

_You useless fucking sissy!_

_SISSY!_

And then he realised what he needed to do. He loved his mom more than anything in the world, baring his grandfather. And he would not be that snivelling brat that cried to the gods anymore.

_No more. They are so cool, so incredible... _he thought, thinking of the Konoha nins.

_Will, will I also be able to become strong?_

"NO!" he screamed out, "Get away from my mom!" He got to his feet and rushed the two armed guards.

"Inari no!" shouted out Tsunami in horror.

Using the boy's foolhardy charge as a distraction, Naruto's bunshin made their move. With their kunai drawn , they made a surgical strike against Waraji and Zouri, blurring into action before they dropped to the floor, incapacitated and knocked out.

They looked at the surprised boy before smirking in unison, "Nice job Inari. Not bad at all. Next time don't get into a fistfight with a swordsman, unlike one kunoichi we know..." Naruto grumbled out, "but you showed guts kid. I am proud of you. Looks like you are not a sissy after all," he finished with a smirk.

Inari crossed his arms and pouted, "Hey!"

The blond's laughed before tying up the men and hauled them outside.

"Hmm... looks like Gatou is making his move," said a bunshin.

"What do we do?" asked another.

"Our orders remain. Take up new positions and keep a lookout. We will stay here until the boss comes back."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Shit, who the hell is he?!_ Thought Sasuke as he desperately dodged the ice attacks flung at him from multiple directions.

His initial cockiness was replaced with slight fear and respect when Haku showed him what she was capable of. He quickly activated his Sharingan in order to retain his edge. He had managed to trigger it just a few weeks before this mission under Kakashi's guidance. He was delighted that he had unlocked his bloodline, where his mother had smiled at him for weeks and gave him a fond look that made him feel incredibly happy.

But he was still oh so far away from _him_. His mother had the final stage of the Sharingan, but he only had one tomoe in each pupil. It gave him enhanced chakra perception and limited copy ability, which he was still working on. The precognition wasn't quite there yet.

But with it, he had reduced the speed advantage that the hunter-nin had possessed. They were fighting on relatively even ground. His attempts to copy Haku's attacks didn't work, which infuriated him for some reason.

The kunoichi was well versed in the types of _kekken genkai _in the Elemental Nations, especially as it formed part of her history. She knew that the Sharingan was a formidable weapon, but it was flawed in some areas. The early stages of the doujutsu were useful, but not spectacularly impressive. She had the speed, but he could detect her future movements. She had tested his reflexes and it seemed that he knew where she would be one tenth of a second before she moved.

That was remarkable by itself, but the Bingo Books had stated that a three tomoed Sharingan could make that into one thousandth of a second, besides giving the wielder the ability to see the probability of movement as defined by their chakra pathways.

And to be honest, his self confidence was starting to grate on the normally kind hearted kunoichi. He was outclassed by her yet still acted like he was the top dog. She formed more seals and concentrated on the puddles of water around her.

_Hyouton: Haryuu Mouko! _(Destruction Dragon Fierce Tiger)

A tiger made from ice appeared behind Sasuke, freezing the water around him to foul up his footing. He cursed and jumped into the air to avoid the beast but was not quick enough. The large mass and speed of the feline impacted onto his back, driving him into the ground as he fought desperately to get free.

_Oh well, time for me to show him reality._

Summoning more ice senbon she quickly entered into his guard. The Uchiha had tried to get away but it was no use. Despite his powers of prediction, it was useless if he couldn't react in time. And in close combat, Haku dominated the boy as she stabbed him in all the right areas to immobilise him.

_Fuck, my arms! My legs!_

He dropped to the floor to see Haku striking out to his neck. He could feel the cold shards of ice puncturing into his skin, bringing his face to kiss the concrete. He lay still, unable to move as a bizarre numbing sensation was sent down his spine to the rest of his body.

_No! I can't die here! Not now! Not here!_

Haku sighed before facing a twitching Shino, who held his hands out in front of him. Haku had taken down Sasuke so quickly that he had no time to assist the Uchiha. Despite the fact that raven haired genin was an insufferable bastard at times, they were still teammates and a Konoha shinobi. He wouldn't let his defeat be unanswered.

Calling his bugs out, he sent them into a swirling storm into the nin who looked on with surprise.

_Damn, an Aburame..._

She felt her chakra being absorbed by the insects, making her reach into a pouch for smoke pellets. She threw them onto the floor, watching them disperse and she _shunshin'd_ out of the way. The bugs tracked her down and she sent a large volley of ice needles towards them. It was marginally successfully, but it was like hitting a small target with a hammer. In fact it was hundreds and thousands of targets with multiple hammers when she needed a fly swatter.

Knowing that she had no choice anymore, she dashed towards Shino who positioned his bugs in a circle around him. Haku dove forward, taking the hit as she felt a quarter of her chakra being absorbed as she reached an incredulous Shino.

_Hyouton: Makyou Hyoushou! _(Demonic Ice Mirrors)

Without a moment to spare, she formed thick plate glass windows made from ice that surrounded the boy as Haku took her place in between them.

"I am sorry, but this is all over," she said regretfully.

The Aburame heir stayed silent and sent his bugs to destroy the mirrors by absorbing their chakra. Haku dove out of the way into another mirror and started firing into the trapped boy.

His bugs reacted, but couldn't prevent the speed and mass of the senbon from puncturing past them into their masters body. Shino knew that they were only capable of flesh wounds unless they targeted a specific point on the human body. And it wasn't with much surprise that he felt himself losing control of his body.

In desperation, he sent out all of his swarm to cover the battlefield and hopefully get himself out of the trap. Unfortunately, Haku sensed that and fired one needle that punctured into his neck and into his clavicle. The boy dropped to the floor, twitching slightly as Haku released her bloodline and observed the damage around her.

_Well, it could have been worse_, she thought wryly.

She heard clapping and turned to that direction. She saw Naruto hovering on his wings as he looked at her handiwork.

"Nice job on the Uchiha. It's a pity about Shino though. You are really fast with that, probably faster than me at short range. I – I am impressed Haku," said Naruto sincerely. Her _Makyou Hyoushou _was what he had always wanted his shadow step to be.

"Thank you. Shino did fight honourably, but aren't you concerned about your teammates?" said Haku.

"Yes, he is that. Well, you didn't kill them. I can see that they are just in suspended animation. That's a pretty tricky move that you have there. And Ino and Hinata will be just fine," Naruto noted absentmindedly, watching the fights progressing. "Why didn't you kill them? Not that I am not happy that they are alive and all that..."

Haku shrugged uneasily, "Becoming a true shinobi is difficult for me. If possible, I don't want to kill people younger than me. I didn't want them to kill me either. But I must warn you Naruto, if you come at me, I can destroy my kind heart with a blade and become a true shinobi," she promised.

Naruto found himself moved by that statement and nodded, "So Haku, what do we do now?"

"I guess we fight against each other," she responded reluctantly.

The blond sighed at the answer, "Are you sure? I don't think that you can win this one. Are you sure that you want to do this?

Haku nodded, "I will help Zabuza-sama achieve his dreams. Even if it means my death."

Naruto raised his eyes at that, touched by the deep loyalty that she had to the nukenin. He would have called it admirable if it wasn't so misplaced at times.

"I see. I'm sorry to say this Haku, but I have seen all your moves-"

"And so have I," she countered.

"- so this will be quite the battle. I cannot let you kill Tazuna or destroy the bridge. It means too much to these people, even if they don't really deserve it. So please, stand down," he asked sincerely.

Haku shook her head before getting into her fighting stance.

The jinchuuriki saluted her with his blades before blurring forward.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ino, how many shots do you have left?" panted out Hinata to her headset, right in the thick of things. While the Jyuuken was designed for one on one combat, the Byakugan meant that she could never be outflanked or taken by surprise in close quarter battle.

"Four," there was a detonation to the Hyuuga's left, "ok, make that three."

Quickly scanning her surroundings, she knew that she would be in trouble if they didn't get them to run. Most of them had initially scoffed at the sight of the diminutive unarmed girl standing in their way. That changed when she had managed to put five of them down, proceeding to peel away at their numbers like an orange skin.

"Fire – all – your –shots –into my right –then use some katon jutsu on my left –ok?" she ground out, her arms in perpetual motion as she danced amongst the mob.

"Got it," Ino fired all of her bolts in less than five seconds, sending ten men to their deaths as she gathered up chakra into her lungs and formed the appropriate seals. She gave Sakura a look before dashing forward to get into range. She approach Hinata's left side and completed the jutsu.

_Katon: Dai Endan!_

Fire burst forward from her mouth, a searing wave of heat that consumed men in their tracks. Those close to the blaze dropped their weapons as they grew heated beyond their capacity to grip. Ino drew her tanto and stood back to back with the Hyuuga heiress.

They had placed a large dent on the forces, but that wasn't enough to stop them just yet.

"Fuck it, go around them and kill those builders!" shouted out the leader.

_Ah nuts._

They split forward into wings and the two kunoichi gritted their teeth and tried to prevent them from passing. However, a few of them managed to get through, making Ino scream out in frustration.

"Forehead girl, some of them got through, take 'em down!" she barked out.

Sakura saw the sight of them heading towards her, weapons drawn and she held her kunai defensively.

_Crap, crap, Sasuke-kun! Kakashi-sensei! Shino-san! Anyone?!_

Realising that it was up to her, that she was the last line of defence for the unarmed engineers, she took a deep breath and fell in to the mantra she had developed during the Academy.

_Aim for the centre of mass, then release._

She automatically drew shuriken, imagined her targets as training dolls and let loose. She sent the spinning metal stars in fast, controlled bursts that found their targets. Unfortunately, they didn't kill their targets immediately. Most of them only managed to penetrate a few inches into non vital areas. She got lucky when she nicked two in the neck, but five men had made it close to her and she gulped at the sight.

Ino saw them and cursed out loud, "Dammit forehead girl! Don't you dare freeze up on me now! Take 'em down!"

"Sakura-san, you have no choice, do it, do it now!" pleaded out Hinata in desperation.

Sakura took a deep breath and dashed forward, summoning some bunshin to confuse the enemy in a frontal charge. There was an uncertain look in her eyes that hardened into disbelief when she had shoved her blade into a man's kidneys, feeling the blood gush onto her hands as she pulled it out, but moved on before she got hurt.

Things became blurry after that, but she was soon joined by Hinata and Ino who cleaned up the rest of the mob. They were all bleeding from their arms and legs, drawn up in a circle as they looked for new targets.

"H- H- H- Hinata, anyone else?" breathed out Ino, puffing out the words in laboured manner.

"N- N- No. It –it –seems clear," she said, weakening in her knees as she felt herself being exhausted from chakra usage.

Around them, the civilians looked at the girls in awe and fear.

_Kami, who are these children? No, they aren't kids. Not anymore...  
_

"Let's get them to safety."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Haku crumpled as she barely dodged Naruto's blades. She could tell that they boy was going easy on her,trying to find a way to take her out easily without causing too much damage.

She cursed at the bad match up that she found herself in. His wings took care of any senbon that she could throw at him, while his blades and long range attack made her keep her distance so that her _kekken genkai_ was not useful against him.

_Hyouton: Sensatsu Suishou!_ (Death by a Thousand Flying Water Needles)

Slivers of ice appeared around Naruto and converged into his centre. The boy spun around, his blades engaged in an intricate sword dance along with his wings to create the ultimate defence, equivalent to the Hyuuga's _Kaiten_ manoeuvre.

"Not good enough Haku, give it up!" shouted the blond in irritation.

She had successfully trapped him into her ice mirrors, but his reiatsu attack had easily cleaved into the chakra constructs like they were nothing. Her manipulation of ice got inspired as she flung spire after spire at him. She tried to freeze the ground to hinder his footing, but Naruto just started flying. In hand to hand battle, she wasn't a match for his strength or his technique as his blades were swung at her, making every parry a desperate gamble as she tried to dodge. Her speed was the only thing that was keeping her in the game, despite the fact that Naruto seemed to be in two places at the same time. His use of kage bunshin didn't help, especially when he mixed up his _doppelgangers _with explosive clones that detonated when she destroyed them. Her clothing was left in tatters as she tried to get her breathing and devise new tactics to defeat the blond.

Deep down, Naruto wanted to find a way to end the battle. He was running low on reiatsu as he had just flown a return trip and used quite a bit of his spiritual energy in clearing out Gatou's hideout. His chakra levels were still at an all time high, but he didn't want to use any of it in the presence of Kakashi and the other Konoha nins. He had revealed more than enough already.

"Haku, it's over. Don't make me do this anymore!" he shouted to her.

**Flashback**

She was all alone again, sitting next to the wall looking at the man stare down at her.

"What an unfortunate child. A brat like you is not wanted by anyone... You will die with neither freedom nor dreams..."

He looked at her closely before widening his eyes slightly.

_But why does a six year old child have the same eyes as me...?_

**End flashback**

"No, this is the bridge where we fight to determine our dreams," declared Haku with a grimace.

"Dreams?" asked Naruto quizzically.

She remained silent, trying to plan something so that she could get back to her master's side.

"Why are you with him?! Why! He is nothing more than a killer," demanded Naruto.

"No, he isn't,' she said softly, "he has a heart that only I can see. Please don't hate me Naruto, I want to protect someone precious to me. To work for that person. To fight for that person. To make that person's dreams come true. That is my goal. And for that to happen, I cannot let you win."

_You noble idiot. You poor, poor, noble idiot... but why can't I help but admire you?_

_I guess I have to finish this quickly enough. _

Haku continued, "Do you understand the agony of living? Of just existing, not having a dream, not being needed by anyone?"

Naruto was brought back to the moments when he was completely and utterly alone when his mother left him. His fists tightened in remembrance and nodded, "What are you trying to say?"

Haku saw that the boy was telling the truth, that he had suffered in the same way that she had, "Zabuza has no need for a weak shinobi. If I cannot stop you, then you have taken away my reason for living," she explained.

The jinchuuriki scoffed at that, "Oh come on! Don't give me that bullshit! There are plenty of reasons to live. Being a weapon shouldn't be one of them! You are a human being, don't you realise that?!" screamed out Naruto, his frustration with Haku reaching near breaking points.

"You don't understand," she said softly.

The blond persisted, "Then explain it to me! He is a bad person who would kill civilians, and for what?! Money?! Is that eye-browless freak the only person important to you?!"

The kunoichi stayed silent before answering, "You know, I once had people important to me..."

A faraway look developed in her eyes as she started her explanation, "Six years ago it had happened. I had parents back them. I was born in a small village in the country of mist. I was happy, my parents were very kind people. And then, the madness started."

Naruto raised his eyebrows before asking, "What happened?"

"My father killed my mother and then he tried to kill me..."

**Flashback**

"You, you lied to me!" screamed out her father, a mute Haku watching in the distance, her legs brought up to her chest as she saw her parents fighting again.

"No, I didn't! How can you say that!" pleaded her mother, her eyes looking over to Haku as she tried to diffuse his anger.

"How could you do this to us! Why?!" he demanded in a rage.

"I did nothing, nothing at all! I didn't kill anyone close to you, I never killed anyone at all! We are innocent!"

"No, you are not, not innocent at all. You – you must die!" he spat out, a cleaver in his hands as he approached her.

"Honey, please, put the knife away. I – I love you! Please, please don't do this! Not in front of our daughter!" she screamed desperately.

"I – forgive me. I love you as well, but I can't let you live. Not when you cause all this damage around us. It – it is my civic duty, no matter how hard it hurts," he cried out, madness in his eyes as he refused to let guilt overwhelm him.

"Tou-san? Kaa-san?" whispered out Haku as she couldn't comprehend the sight in front of her.

"Please, this is madness, don't do this," pleaded her mother for one last time, tears in her eyes.

"Forgive me... I am so sorry."

"Kaa-san!" shouted out the little girl in disbelief as he mother crumpled to the floor, disbelief on her face as she felt her world shatter around her.

Haku just stared in horror at the bloody cleaver in her father's hand and the manic and insane look on his face as he approached her.

"Tousan, please. Haku will be a good girl. I won't be naughty. Please don't hurt me," she said with a broken tone.

"I am sorry Haku-chan, but this is something that I must do. Kami..." he said, fighting the tears coming from his eyes as he contemplated the murder of his entire family.

"Tou-san!!"

She closed her eyes and held her hands out in front of her. Her father screamed and there was silence. Haku slowly opened her eyes and saw to her horror that he was on the floor, impaled beyond recognition by senbon.

"Tou-san, tou-san? Please get up, I am sorry, please don't leave me alone! Please, I didn't mean to hurt you!"

**End flashback**

"The purges had begun in the earnest, with anyone with the slightest background of a _kekken genkai_. Kiri always had endless civil wars, and those with "advanced blood" came to be hated," she said hollowly.

"Because of these abilities, clans with special bloodlines were used as weapons in so many battles. And as a result, we were blamed for the war and misfortune that came to Mist."

She shook her head as she laughed sadly, "After the wars, clans had to hide the truth about themselves. And when it was discovered, death was usually what came afterwards. "

"And after I did it... I realised something. That ... that in this world, I was a person that was unwanted by _everybody_," she remembered with a broken look.

Naruto's heart clenched at that. He was brought back to images of Kushina leaving him, the lie on her tongue as she said that she would be coming back. Suffice to say, he was left hanging.

Haku faced the blond and gave him a forlorn smile, "Naruto, if someone close to you died, what would you do? Zabuza took me in knowing that I was a person of an advanced bloodline. Everyone hated it, but he wanted it."

The boy burst out, "He wanted you as a weapon, not as a person. Why can't you see that?!"

The kunoichi nodded at that, "Oh, I can. But ... he was the first person to care. To show me something besides hate, greed and fear. I was so happy!" she chuckled pathetically.

**Flashback**

"Haku, we are leaving Mist, but one day we will return. But what I need is not consolation or encouragement. What I really need is –"

Haku interrupted and nodded, "I know, please don't worry. I am Zabuza-san's weapon. Please keep me by your side as your tool. Please don't leave me behind. Haku will be a good boy."

**End flashback**

"Kami, if you can't see that he was just using you all along, taking advantage of you a kid, dammit Haku, are you that stupid?!" shouted out Naruto in outrage.

He then saw Haku running towards Kakashi, a lightning glow around his hands as he charged at a trapped Zabuza.

_Ah fuck._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The nukenins to the south looked incredulously at the two females in front of them, fighting seamlessly as one as they were slowly gaining the upper hand on them.

_ No matter, our job isn't to kill them. As long as the engineers are dead, that is the mission._

_Senaijashu_! (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)

Serpents blazed forward from Anko's trenchcoat and managed to incapacitate one of the nins who limped away, cursing at the kunoichi as he desperately swerved to avoid kunai and shuriken from her deadly aim. The Snake Mistress's hand eye coordination was among the best in Konoha, where she was able to instinctively triangulate trajectories and adjust for windage and distance in mere seconds.

The tokubetsu jounin rushed forward again, her long legs kicking out in a combination of attacks that characterised her fighting style. She was never still or stationary as she aimed for the joints, trying to limit the mobility of her opponent so she could finish them off.

Kurenai fought alongside her, using genjutsu to blur her features into her opponents to sow mass confusion amongst their ranks. Normally _henge _could not be maintained while fighting, as the chakra control and concentration necessary was disrupted when using other chakra techniques. But thanks to her work with Hinata, she had developed and practised it for years to let her get to the stage where she could seamlessly illusion and disillusion herself as she saw fit.

The rolling bank of mist aided her at times as she melded into the currents that wafted along. She was proving to be a tricky enemy that fought like a guerilla, hiding her presence before striking out. She had killed countless mizu bunshin, but that didn't matter to her. She had seen how Naruto fought normally and had spent time deconstructing it. The presence of the clones meant that the prime was close enough, allowing her to map out the rough positions of where the enemies were.

"Anko! Hit them at five o'clock!" she hissed over her headset.

"Wilco!"

Gathering up chakra into her lungs, she prepared one of the more destructive katon jutsus that she had developed herself. There was a reason why Orochimaru had chosen her for his apprentice. And it wasn't because she was a cute kid, though it did help a bit.

_Katon: Ryouna Oobare!_ (Rampage of Flames)

From her mouth came out seven streams of fire that lanced forward, twisting together as they formed a lion that roared loudly. It landed on the ground and leaped forward, seeking out the nukenin through their chakra signatures.

They swore and created more water clones in an effort to distract the construct. To the lion's senses, the battlefield was now a chakra rich environment.

"… Fuckmuffins!," cursed Anko as she made a mental note to refine that jutsu when she had more time.

_Maybe I can get Naruto to help me_, she mused.

The lion reached the geometric centre of the ex ANBU before leaping up in the air. It detonated in a fiery blast, sending embers the size of dinner plates in all directions. They homed in on certain targets as the mass destruction jutsu worked its magic.

Kurenia rolled her eyes at the display, jealous that Anko had a large chakra capacity that allowed her to engage in such showy manoeuvres.

The nukenins fell back, certain that the mob to their left would get the job done. They had distracted them for long enough. When they reached a safe distance, they saw the shattered remains of the militia, defeated by three teenage girls.

_Man, girl power is underrated these days._

The two kunoichi grinned at each other before making their way to their subordinates. They were surprised and somewhat pleased at how well they had held up. Their assistance wasn't even necessary as they defended the builders from the rampaging mob.

"Get these people back to town and we will help Kakashi ok?"

The girls nodded before moving off. Anko went with them just in case the nukenins decided to ambush them and Kurenai decided to stay behind just in case they tried to take the remainder of Team Seven from the rear.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi decided to go all out when he engaged Zabuza, knowing that time was of the essence. His spiralling Sharingan had tried to copy all the movements and jutsu that the nukenin had used, but he still couldn't get a good sighting because of the mist jutsu.

It was a good thing that Zabuza had written the counter-Sharingan tactics back when he was part of the Kirigakure ANBU so that he felt no fear that usually accompanied a battle with a Uchiha.

_Hell, he only has one eye anyway. _

Zabuza looked focused on the space above the chin bone, diving forward with a kunai to test Kakashi's speed and reflexes.

"Aren't you afraid of the Sharingan Zabuza? You should, you know," whispered out Kakashi as he looked for an opening.

The nukenin scoffed at that, "Hah, a shinobi's supreme technique is not something that should be shown over and over to an opponent. It should also be a secret as well. But no, you doujutsu users just have to show it off at every opportunity. Exhibitionists... " he spat out contemptuously.

Kakashi smiled at that, "You should be honoured to see it at all," he countered.

The nukenin shook his head, "Eh, it's nothing special. But do you think that things are turning out well for you? Your girls to the south, your boys to the north. Me and you here. Your kunoichi to the south east. My men are well trained, especially Haku with the bloodline within her. All high quality tools unlike that trash you have around you," he mocked.

The jounin tensed at that, fixing a hard look on him, "There's nothing as boring as a man's bragging... Let's get his started!"

"Bring it!"

The mist thickened to the extent that visibility was diminished all around them. Zabuza moved like a ghost with his eyes closed. He had memorised the battlefield during the last few weeks, even building a mock up for the assault that he had planed today.

He started to whisper to Kakashi, a deadly sound that came from every direction at once, "Your Sharingan is overrated. You act like you know everything, but you can't. At its basic level, it is a trick of hypnotism and attention to detail. By using it together, you make enemies afraid and careless, along as copying the jutsu with eidetic memory. So your future seeing is a myth."

_Not quite._

The ex-Swordsman continued, "You will try to confuse me, with hypnotic suggestions, making it a game tilted in your favour. But I am not going to play by your rules."

A multitude of attacks came at Kakashi, who managed to block them all and barely parried a full strike of a zanbatou as it converged upon his head.

"You can't see anything either?!" he shouted out, eyes glaring at the shinobi.

Zabuza chuckled, "I don't need to see you Kakashi."

More blows followed, making him bleed from wounds that he barely managed to dodge in time. He knew that kunai were no match against the zanbatou, even if he enhanced the hardness of the steel with chakra.

_Ok, time for plan B._

He allowed himself be nicked by the massive zanbatou that was swung at him, intending to finish off the battle in two more moves.

_Just a little bit more... now!_

He popped out a scroll, smeared blood over his fingertips and primed the summoning in his hands.

_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no jutsu_ (Summoning technique: Earth Release, Tracking Fang technique)

The smoke cleared and his personal dogs sought out the scent of Zabuza, using Kakashi's split blood on his weapons as a marker. They erupted from the earth and dogpiled the nukenin.

"What the hell?!" snarled out the ex Swordsman.

"Sorry, but this ends here," stated the jounin with certainty.

Zabuza spat at that, "Don't be so sure about that Copy Nin. Do you feel a bit weak by any chance?"

And suddenly Kakashi felt a wave hit him, bringing him to his knees as he vomited out his breakfast. He looked up to see Zabuza's grinning face. He had managed to free an arm and tried to kill the canines latched on his body. He couldn't get a decent angle, but could use the sheer width of his blade to fend off any projectile weapons that Kakashi could have thrown at him.

_Just a few more moments you monkey bastard! _He thought with satisfaction.

Knowing that he needed to end this battle quickly and get some medical assistance, he used his only original jutsu in order to defeat the hunk of steel acting like a shield. He could have flanked Zabuza, but he wanted the satisfaction of seeing the nukenin die head on, face to face.

_Raikiri!_

Chakra coalesced onto his hands, visible to the eye as it sent lambent swirls of energy up and down his arm. There was a high pitched noise emanating from his fists as he looked at Zabuza with grim satisfaction.

"Your ambition was too great. You abandoned your country and became a missing nin. Your story reached every other village, as well as your failed assassination. So you went into hiding, doing anything for money, serving bastards such as Gatou. This ends now," promised the silver haired nin.

_Ok, this could be bad. Electricity and steel are not good combinations_, thought Zabuza nervously.

Kakashi continued, "Hope is a wonderful thing, which you are trying to kill. Courage is in such short supply these days, I will not let you destroy it. You will sacrifice too much for your ambition."

Zabuza snarled at Kakashi, "You have no idea why I do what I do. I fight for what I believe in, that will never change! I will suffer any dishonour to bring back Kiri to its proper way! I may damn my soul to hell, but I will not stop now!

The Copy Nin dashed forward, intent on shoving his fist through the nukenin's heart before he saw Haku move to take the killing blow. She threw senbon to destroy the summoning scroll and bared her throat to Kakashi. What was worse was when he saw Naruto come up right behind her and pushed her out of the way. Kakashi found himself unable to stop his forward momentum as he desperately tried to shift the target to hit the immobilised Zabuza. He tried to cancel the chakra flow to stop the attack, but he was too late.

By this time the rest of the Konoha nins had finished off their battles and were regathering to the centre to help finish off what the Kirigakure nin had started. They didn't expect to see Naruto impaled upon Kakashi's fist.

Anko and Kurenai look on in shock, as well as the rest of the Team. Kakashi was horrified that he nearly killed the blond, who could now add the feeling of having someone's arm shoved into his body on his list of accomplishments.

"Oh, hell no. KA-KA-SHI!_ What the fuck!?_" shouted out Anko in outrage.

Kurenai was caught with her mouth wide open, her beloved student impaled upon the Copy Nin's signature technique, "That did not just happen," she whispered.

Hinata felt a bloodlust unlike anything she had ever experienced before come over her, the desperate need to do some grievous bodily harm to the jounin overwhelming her.

_Urge ,to, kill, Kakashi, rising!_

Ino blinked, rubbed her eyes and was tempted to point her crossbow in that direction as well.

Sakura was shocked to see the incident of friendly fire, which made her desperately afraid. She eyed her two companions and gulped.

_Crap, he is my sensei!_

"Well, this is weird, and awkward, but works in my favour. Thanks kid," grinned Zabuza as he was freed. The dogs disappeared back into their realm as he prepared his zanbatou.

The silver haired jounin just looked in guilt at nearly killing Minato's legacy.

_Oh fuck... just... fuck._

The _Raikiri_ penetrated into his pectorals, piercing into his muscle and cleaving through his rib cage. Electrical shocks had disrupted most of his nerve endings, making Naruto grimace and transformed his face into a grotesque mask. But luckily, prolonged exposure to Yugito had made him somewhat resistant to raiton jutsu. His wings had managed to shield the blow, the wind element counteracting the lightening. It still meant that he had an entire arm into his shoulder, a bizarre sensation that he never wished to experience again.

"Hatake," he spat out, "... _Oww_."

His eyes were wide and remorseful, the guilt nearly overwhelming.

Zabuza laughed at the sight, "Thanks kid, I will be sure to give you a nice tombstone."

Naruto just twitched and bitchslapped him with the other wing before jumping up and giving him an axe kick to the shoulder. Kakashi's hand was still lodged into his shoulder so he wrenched it out. The wound wouldn't close normally and Kyuu was working desperately to seal the gaping hole. Thankfully, the current had produced enough heat to partially cauterise the wound.

_**Oh, you are going to get it you son of a bitch,**_ she swore darkly.

Kakashi felt the rage and anger of the people around him and wondered why his vision was darkening.

_Oh right, the poison._

Zabuza looked up to receive a knee to the face, breaking his nose. Naruto gave him a shallow wound across the chest, before aiming for the floating ribs. The nukenin groaned at the wounds before taking another kick to his nose, launching him up slightly.

"Eat this!" the blond shouted, cockpunching him for good measure.

_Oh kami, getting manhandled by a child. Again. This is embarrassing..._

Naruto fell to the floor, one of his swords supporting his weight as he felt the bleeding stop and his muscles rebuilding.

_I love you, you know that Kyuu?_

_**Of course, one day everyone will have a plush kitsune doll with nine tails. I am that fucking awesome. **_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zabuza took his blade and stared at Naruto with annoyance as he felt bruises develop in places he wanted to be left untouched. Haku lay dazed a fair distance away from the two of them, with Naruto panting and gazing to the north to see what was happening.

"Have I mentioned how motherfucking sick I am of your motherfucking healing?" asked Zabuza with a weak laugh.

The boy nodded, waiting for his shoulder to close up, "Just once, but I'm sure I'll get that a lot later on."

Ino, Sakura and Hinata started rushing to his location, along with Anko and Kurenai who stared at Naruto with concern. All of them were moving towards him, but were on the lookout for the nukenin that had retreated into the distance. A future ambush wasn't that unlikely.

"You are a dick, you know that?" gasped out Naruto to the downed nukenin.

Zabuza laughed feebly at that, "People have called me that, yes."

"You don't deserve Haku, no matter what you have done for her."

The Devil opened his eyes in surprise, "Her?!"

Naruto sweatdropped, "Oh, come on! Don't tell me that you didn't notice!?"

The shinobi shook his head in disbelief, "... No way. I am sure I would have noticed if she was female!"

The jinchuuriki could feel a sweatdrop develop on the back of his neck, "Oh come on, look at that face! Look at it! How pretty can a boy get?!"

Zabuza had to concede the point and nodded slowly, "Alright, true enough... But why did she always insist that she was one..." he asked with confusion.

Naruto shrugged at that, "That doesn't matter. You see, I have a bit of a problem now."

"Yeah?"

"I would love to kill you, but that would make Haku sad. And possibly make her come after me seriously. On the other hand... you are a dick. So, I am kinda stuck on what to do," he finished with a huff.

That left the nukenin lost for words, "Well... errr... can't help you there. Why don't you just run away with your pretty sensei? I mean, what do you owe this town in the first place anyway?"

Naruto grimaced at that, "Not much I guess. But I know what it was like to be helpless, so I am making my stand right here. You really should treat Haku better, considering that she was willing to give her life for you."

Zabuza rolled his eyes as he struggled to get on his feet, "She is just a tool, why the hell would I –"

He didn't get a chance to finish as he was kicked in the crotch again by Naruto.

_Oww... not again! My penis... my poor, poor penis! I had plans for you this evening as well! _he lamented sadly.

"Wrong answer," he growled out, "I mean honestly. What the fuck? She gives everything to you; everything and you still treat her like trash. What the hell were you fighting for in the first place, going after the Mizukage?"

_I fought to correct everything, so that ninja could have pride in what they do. Not lead a nation of beasts and wolves that tear apart their own in their fear and ignorance._

_Tear apart their own._

_Tear apart their own._

His own words struck him with a clarity that he never before realised. He was fighting his war not for himself. It was rarely ever about him. If he was fighting and using people like mere tools, he would just be part of the problem started in the first place. By objectifying people into uses and purposes, he had denied them the unique identity that all humans possessed. But by ignoring that, he made it easier for himself to treat Haku like a disposable commodity.

Wasn't that what he was fighting against?

Tears gathered into his eyes as he looked at the boy with a new found respect.

"She was just a tool, something that I could use… Nothing more than that. I saved her life, she owed me everything," he said, trying to convince himself of that fact.

Naruto gave a bitter laugh at that, "People are not just tools. We are all special in our own way. The day you start thinking of people as nothing more than that, then you become a real monster," he then faced him and asked him point blank, "Do you really feel nothing for her?"

Zabuza went blank, "… We are shinobi kid, tools, nothing more. What I wanted was her blood, nothing more…"

The blond sighed at that, "She loves you, you know that? You don't deserve her, but she loves you. She would have given it all up for you, but, but I guess that doesn't matter to you. Kami, I hope I never end up like you."

Zabuza was silent as he digested his words.

"She would have given her life for you… she deserved so much more than that. Living without a dream to call her own, to die as a tool… is there anything sadder than that?"

The nukenin looked at the boy in a new light, "You may be onto something there kid. You may be onto something… Haku, Haku was always too kind to do what I asked her to do. She fought, she fought for me. And for you in a way too."

Naruto stayed silent, watching the older man struggle with his emotions.

The nukenin looked up at the sky and grimaced, "A shinobi is still human, we are not just tools. We are not leashed animals to be replaced when they have no more use. When, when did I forget that all?"

He had killed his teammates because he made himself into a blade with no mercy or pity in his heart. He had served for years before realising that was what he had ended up fighting against. He would have used the same methods to bring down the Mizukage…

And he knew that he was following the same path that he was struggling against. That he would have ended up like the thing he was trying to replace.

_Kami…_

He was assaulted by visions of all the acts he had committed. Hiro's disbelief, the screams of the Kaguya, the curses of the clans that perished under his direction. Their eyes stared at him with no pity, accusing him of gross hypocrisy as he strugged to clear his mind of those haunting images.

And for the first time, tears began to flow freely.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The mist cleared and they were aware of a new party that had entered into the scene. It was Gatou and another group of his men approaching from the north.

"Well well well. What do you we have here? Kami, can't you do anything properly? You let a boy kick your ass?" asked the disdainful businessmen.

Zabuza scowled at the man, "What the fuck do you want you little prick? And what is with all these men?"

"Oh, they are here to finish the job that you couldn't do. Honestly, you call yourself a shinobi? Or a former shinobi? Pathetic. At least I won't have to pay you. Or her... I never really planned to pay you the money in the first place," he said with a shrug.

He prodded at Haku, who lay there feeling the pain of having multiple broken ribs and a concussion as she had hit the concrete heavily.

He then viciously kicked her until she was gasping for air, "So this is the bitch that thought she could lay her hands on me? She is quite... tasty. I'm sure me and my men will love to have a taste of such beauty, isn't that right boys?"

"Oh yes," one of them smiled lecherously at Haku's fallen figure.

Naruto and Zabuza both got up, swords drawn as they stared down the man.

Naruto whispered to the other man, "Come on, you're the expert in silent killing, can't you get him without any notice?"

"Kid, I'm _silent_. That means slow and steady, not fast," Zabuza ground out, glaring at the portly suited man with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Well, aren't you fucking useless," Naruto snarled out.

Zabuza's tightened his grip on the zanbatou, "Oh shut up, got any ideas?"

The blond loosened his arms before nodding, "Just one."

Naruto drew upon his reiatsu, focused on the void once more, but instead of his legs, he gave it to his wings. They enveloped his elemental constructs, imbuing it with energy and purpose.

_Go!!_

He sped forward, going at speeds that were unreachable to him before. His muscles felt gravitational force acting upon them, muscles protesting at the sudden, unbearable acceleration as it caused them to cramp up and spasm. Ignoring the physical discomfort, Naruto pressed on forward. He fed more and more reiatsu as everything slowed down to him, until all he could see was Haku pinned under Gatou's foot, a kunai lodged into her shoulder as she gasped in agony.

_Faster!_

Zabuza didn't dare to blink as he felt the blond's absence, rather than see it. The sudden displacement was only then noticeable when his after image dissipated. Once again the wily assassin wondered at how Naruto could do such things without even giving off a chakra flare.

Gatou licked his lips at the sight of the fallen kunoichi in front of him. He grew excited at the thought of dominating the once strong female beneath him, before using her like a toy. He vividly remembered when she had dared presumed to assault him. He wouldn't let such an insult remain unanswered. He would enjoy watching the defiance and independence be beaten out of her. He had done it once and he would do it again, just another victim in the long line of atrocities he had committed. And once he had tired of her, she would make a valuable gift to his subordinates.

_Hell, it may be enough so I don't need to pay them_, he thought sadistically.

Haku prayed for someone to save her.

Luckily the kami were smiling upon her that day.

In under a second Naruto reached her and lashed out, catching the shipping magnate in the solar plexus. The blow knocked the breath out of him and propelled him into his guards, who caught him before trying to see what had happened.

Naruto grabbed Haku and sped back. The sudden acceleration and deceleration made her sick, her injured body unable to take the additional strain and she passed out. Naruto wasn't much better, as the rapid movements had given him a throbbing headache and bizarre sense of discoordination. He fought the urge to retch and glared at the mercenaries in front of him.

Gatou wheezed and coughed, before getting to his feet and snarled at them, "Get them! Kill them all. And I will give ten thousand dollars for that blond bastard's head!"

His henchmen grinned, "You're the boss," they acknowledged with an avaricious smile.

Kakashi felt weakened, cursing the poison that Zabuza had used on his blade. He felt his vision blur slightly and formed some kage bunshin to form a protective circle over them.

"Well, looks like I'm worth more than you," Naruto commented absentmindedly.

That was an oddly insulting thought to the nukenin, "He is just mentally disturbed at the moment, once he gets his wits together, he will offer an even bigger bounty on my head," he said confidently.

"Kakashi-sensei, look after Haku for us will you?" Naruto asked with detachment, counting the wave of humanity coming towards them.

In response the silver haired jounin fell to the floor as he lost consciousness.

"Well, that's just bloody great. Sensei, do you mind?" he shouted to Kurenai over the intervening distance.

Kurenai nodded before focusing her attention onto the crowd. She was sure that with Anko and Zabuza, they would be able to battle them with success. She was about to say something when she felt a bizarre energy spike around Naruto.

_**Kill them all kit, not one left standing.**_

The blond hesitated at that.

_**Do not let your emotions come into this. You all saw how they looked at Haku. They are merely animals with no sense of honour. I mean, who the hell just kills for money alone? What kind of dogs are they really, those that would sell their souls for money?**_

_How are shinobi any different?_

Kyuu shrugged, _**There isn't much separating you and them. But you kit, you are different. Your nindo separates them from who you are. You are someone that fights for those who you care about. Money be damned. Show them how wrong they are.**_

And Naruto felt it, a bloodlust that quickly overwhelmed him. In each of their faces he saw madness, corruption and sin. And he wanted to purge them all, to show them the folly of their path by his blades.

"So Zabuza, how many do you think there are?" he asked excitedly.

Raising his eyebrow at his tone, he shrugged at the incoming wave and readied his zanbatou, "Well, fifty or sixty, give or take. What's wrong, getting scared you pussy?" he asked with a smirk.

Naruto scoffed at that, "Hell no, how about first to twenty six wins?"

Zabuza scoffed and gave an amused laugh, "You're on brat."

"Ok, so what the hell are you waiting for, speaking to my after image?"

Cursing, the _Akuma no Kirigakure_ gave a loud warcry and pushed himself into the mass, swinging his massive blade like a baseball bat around him. Anyone unlucky enough to be caught was cleaved into pieces. Anyone stupid enough to block the blade had their weapons shorn into parts, along with themselves. And he continued to do so, waving the zanbatou like a maniac, drenching the sky with blood, appendages and body parts. They had decided to charge at him in a bunched group and were going to pay for their folly.

The rest of the Konoha shinobi ran to the scene but hesitated on interfering as it was clear that extermination was on the menu. And both Kurenai and Anko wanted to see for themselves what Naruto was truly capable of. Their conversation a few days ago didn't clear up the confusion; it merely added to it. So they stood back and watched the skies rain blood.

Naruto used his swords in a flurry of strikes, his Dance never wavering as he gently cut away tendons and ligaments, forcing them to drop their weapons. Despite his anger at their willingness to rape Haku, he wanted to give them a chance to redeem themselves. Sadly for them, many of them drew their knives in an attempt to stab him in the back. But the jinchuuriki's sentient wings defended him, ripping off their arms and heads as soon as they turned on him. The cycle continued, on and on before Naruto gave up and striked to kill.

_No more chances, you deserve everything that's coming to you._

And blood littered the sky, the two figures methodically working their way through the militia, who held strongly at the initial contact, but were now wavering when the true cost of their engagement was being made clear. Morale was shaken as the two lone figures were decimating their ranks.

"Fifteen!" Bellowed out the nukenin, digging his blade into someone's torso before twisting and ripping it out, leaving a screaming man on the floor, his organs clearly visible as he squealed for a medic.

"Eighteen!" shot back Naruto, his shido cleanly going across a combatant's throat, who gurgled and desperately tried to staunch the wound over his jugular vein. He fell down, a comrade wrapping a linen cloth over the cut but to no avail. His companion shouted out in anger, screaming vengeance before finding himself impaled onto the blond's zanpukuto after his strikes were contemptuously avoided and countered.

The tide had turned, with true fear wracking the hearts of the thugs. They were not professional soldiers who had iron discipline hammered into them since induction. They were craven killers, opportunists who found themselves dispossessed and given a chance to terrorise civilians for profit. The civil war had spread from Kirigakure all the way into Wave, creating mobs of these soulless creatures who had long abandoned their conscience.

And Naruto saw how black some of their souls were and he was determined to judge them all on this day. The mercy inherent in his heart hardened as he moved in a blur and limbs were flying in the air; curses, moans and shrieks formed an incoherent wail in the background as they begged for mercy.

"Where was the mercy that you would have shown Haku?!" Naruto snarled, ducking low and swinging at the kneecaps, taking their legs from underneath them, "Why do you expect mercy when you would have given none?! Tell me that?!"

Zabuza laughed at the pathetic efforts against him, "Yes, come on then, take me! You think that you are hot shit, taking on weakened enemies?! Show me your strength! You want to kill me, now pay the butcher's bill!"

"Twenty two!"

"Twenty five!"

"Twenty eight!"

"Thirty two!"

The remainder threw down their arms and ran, a rout in the making, but Zabuza refused to let them go. Naruto was slowly coming to grips with what he had done, the bloodlust slowly lifting, the crimson haze that had influenced his actions dissipating.

"No!! Please, kami, help us!" they screamed to the Konoha nins, who just stood back and watched in fear, surprise or satisfaction.

It wasn't forthcoming as the Demon from the Hidden Mist continued his slaughter, his anger at being betrayed and having his surrogate daughter defiled by their hands transforming into pure hatred. He had rarely ever killed because of his emotions. He had killed on orders, on instructions, upon principle at times. But he had rarely taken a kill because he personally demanded it. The Mizukage was the first to inspire such feelings. But after realising what Haku had meant to him, something more than a weapon that he had moulded for his convenience, those seemingly foreign emotions came back into force.

"Thirty seven!" he said with satisfaction as the last corpse fell to the floor. He turned around and stared at the only man left alive. Gatou was on his knees, trying to comprehend how his entire force was decimated in under a minute by two men. Hell, one was just a fucking boy, but that didn't matter.

He lost his stomach as the stench of bile, vitae and faeces hit him full on. Bodies had lost control of their bowels, the bridge itself slippery from the bodily fluids spilled over, everywhere that he could see, the crimson tinge of blood was there. He retched, desperately trying to stop, but was unable to do so.

Naruto had the same feeling, where the enormity of his actions catching up to him. He blinked, realising that his entire face was caked in blood, which was hardening into crusts. He desperately wiped it with his sleeves, feeling unclean and ashamed at losing his cool.

Zabuza looked at Naruto, his face softened as he knew the signs of after action shock setting in.

_The kid is sure something. I don't think I could have pulled off that at his age._

He turned his attention back to Gatou and sneered at the pompous bastard who had thought to use him. That was just intolerable, and he intended to show Gatou how foolish he was in trying to betray him.

"They call me the Demon of Kirigakure for good reason, you piece of shit. I hope you left a will, because you are not going to need any of it any more."

_**You got that right, **_Kyuu thought with a grin.

"No please! I will give you anything, money, women, power -" he pleaded out desperately.

The nukenin chuckled darkly, "Oh, don't worry about that, I will just take that from you."

"NO! Oh kami please, you can't do this!" shrieked out Gatou in disbelief.

"Zabuza, stop," Naruto said softly.

He nukenin looked at the boy, who was staring intently at the businessman. His soul was as dark as obsidian, the pain and suffering that he had caused countless of men and women formed an indelible stain upon his soul. And it was all motivated by profit, the godless and rapacious chase that knew no boundaries. Morality and conscience were easily sacrificed when people, emotions and significance were itemised into cost and benefit. And from all that had happened today, Gatou was the most deserving person to die. The question remained to how it should be done.

The jinchuuriki walked over to Haku, removing the kunai in her shoulder and started healing her of the wounds taken during the battle. His hands glowed softly, tracing over the cuts, bruises and contusions as Zabuza gave a low whistle at how fast the injuries were disappearing. The kunoichi soon regained consciousness, and the first thing that she saw was Naruto's face.

_Is, is that a tenshi?_

She had once believed in those divine beings, praying for them when her father went mad on her and her mother, but they had never answered her cries. Towering above her was the boy in his full transformation, blades slung across his back, wings fully extended. But she then recoiled slightly at all the blood upon him. While his face was relatively clean, his black battlesuit was drenched in it, giving him a slightly metallic tang as he leaned towards her. It was a curious juxtaposition, the concern radiating from Naruto's face with his blood splattered appearance.

_A fallen shito?_ She wondered curiously.

The blond grinned at her, breaking her thoughts and entrancing her with his sapphire eyes, taking his hand as she got up. The kunoichi marvelled at how well she felt, considering the beating she had just taken a mere moment ago. She looked around her and widened her eyes at the slaughter to the north. Placing her hands to her mouth, she gave a questioning look to Zabuza, who merely shrugged. She then found Gatou at her master's feet, whimpering like a kicked dog. Her eyes hardened at the sight, and tightened her fist over some senbon.

"Are you ok?" Naruto asked solicitously.

She nodded at him, putting away the burning question to what the boy had did to make him smell like a charnel house. They walked over to the shipping magnate. And soon enough they were joined with the remainder of the Konoha nins. Kakashi was still unconscious, where Naruto asked for the antidote from the nukenin which was reluctantly given.

"He will be feeling terrible for the next few days, muscle cramps, hallucinations, uncontrollable libido, that kinda thing."

Anko blinked at that, "What kind of poison is that?" she asked with professional curiosity.

"Crimson lotus," spoke Haku absentmindedly, her concern going to Zabuza and Naruto equally.

In fact nearly everyone was looking at Naruto in either awe or terror. Awe that he had taken on and defeated the kunoichi that had dispatched both the heirs to the Uchiha and Aburame clan's. Terror that he had taken part in the killing of over fifty armed men in relatively cold blood. Sakura was in particular scared shitless at seeing Naruto in action, his movements precise, fluid and as gracefully deadly as a jaguar in mid pounce. She remembered all the times that she had denigrated his skills and paled at the thought that he would remember it. Anko was impressed by the ruthlessness and power that he had, deepening the aura of mystique that surrounded the boy. Kurenai was concerned at how Naruto would handle the repercussions on his actions. Most nins had trouble coping with their first kill. Naruto had taken over twenty in the space of a minute.

Naruto was aware of the concerned and curious glances, but he had other and more significant problems to fry. His new skills were out in the open, but Kyuu's appearance was still kept under wraps.

_**Don't be quite sure of that Naru-kun, Kurenai still might tell on you, to the Hokage at least.**_

Naruto sighed, his trust again being shaken in the people that he trusted, _I know, but maybe that can be explained as hysteria when she was passing out..._

_**That might work, but it's unlikely. I know that Ino and Hinata will support your story, but she is a jounin and your sensei. That does carry a bit of weight.**_

_I know... I know... But that is something we can think about later. What the hell do we do with this man?_

_**Back in the day, we had punishments for traitors and people that broke their oath. We would flay them alive.**_

_Flay?_

_**Yes, remove their skin from their bodies, centimetre by centimetre. They would scream and howl, but they wouldn't die. Every moment was a living agony as their nerve endings were exposed to the air, and they could be kept alive for weeks, if not months.**_

While a savage part of him agreed with it, another was rightly sick of all the killing that had happened. Kyuu sensed this and silently sighed.

_**How about you give him to the 'mercy' of the villagers?**_

Naruto had no problem with that, _Ok, how do I sell that to Zabuza?_

"Zabuza, I think you owe Tazuna an apology, and Gatou does as well," he said suddenly.

"Say what?" asked Zabuza with a confused voice.

"You did try to kill him and all that," pointed out Naruto drilly.

The ex-Swordsman faced the bridge builder and shrugged, "Well, it was nothing personal, a job and all that. You understand don't you?"

Tazuna nodded nervously, still afraid of the killer, "Yes, sure, of course."

The blond continued with his reasoning, "And now that you are wrong, you owe him, and by extension Wave, a favour. Don't you agree?"

The nukenin blinked, "I'm not quite sure that I follow," he said slowly.

"He was their source of hope, when Gatou would have robbed them of it, to make them live in the way that they were. And you were helping him to do that. To make sure that their children grew up starving and miserable. For them to have nothing to look forward to but death and possibly eating each other," explained Naruto with a straight face.

"Hey, things weren't that bad!" protested Tazuna before Ino shut him up with a jab to the ribs.

"And because of that, don't you think that he deserves to be punished by the people that he did the most wrong to? That would be them, and since you contributed to that, then you have a ..."

_**Moral**_

"Moral obligation to see justice done!" he concluded with an emphatic nod.

Haku was quite taken in by those words, nodding along as Naruto spieled his ad-hoc bullshit. Zabuza wasn't as convinced, crossing his arms as he looked disbelieving at the shorter boy.

"I am a bloody demon, I killed my teammates when I was younger than you, what the hell do I care for morals?!" he asked incredulously.

_Okay, time for plan B._

"Well sure you are an _akuma_, we all saw how you cried over Haku just a moment ago," he said slyly.

"That never happened gaki," he ground out, eyeing any potential witnesses to his little breakdown.

Haku looked in surprise at her mentor, wide eyed and a smile on her face, "You, you cried over me Zabuza-sama?" he asked hopefully.

The nukenin coughed uncomfortably, "Well you see Haku, it was ... ah... fuck it. Something might have been caught in my eye as this boy ranted on about what you meant to me," he muttered silently, avoiding her avid gaze.

Naruto smiled and sheathed his blades, "Anyway, I am sick of killing right now. I am going to let justice run its course. How about we grab some sake?" he asked in consolation.

Zabuza stopped, seeing that he was now hopelessly outnumbered by the Konoha nins and if he didn't accept the truce, he would probably end up dead. He would find Gatou's stash later on.

"That sounds good, if you're paying," he conceded reluctantly.

Naruto sighed, "Fucking freeloader, fine. But I'm going to take a shower first. All this blood is disgusting."

Inari soon arrived with most of the townsmen wielding farming tools or flaming brands. They paled a bit at seeing Zabuza and his accomplice still alive, but soon enough the explanation was given to them. They all looked at Gatou with barely suppressed anger.

This was the man that had ruined them all, turned their mothers, sisters and daughters into whores for his own amusement. Who would have let his gangs run around them, committing crimes and condemning them to poverty, so that their children would starve and know no better. He would even take away hope from them.

They quickly strung him up and brought him to the town centre. The crowd were shouting threats and generally abusing the bound man. Gatou whimpered as he was kicked, spat and cursed at.

Naruto shrugged at the scene, happy that Gatou would be getting his just deserts. He quickly grew nauseous at his clothes and jumped off into the sea. He plunged into the water, knifing past the surface as it washed away most of the coagulating fluid on him. He shot up again and flew back to the bridge.

"These wings are so fucking awesome," he said absentmindedly. He then started shivering as he remembered that he had plunged into icy water.

"Ok, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all," he muttered.

Zabuza nodded in sympathy, "Yeah, you kinda get used to the sticky clothing and all that. Why do you think I don't wear a shirt anymore?"

Haku looked at him with surprise, "That was the reason why you went shirtless all this time?"

He faced his apprenticed and nodded slowly, "Well, yeah. What did you think it was for?"

"I thought you were presenting yourself as a mating ritual," she confessed with a blush.

"What!?"

"Oh come on, you weren't even sure if Haku was a boy or a girl after she hit puberty. And the fact that you keep your face masked like Kakashi, there is definitely something going on there. And what is with that mask as well?" argued Naruto.

"I have nothing to say to that," he said resolutely.

Kurenai and Anko tried to take control of the situation, "Ok, what we need to do is-"

Before Naruto fainted on them again, his wings dissipating and his sword reverting back to its sealed state.

Zabuza just sighed at that, "God, the kid just has no stamina at all."

Team Eight and Anko just looked at each other and laughed out loud.

"What?" he asked, perplexed.

The laughs just continued as the nukenins swore that there was something wrong with Konoha nins in general.

* * *

**Wave  
Tazuna's residence **

Things were extremely awkward after that little encounter. Naruto had quickly became Tsunami's favourite genin after he had saved her and helped Inari with his issues. The rest of them were recovering from their injuries as they laid back. Kakashi was left in his bedroom as he recovered from his poison. The shouts coming from the suite were not pretty and most of them winced when they passed by his door.

Anko and Kurenai looked at Naruto with concern, especially with how he had handled his part in the massacre. Zabuza was in his element as he had mowed down those people threatening him and Haku.

But combined with all of their fears and misgivings, they had to wonder if this wasn't part of the Kyuubis' plan. To turn the normally kind hearted boy into a murderous animal. They desperately hoped not, but could not be sure. They didn't want to voice their concerns in unknown territory, preferring to speak to the blond back in Konoha.

The two nukenins had spent some time with them before leaving without saying goodbye to them. Naruto sighed and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of being mothered to death by Tsunami who had a very soft spot in her heart for the jinchuuriki.

_This is nice. Why do women always seem to like me?_

_**It's part of your insufferable charm and cuteness. I know, hell, I live in you and I feel myself wanting to cuddle you to my bosom and then whisper sweet nothings into your ear...**_

_... Nani?!_

She grinned craftily and laughed in his mind. Naruto could feel her touch him on his bare skin and shivered slightly.

_Ok, this is something to get used to, but it isn't fair!_ He pouted.

_**What do you mean kit?**_

_You can touch me, but I can't touch you! _

_**Ahahahh. Think of it as a woman's prerogative Naru-kun. **_

* * *

**Border of Wave and Mist**  
**Gatou's Hideout**

The two nukenins converged upon the shipping magnate's headquarters as soon as they were able to. Haku was saddened by the fact that she couldn't have said goodbye to Naruto, but suppressed that feeling as she approached the fortress built into the cliff.

She didn't expect to see Naruto there waiting for her along with four other shinobi.

She saw their eyes and shivered slightly. They were cold and hardened, the sight of professional killers if she had ever seen any. But when they looked at Naruto, it softened into resigned fondness as he was joking with them before they faced them again.

Zabuza gave one single look at the group and then laughed loudly, "I knew it! So what are you, some kind of black ops division of the ANBU?"

'Mi' gave a shrug at that question, "Yeah, sure, why not. If you think that you are going to find anything in that little hidey hole, then forget it."

"Oh?" asked Haku.

"Yeah," added 'Ushi' who was twirling Naruto's hair between her fingers as the boy was fending her off unsuccessfully, "there is nothing left there."

"So, you are saying that one of the world's richest men who was notorious for distrusting banks and places like that had nothing in his vaults?" asked Zabuza incredulously.

"Well, no, not really. I am saying that we took it all already," said 'Saru' nonchalantly.

"Ah, I see," the nukenin responded, casually placing his hand on his zanbatou.

'Mi' shook his head, motioning for his companions to do the same, "No need for violence. You may be tough, but there are five of us. And Naruto here has been known to kick your ass on multiple occasions," he said dryly.

Zabuza blinked before muttering out, "Err.. . He got lucky."

Naruto scoffed at that, crossing his arms, "Yeah, right, whatever. Come on Haku, let's leave the 'adults' to talk business. Why don't we go over there?" he suggested, pointing to an empty field.

She shrugged and looked to her master for permission. Zabuza knew that if there was going to be a fight, it would be something that he might not make it out of even with Haku by his side. He nodded cautiously as the events unravelled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was approaching midnight, with Haku sitting outside on the grass as she watched Naruto practice his forms as they grew bored waiting for the nearby conversation to end. She marvelled at his remarkable healing factor that had enabled him to come back from the brink of death to being combat ready in a few days. Most injuries took weeks, if not months, to rehabilitate from. The jinchuuriki took a short break, dropping down next to her before taking a large gulp from a canteen.

"Naruto, do you mind if I ask you a question?" she asked somewhat apprehensively.

The boy nodded, "Sure, go ahead."

"Why did you kill all those people?" she asked softly.

Naruto stopped at that. It was all too easy for him to unleash his outrage and anger at those mercenaries, to tear them into pieces in a matter of moments. But as his senses returned, he felt a bizarre and terrible sense of guilt. He knew that eventually he would have to personally take a life, but that didn't prepare him for his debut.

Killing from long range had a level of ... remoteness that allowed the blond to rationalise and excuse his actions. But getting up close and personal, in the thick of the melee was an entirely different thing.

**Flashback**

Naruto went back to the bridge, his heart heavy as he saw them.

_**Kit, don't do this to yourself.**_

_This is something that I have to do Kyuu._

He activated his spiritual sight and saw them. Not quite ghosts or shades, but flickers of spiritual energy that merely lingered onwards. At times some features crystallised into a distinguishing image. He saw arms, legs, bodies, faces. And for some odd reason he could feel their attention upon him. Worse yet, he felt the force of their accusations.

The enormity of what he had done hit him at once. He had murdered them all in a fit of rage. Brothers, fathers, lovers and relatives were killed because he decided that they should die.

_How many families have I ruined by this?_ He asked, heart heavy with angst as he realised how much blood was on his hands.

_**They chose this lifestyle Naruto-kun. They wanted to kill, rob and rape as part of their job. Don't feel sorry for those pieces of trash. Feel happy that you saved Haku and the villagers from that fate.**_

_But still, maybe there was a better way –_

_**Kit, we can play the 'what if' game all we like. It's sad, but every decision that we make will be flawed in one way or another. We do not always have the right information and things never work out in the way that we want. We do what we think is best at the time and move on. **_

_But –_

_**No buts kit. They are dead. You cannot bring them back to life. An ocean of tears and a symphony of cries will not bring back one single person. You think that you did the wrong thing. I disagree. You did what you had to do. Nothing more, nothing less. The consequence was death, but there are some people that just deserve to die because they hurt other people.**_

_..._

_**It's never easy, but then again, when was life ever that way?**_

_I, I don't think that I can kill again._

That wasn't what the Kyuubi wanted to hear. The excitement, adrenaline and bloodlust that Naruto had experienced had sent a vicarious thrill over her, revelling in the feeling that Naruto was in control, dominating everything around him. He had the power to decide whether a person was to live or die.

_**It isn't something that you can avoid.**_

Naruto stayed silent, punishing himself by looking at the ghosts in the eye, taking on their accusations stoically.

**End flashback**

"I, I did it so that you would be safe, I guess. And... and... I was just so _angry_," he admitted.

While somewhat touched, she couldn't reconcile her image of Naruto with what she had seen afterwards. The accounts from Zabuza and other members of Team Eight were disturbing to say the least. Naruto had came upon her would be rapists like an avenging angel along with her master. They had torn their way through half a company of thugs without mercy, crushing them in a frontal charge that left them running in a rout. She took some comfort in the fact that Naruto had stopped there, while Zabuza had cleaned up the fleeing forces.

But her kind heart felt conflicted at his actions. While she disapproved of killing people, her stance was different when it came to others. She had felt a weird connection with Naruto, thinking that they were soul mates. But she was forced to reconsider that after what Naruto had done.

"Did, did you enjoy it?" she asked with trepidation.

As much as she respected and loved Zabuza, she could tell that he did enjoy killing people at times. She disapproved of it, but it was a part of his soul that refused to change. When she looked at Naruto, she hoped that he was different...

Naruto shook his head vehemently.

Haku stopped before looking at him, focusing intently on his eyes, "Then why did you take it so far?"

The boy gave a hollow laugh, "They were going to hurt someone important to me, so I decided to hurt them back."

"I- I am important to you?" she asked, touched by his concern and candour.

"Yes, yes you are,"said Naruto honestly.

"But, but I have only just met you..."

Naruto chuckled at that, "True, but we are too damned alike for me not to like you. It's funny, me being friends with a former enemy when I don't even like some of my own teammates that much..." he reflected with amusement.

He faced her and asked her a question that would haunt her, "Haku, did you enjoy killing your father?"

She recoiled at that, subconsciously clenching her fists as she remembered that terrible night when her father had approached her with a blood stained cleaver.

"No..." she whispered.

Naruto persisted in his questioning, "Not even when he wanted to kill you? Not after he had killed your mother?"

She shook her head.

"But why?! He was a bastard, who gave into his fears and killed the people that he loved! Why do you feel so bad about it?" Naruto asked desperately.

"Because he was my father," she let out, "he may have done those terrible things, but he still was my father. I remember the times that he made me laugh, made me happy. I can't just forget that. And because he was my dad, that, that has to mean something. He loved me, cared for me until that day... that has to mean something. Does that make sense?"

Naruto shook his head and gave a bitter laugh, "No, not really. How could he love you and then try to kill you? My father tried to kill me when I was not even a day old."

Hake gave a shocked gasp at that, where Naruto developed a brittle smile at remembering the letter he had found in the Scroll of Sealing, "So yeah, I hate the bastard for what he did. Because he chose my village over me, when there were other people there who could have been the one. Because, because, he just didn't love me enough..."

It was a bitter truth, one that had troubled him for ages and pretty much lay at the heart for his misgivings towards Minato. When it came down to the crunch, he knew that he wasn't important enough to the Yondaime when the decision had to be made. He knew that people wanted to make him understand the reasons why it had to be done, but Naruto was sick of being so logical at times. The plain truth was that his stomach turned at the idea that his biological father was willing to kill him. He couldn't deny that and no amount of justification would satisfy him. The truth was that all he wanted were parents who looked out for his best interests on a personal level. In many ways, he was left disappointed at every turn.

"But, but what about your mother?" Haku asked tentatively.

"Oh, she tried to kill me as well, when I was sleeping," Naruto said offhandedly.

The kunoichi's heart broke a bit at hearing the nonchalant way that Naruto had handled his demons, "Why?"

The boy shrugged, "Who the hell knows. I have all these scars on my arms when I woke up. Hell, I thought that I bashed it against the railing or something like that. She left me to die, soon enough."

It was only now that she was struck by the strength of Naruto's character. He had an equally rough life as her, but had managed to retain his righteousness and care. She wondered if she could have been the same if both her parents were as uncaring as Naruto's seemed to be.

"And you know what?" Naruto asked in a whisper, "Sometimes, I want to kill them myself. I want to be the one to see the life leave their eyes and laugh in their face, to make them pay for what they did to me," finishing with self-disgust and contemplation.

Haku grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and made him look at her, "Naruto, don't do that. Don't go down that road. It might seem like a good idea now, but it will bring you nothing but pain and regret. Trust me, I know."

He saw the sincerity in her eyes and nodded slowly.

Haku had a lost look on her face as she remembered that fateful night, "It was all so quick, but I couldn't control what happened that night. He came after me and I... I just reacted. My bloodline activated and the next thing I knew was that my father was dead on the floor. I screamed, tried everything to stop the bleeding. But nothing worked."

She sobbed at that, and Naruto gently took her hands into his own. She gave a grateful smile before continuing, "And, and I knew that I was really alone from that day on. I had no more family, no one left who would care for me, until I met Zabuza-sama. I know that it wasn't perfect, but I had nothing. But if I could do it all over again, I would not have killed him. I was so used to seeing him laugh, be happy, but to remember that hate, that anger, then the regret when those needles –" her voice choked and she stopped.

"Maybe, maybe you are right..." he allowed.

He sat back and gazed at the stars, trying to find familiar constellations as Haku joined him. There was a pleasant silence as they connected in a way that defied understanding. They were similar in oh so many ways, but also inherently different. Haku absentmindedly held onto Naruto's hand as they stood still.

"So Haku, what happens now?"

"I don't know, whatever Zabuza does, I follow."

"Hmm, ok. So why did you pretend to be a boy?" he asked curiously.

She gave him a pleasant lilting laugh as he felt her shrug, "It was safer that way. I was trying to find someone to help me, but I saw how other girls were kidnapped away. I didn't understand that at the time, but the looks that they gave were clear even to me back then. So I decided to pretend to be a boy."

"And you are telling me that Zabuza, the _Akuma no Kirigakure_, a trained shinobi, couldn't tell the difference?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"I was his weapon, why did he care if I was a guy or a girl? And I did bind my breasts and dress in loose robes for most of the time. But puberty wasn't a fun time when there is no one to explain to you the finer aspects of menstruation. I thought I was poisoned and going to die," she said wryly.

Naruto flushed at hearing the word breasts and tried hard not to mentally undress Haku. He had his doubts when he first saw her, her ethereal beauty and delicate facial features were too feminine to be a man. And if she were, then he could safely declare to Neji that his title of bishonen playboy was usurped. And he guessed that Sasuke might well be pissed at that as well. Besides the getting his ass kicked by a girl thing he seemed to have been brooding over for a while. Naruto thanked Kyuu on a regular basis for the healing that she gave him once he relinquished control over some of her tails.

For now they stayed silent, comfortable in each others presence. The dawn would come soon enough, where decisions would need to be made again. It might be probable that they would never see each other again.

Naruto hoped for otherwise. So did Haku.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Mi' tossed a sack to Zabuza, who left it fall to the ground. It hit the dirt with a satisfying sound.

"What is that?" asked the nukenin.

"Just a little gift from Konoha to you," answered 'Mi' casually.

"What do you mean? You took this from Gatou didn't you?"

The shinobi grinned, "Absolutely. It was hidden in a very odd place, but it was well worth our time I guess. They do say that money is the root of all evils. Well, that is partially correct. We know all about your struggle against the Mizukage and we support you. But since we can never really do it directly, think of this as our contribution to the cause."

Using his feet, he knocked open the bag and found bills, shares, debentures, convertible notes and bonds by the hundreds.

"There must be –" started Zabuza in surprise.

"Over a few million there? Yes, in highly liquid forms as well. We hope that you do spend this money well and we do expect to see results in the next few years. All wars need money, supplies and manpower. You have one, but now you can have all three."

"... What do you get out of it?" he asked suspiciously. Gifts like these were way too generous to be given that freely, especially in their line of work.

"Let's just say that we are forging relations with the future Mizukage and that is the sign of our support. The current kage is a right bastard who has no idea of what it means to be a leader. The only goal of a nation is to protect its citizens and provide law and order. And honestly, we are sick to death of hunting all those nukenins that prowl on Konoha's border. We would like to be allies, in one form or another. Why so suspicious?"

He grunted, not really trusting that explanation but seeing no manifest ill intention, he took the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Thank you. This will not be forgotten. But who are you anyway? You are not ANBU or any other conventional force. I can see it in your eyes, hell, you remind me of the Seven Swordsmen at times."

They chuckled at that reference, "Let's just say that we are guardians, who do what is necessary. I am sure that you can identify with that. "

He nodded at the words, agreeing.

"Haku!" he called out to the area where he last saw her.

The kunoichi appeared along with Naruto. She looked at the sack and gave him a quizzical look.

"Be happy. We are now part owners of Gatou's company, seeing that he would really need it anymore."

"Who will run his company then?" she asked.

'Hebi' stretched before answering, "Oh, one of us will be in _henge_ to do it. But you don't need to worry about that."

"Why are you giving this to us?" she asked again.

Naruto smiled at her, "I like you. And we kept most of it anyways."

"Dammit Naruto, you weren't supposed to reveal that!" scolded 'Ushi' with a mock scowl.

Haku looked into the bag and whistled, "This is worth, millions," doing the calculations in her mind.

'Saru' nodded his head, "Potentially yes. The options are yet to be exercised just yet, but time it right. Just remember to launder it properly, a missing nin can't operate quite as legitimately as a civilian can."

Finding herself in an incredibly happy mood, she realised that they didn't have to work for filth such as Gatou and do questionable things for funding, "How, how can we ever repay you?"

Naruto hardened his tone and look into her eyes, "Kill that bastard of a kage for us all. Hunting others because something they have no control over, and letting the whole country go to hell in the first place, well, he deserves to die. Bring peace to this land, where people do not fear for their lives. I'm sure you had your reasons for trying to kill him the first time, but make sure you do the job properly this time."

There was silence as they two parties were uncertain of how they were supposed to depart.

Naruto began the awkward overture,"This is goodbye then, I guess," he said reluctantly.

He had finally found another person who could relate to him, to the pain that preyed on his mind when he was younger. He had felt a lingering connection to Haku that tugged at his heart, making him reluctant to actually let her walk away into the darkness. He looked at her and saw the ambivalence clear in her eyes.

_Then again, who am I to not let her make her own choices? _

Haku merely looked at the teen who understood her better than anyone else in the world, the conflict clear on his face. Honestly, she wanted to leave with him to Konoha, hell she even allowed herself to fantasise about it. But she also knew the reality of it would be unlikely. While she was not formerly registered as a kunoichi of any nation, her skills would attract attention and explanation. She did not want to spend an indeterminate time at the hand of Morino Ibiki before she was deemed to be safe. More importantly, she knew that she had obligations to fulfil. Promises made to Zabuza so that he could pursue his dream. But she knew that in time she would come back and find him again.

Naruto just walked up to her, took her hands in his own before giving her a light hug. She relaxed into his embrace as Naruto inhaled her scent, a curious fragrance of wild flowers that he found oddly irresistible. Pulling back slightly, he gave a foxy grin before reaching up and giving her a kiss on her forehead.

Blushing at such intimate contact, Haku froze up before Naruto pulled back.

"And Haku, don't worry. We will see each other again. I promise."

"Ja ne. "

"Kami, isn't he a little heart breaker?" whispered 'Hebi' to 'Ushi'.

"I know, can you imagine how he will be like in a few more years?" she agreed, looking fondly at the boy who was trying to hide his disappointment at their parting.

With that, he gave a wave and started to walk back to Tazuna's house. The 'Ne' operatives gave him their salute and made their way back to Danzo. It was with a heavy heart that he moved back, hating to leave in such circumstances, especially when he made new friends.

As the two looked at the blond walk off, Zabuza just placed his hand on Haku's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we will see him again. Now that he has given us the means, we can finish what we started. Time for our vengeance," promised Zabuza.

Memories of ice came back to Haku. Yes, that man who caused her life to collapse around her. The madman consumed with paranoia that incited an entire nation to turn on their very own. For reasons of jealousy, insecurity and capriciousness. Her heart hardened at that. While she was forgiving normally, she would never forgive the man that forced her to take the life of her father.

_Mother, father… I remember. I will never forget what we had before it all happened. And if I can honour you by making sure that no one else will have to go through what we did, then I will gladly do so. For my precious people, I will do anything._

Determination in her heart, she faced her defacto father with a nod.

"I know. Let's go, we have things to do."

She had a new dream in her heart, for reasons that were not entirely clear to her. She knew that she had things to do before she met up with the blue eyed blond that she developed kinship towards. It was a new feeling that was somewhat foreign to Haku, that she had a new person precious in her world.

_I will come back._

* * *

**Mist  
The yet uncompleted bridge still, after the battles  
**

Tazuna sighed at the scene of his engineering masterpiece. The pristine concrete structure was now gouged in many areas, scorched by jutsu and had developed cracks that needed filling. Worse yet were the corpses on the northern end of the bridge, where they were visited by crows and other carrion birds that were feasting on the abundant flesh. He shivered at the scene where one raven pecked out an eye before moving to the next body.

Kakashi shook his head, "This is the part that they never write about in history books."

"Is it always like this?" asked Tazuna.

"Nearly always. We bury our dead, but usually there isn't even time for that. We would sometimes just cremate the body and seal away the ashes. The enemy fallen would be examined by the hunter-nins to see what secrets we could extract, before leaving them like that. Of course, the Shinobi Code highly recommends that we treat the dead with dignity and respect, but that only happens in peacetime. Even then..."

"So, what do we do? We can't just leave them there," he protested.

"No, we can't. We could always just chuck them over the side," suggested Anko, who was still glaring at Kakashi for nearly killing her favourite blond.

"But that might affect the water supply and having bloated floating corpses would be unpleasant, to say the least," put in Kurenai.

Most of the genin's were recovering from their injuries that were in the process of healing. Sasuke was brought out of his near death state courtesy of Haku's senbon needles. As a result he would need a week to regain the use of his muscles. Worse yet was that he had lost one of his fingers when the ice senbon punctured a nerve and the resulting frostbite had meant that the digit had to be amputated. The Uchiha had sworn loudly at that and glared at Haku for that. The kunoichi was somewhat apologetic, but refused to feel sorry for what she had done. Luckily it was only the pinky finger that didn't interfere with his jutsu casting, but it still rankled that he was beaten so soundly by a female. His pride was shaken, especially after hearing that Naruto had defeated the nukenin before taking out almost thirty combatants.

What was even worse was that Sakura had managed to get more kills than he did. She had put up an admirable defence around Tazuna, throwing kunai and shuriken with accuracy that had netted her eight kills. Hinata proved to them how effective the Jyuuken was with her newly adopted chakra scalpel technique. Oddly enough Ino took out the most kills of any kunoichi with her crossbow and exploding quarrels before switching to a tanto and supporting Sakura.

And the fallout was proving difficult to manage. A first kill was usually something that made or break a shinobi. Their profession dictated that they would be required to kill. Not only that, but kill quickly, quietly and in vast numbers if necessary. If one wasn't prepared to do that, then they were advised to find a new career soon enough. There were qualified counsellors who helped fledgling neonates with their first kill, but that was in an ideal situation that proved to be a great idea in theory, but terrible in practice as most of the incidents occurred outside of Konoha's walls and were entirely after the fact with significant time elapsing before the session could be conducted.

So Kurenai did her best to help her subordinates, who were taking the situation quite well. Ino didn't seem to be that troubled by what she had done, while Hinata had a semi-pained look on her face that disappeared.

_There is something not quite right with that girl,_ Kurenai mused.

Her personality change was rather peculiar, considering that it was sudden and unexplained. Well, not unexplained, but she had her doubts that such a profound shift could occur so suddenly. She could accept that Naruto had helped her with her issues, but a turnaround time of one day was implausible.

_But then again, I remember the time when she first sparred with Naruto. That was funny, in a cute and embarrassing way. But she changed, for the better._

_But still, it was all quite peculiar. _

Shino was still his taciturn self and didn't seem to be affected by the whole event. Sakura was an entirely different story. While she wasn't Kurenai's responsibility, she had the sneaking suspicion that Kakashi wouldn't properly deal with her reaction beyond palming her off to the counsellors. The girl was shaken and upset, being particularly jumpy when she saw Naruto and tried to avoid eye contact with the blond. She had asked Ino about it but got an evasive answer. She surmised that there was bad blood between the two of them.

_How odd..._

But the more immediate problem was the bridge and how it had to be cleaned up afterwards.

"So, about the damage to the bridge...?" asked Tazuna.

Anko shrugged, "What am I, an engineer? We weren't really hired to do anything besides protect you, but even then the objectives changed beyond that. Get rid of the corpses and get your men to start building again. This isn't our problem."

Kakashi nodded, "And there is the matter of ... restitution. The services of three jounins and two genin teams do not come cheaply. This is far beyond a C ranked mission. I would roughly say that it was a mid A, considering the jounin forces that Anko and Kurenai had to battle."

"But, none of you were hurt!" Tazuna protested.

"My student lost his finger," Kakashi said harshly, "and that is beside the point. The risk was such that all of us could have died, but we didn't. That still doesn't mean that our efforts were anything less than what we have provided. We will not let you be unjustly enriched by your duplicity."

The genjutsu mistress observed the damage and the state of Wave and gave a small sigh, "There is a debt owing, that we will recover when it is appropriate. But be warned that it will be indexed at compound interest."

"Oh please, simple interest!"

"You really are stretching our generosity you drunken bastard," said Anko, twirling her kunai as she stretched her back muscles, "your gratitude is... nonexistent. We defended you, gave you Gatou and still you haggle like an ungrateful hawker after everything that we have done..."

Tazuna gulped and hung his head.

Kakashi gave an eyesmile and walked off with his colleagues as Tazuna gave orders for the corpses to be burnt and the bridge rebuilt.

"Oh Hatake-san?" cooed Anko.

The Copy Nin stopped and faced the tokubetsu jounin.

"Don't think for a fucking moment that I have forgotten about what you did to Naruto-kun," she snarled at him, her fist tightening over her kunai with great violence.

"Accident or not," Kurenai added in her frosty voice reserved for enemies, "you hurt my student and the Hokage will hear of this. I don't think Sarutobi-sama will be pleased to hear that you used your prized assassination technique on Naruto."

Kakashi winced and hung his head slightly as they continued on back to Tazuna's house in silence. He knew that there was going to be a stern reprimand at the very least for what had happened. Accident or not, the Hokage would not look kindly upon that act of friendly fire, not when the stakes were that high.

_Somebody up there doesn't like me,_ he lamented.

* * *

**Border of Mist and Wave**

Naruto believed in a few things. One of them was the sanctity of promises. Once he vowed to do something, come hell or highwater, he would do it. Unless it was procured by deceit or otherwise.

And this wasn't the first time he was near Kiri, when he had seen human suffering in a way that had truly been real to him.

_Ayumi..._

And at that time, he was unable to do anything. But now he had a wad of cash burning a hole in his pocket, the will and conviction to do what he thought was right.

And 'Mi' was conveniently back at Konoha to report on their success.

He strode in, taking on another passive genjutsu before knocking at the decrepit bar that was the base of operations at the hovel, that looked even more run down than it had a few years ago.

"Whadya want?" a guard ground out, looking at Naruto in suspicion.

"I heard your boss does deals in things I can't get usually," started Naruto smoothly.

"Oh? Where didya hear that from?" the thug asked cautiously.

"Here and there, he didn't give me his name, but I think they call him Snake."

The distrust did not leave his eyes, but Naruto was granted access, the guard placing his hand across his blade in an attempt to look intimidating. Naruto would have rolled his eyes if he could have.

"Hands on the wall, no funny moves," he demanded.

The jinchuuriki complied, going through a quick body search before being let in to see the yakuza boss.

_Wannabe yakuza, _he thought with distaste. _At least they have some honour compared to these bastards._

He soon met the gaudily dressed man with an open shirt, taking shots of hard spirits as he made a poor joke that his lackeys laughed loudly over. He blinked when he saw Naruto and snorted.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"My name is Sasuke," he felt the Kyuubi laugh affectionately at that, "and I hear you are the guy to talk to when a person wants something."

"Well, I have been known to come across things that fall off the back of a wagon," the boss slurred proudly, "come, let us talk business."

Naruto grinned and took a seat.

"Let us have a drink, may we all make a good deal today," he declared pompously.

The blond played along, grimacing at the cheap grade of liquor and coughed slightly at the strength. It was homebrew, but potent.

"Nice shit isn't it?"

"Oh yes, it has one hell of a kick," he lied.

Placing his cup down, he stared at the jinchuuriki and asked, "So, what is it that you want?"

Naruto put on what he thought was a lecherous look, "Women."

The yakuza chuckled and gave Naruto a knowing grin, "Oh, I have a few I guess. But you look like you can do well for yourself."

Naruto didn't know whether to feel complimented or creeped out, "Well yes, but all these women I meet are too... _independent_. I want a bitch that knows her place, that will do what the hell I want. But I don't want to break them in myself. I am a busy person, you understand?"

He laughed uproariously, "Yes, yes, I know that well. But I quite like 'breaking' them in. It's all part of the fun," he said with a dark grin.

Naruto tried to hide his distaste and smiled amiably at the bastard, "Of course, but I just don't have the time, it just isn't convenient."

The thug shrugged, "Well, that I can understand. We are all very busy men, so I don't expect you to share the finer pleasures of discipline and ... enjoyment. But you must understand that I am a businessman."

_And I just let one be tortured to death, but not before ripping apart his guards,_ Naruto thought with some dark amusement.

"And as such, there needs to be a ... fair price to be paid. I did spend a lot of time doing my job and that doesn't come cheaply," he finished with a smirk.

"How much?" asked Naruto with apprehension.

They both started to haggle, with a ridiculous price being made firm to Naruto.

"Oh come on, that is unreasonable. There is no way that you can ask for that much!" the boy complained.

"It might seem a bit high, but have a look at these bitches," he motioned for one of his men to get the sisters.

"They are sisters who look like twins kinda, and they do whatever the fuck you want them to do. You want to screw them up the ass, they will bend over and spread themselves wide open. You want them to go down on each other, no problem either. In fact, it's best to fuck them and then get them to share your cum from each other," he recalled with relish.

Naruto had to keep his blood lust and killing intent to the minimum as he felt disgusted at the sorry excuse for humanity in front of him. He had never believed that he would ever be in the position to bargain for human beings like they were cattle. Hell, cattle were given more respect that these two sisters. And he felt somewhat ashamed at bargaining like this, but the fact was that he didn't have enough money to 'legitimately' purchase them. He could have killed them all and taken the girls, but 'Ne' would have found out eventually, which would raise too much suspicion onto him. And he couldn't genjutsu the memories from him. He didn't have the chakra capacity that most nins had to sustain a prolonged memory alteration. And he had obviously formed a twisted fascination and attraction to them, meaning that any memory lace had to be particularly potent.

Naruto decided to lay out his cards in front of him.

"I don't know, I only have this much, but for that much I am sure that I can get more and of higher quality," he tried to bargain, hopelessly out of his league as he tried not to seem so desperate.

The boss made a gesture that brought the sisters to them, "Girls! Present yourself to our... client here."

The two of them nodded submissively, stripping down to nothing and affected model like poses in front of him. Despite the smiles on their faces, he could see how forced they were. And a more primal part of him couldn't help but notice how attractive and similar they looked to each other.

_**Bad kit! Bad!**_ scolded the Kyuubi.

_I know, but you show that to a boy my age and what do you expect?! Kiba would have probably creamed his pants already at the hint of tits!_

_**... Possibly,**_ she allowed, _**but keep your eyes above the chest. **_

"Come on ladies, show him everything."

They nodded again and proceeded to spread their legs, but Naruto made a gesture to stop them. It must have been humiliating for them to do something like that in front of so many leering men. Even if he was aroused by the sight, he couldn't be part of their embarrassment. Hell, he was the proximate cause and that in itself left a terrible taste in his mouth.

"I have seen enough. But I don't have what you are asking for."

"Well I am sorry, but I cannot go any lower than that," he said regretfully, insincerity dripping from his voice, "but I should let you the opportunity to make it up, since you have travelled so far already. How about a game of chance?"

Naruto raised his eyebrows, getting increasingly tempted to waste the hamlet and move on. But he had his fill of killing, especially when they had some marginal use.

"Okay, I guess. What do you mean exactly?"

He produced a worn deck of cards and dealt out a few hands.

"I assume that you are familiar with poker?"

The jinchuuriki shook his head. He had never really gambled before in his life, but he didn't have much to lose.

A wide shark-like grin appeared on the gangsters face, "Well, you see..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Kit, how the hell did you manage that?**_

_Well, you helped a bit with that, card counting was it?_

_**But that was mostly all you. Your luck is absolutely amazing kit. Imagine all that you could do...**_

The yakuza wannabe looked in disbelief at the unbelievable fortune that Naruto had possessed. He had thought that he would clean him up, but hand after hand he had been defeated. He had lost the majority of his savings and could not understand how it had happened.

The heavy clunk of cash and coins landed onto his desk as Naruto made to leave with the two girls. He made a gesture to stop the blond and take his winnings back before Naruto spoke, "I trust you will honour our bargain. You do have honour don't you?"

From his imperfect understanding of the honour code followed by proper Yakuza, he had entered into an agreement and gave his word, therefore it was binding. Or something like that.

The two girls walked tentatively outside the dwelling that they called home and prison for the last three years of their life. It was frightening and liberating at the same time, with uncertainty as to how they were going to be treated by their new master. While they had experienced horrors it didn't mean that things couldn't get worse. After they reached the tree line they both made a break for it. Though they had no idea to where to go, it was better than staying still.

Naruto sighed softly, his heart breaking at their actions and embraced his reiatsu.

He blurred in front of them, drawing gaps and sobs of resignation. Freedom remained an elusive concept that still remained outside their grasp.

"Please, just let us go, please," begged Ayumi, going on her knees with tears on her face.

"I made a promise a long time ago, have you forgotten?" Naruto asked gently.

Vague comprehension lined her face, until the blond took pity on her and released his genjutsu.

"Na-Na-Naruto?" she asked.

He smiled at them, his happiness and brilliance illuminating and giving them a sense of warmth and security that they had never experienced before.

"Sorry I was so late," he apologised, an apologetic smile on his face.

He was suddenly embraced by a flying hug tackle, Ayumi a sobbing mess as all of her dreams had come true.

Her sister was left bewildered and somewhat jealous at seeing how her sister knew their saviour.

_Who are you? _she thought.

_And why are you so damned cute?_

* * *

**Wave  
Site of the completed bridge**

It was time for the Konoha nins to go back home. They had spent another fortnight to recover and they were standing on the new bridge instead of taking a boat trip. Tsunami had hugged Naruto to her chest, making him promise to visit if he was ever around. She tightened the scarf that she had woven for him, to the extent that he nearly choked on it. Anko and Kurenai rolled their eyes at the sight, but were amused nonetheless.

"What should we call the bridge?" asked on of the villagers.

Naruto looked at them before speaking, "Call it the Great Kaiza Bridge."

The jinchuuriki's ice blue eyes swept over them all as he spoke softly, "He was the hero that you needed, but not what you deserved."

They winced at his words, finding a terrible truth in it.

"Remember... what it means to be courageous," Shino spoke out before turning around and joining Naruto.

Sasuke felt compelled to say something meaningful as well, "Hn... Die for something or live for nothing."

The blond boy coughed violently at that, drawing a dirty look from the Uchiha who rolled his eyes and walked away.

They then walked away without another word. Team Seven led the way as Hinata and Ino were chatting with Naruto, lightly teasing him again.

Sakura was struck by the deep words that Naruto had said just then and wanted clarification, "Kakashi-sensei, what did Naruto mean by that?"

The silver haired jounin scratched his head before answering, "Hmmm... many things. Such a town was lacking in faith and hope that they didn't deserve such a person like Kaiza. But nonetheless, he was there and was a shining light upon them. Like a white knight..."

He then shrugged, "But they only deserved people like us, shinobi who did the dirty thing so that the problem went away."

Sakura was silent at those words, before looking in Naruto's direction, "Is – Is that all that we are? Tools?"

The jounin took his time before answering, knowing that his response would have a profound impact upon the kunoichi, "Well, there is a bit of truth in that. Ninja are not supposed to have feelings or emotions. I guess that is the heart of Shinobi Rule number twenty five."

Sakura's eyes narrowed at that, unable to reconcile that idea that was preached to her as a kid. She had known all one thousand rules, but in the field, they all rang hollow to her.

Kakashi continued, "But we cannot forget that we are human, that we cannot live by rules and regulations alone. That we still have to find something to believe in."

"What do you believe in sensei?" she asked curiously.

She just received an eyesmile before they continued walking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Is it finished?"

"Yes, Gatou is dead. Looks like your hypothesis failed."

"Hmm... indeed. Well, one of them did. The war economy doesn't seem to like new competitors on the market, but nonetheless we have gathered some important intelligence."

"Yes. He has grown up in an unexpected manner. This does not fall in our scenarios."

"True. But we will keep watching. The money that we gave to Wave was well spent then, if that is the unique gift that was given to him. We might have been caught by surprise if not for that."

"What do we do now?"

"Nothing. We wait till our preparations are complete. Then we will reveal ourselves."

"Understood... M -"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Konoha nins made their way back to the road, a feeling of satisfaction and unease among them.

Naruto knew that difficult questions would be asked of him soon, but right now he couldn't find himself caring too much about it. He felt ... complete, like a part of his soul was finally completed. And he finally felt the true embrace of his zanpukuto, felt what true care and affection really was. And he hoped that the fallout of having Kakashi sticking his arm through him would provide a sufficient smokescreen for his new abilities.

Whistling along, he managed to catch sight of two travellers who looked curiously at them. They felt them gaze upon their hitai-ate and tensed up slightly. They were two females, sisters judging by their similar facial features and both of them looked deliriously happy.

"Good morning, how are you?" Ayumi asked with a radiant smile.

**Flashback**

"So, what do we do now?" Ayumi asked.

"Umm, don't think that I am ungrateful or anything like that, but who are you?" asked Mutsumi curiously.

Naruto laughed sheepishly before introducing himself, glossing over his 'Ne' affiliations.

"Sis, why didn't you tell me about him before?" she demanded.

"Well, I didn't know that he would keep his promise. How many bastards promised us that they would come back and save us?"

Naruto's heart fell at that, feeling quite wretched for leaving it all so late. Ayumi saw the expression on his face and rushed to him. Her jaded and cynical demeanour was cracking, slowly, because of the rather simple fact that a boy had kept his promise to her. When she, a nobody in the whole scheme of things, had led to Naruto taking great risk and expense to give them a measure of comfort. She could feel an odd foreign sensation overcoming her. It was stronger than gratefulness, but she couldn't understand what it was.

Later on, people would roll their eyes and describe it as an acute case of "fangirlism".

Mutsumi just stared at the boy, unable to comprehend why Naruto would go through so much effort and cost to help out relative strangers. He had met her sister once, yet still did what he did. Her hardened mind tried to think of some ulterior motive that might have been hidden somewhere. Perhaps it was an elaborate joke played by their former 'master' to test their loyalty or to play with their hopes.

But there was a sense of sincerity about the jinchuuriki that made her suspend her disbelief and relish in her feeling of freedom. It was heady, intoxicating and oh so frightening.

"Ara, What do we do now?" she asked in a soft voice, a tremble to her tone as the implications became manifestly clear to her.

She had no home, no education or job skills outside that of a prostitute. And she would be dammed if she was going to whore her body out again. Her fists tightened at the mere thought.

_Well, at least I would be paid for that now_, she thought darkly.

Naruto seemed to sense her anger and unease and tried to steer the conversation to safer territory.

"You can do whatever you want to do. Whatever you want, no one is going to stop you," he said gently.

Which was an even more troubling thought. At least with their enforced indenture there was a predictable pattern. A horrible one of abuse, but there was comfort in knowing that was going to happen next. They could prepare themselves for it, anticipate it, and exert some measure of control. But this new uncertainty... it induced fear into them.

She laughed cynically_, I wanted freedom so badly and now I don't know what to do with it._

Naruto looked at her with concern, but Ayumi was going through the same thoughts. She had long fantasised that some sort of knight in shining armour (in this case a shinobi in a black bodysuit) would come and rescue them away. But the question was what would she do now?

"We can't go back to our 'parents'," Mutsumi spat out.

"Well, there are a couple of nins that are going back to Kiri, maybe I can introduce you to them, they owe me a favour anyway," suggested Naruto.

_**A couple million dollars worth of favours.**_

"NO! I am sick of that hell hole, with no law, no fairness, no... justice," declared Ayumi, gaining a confidence that surprised her.

Naruto scratched his head. He didn't really think that far ahead and honestly didn't think that these problems would arise.

_Man, this sucks. Why can't anything be simple?_

_**Oh, it can be simple kit,**_ he felt her lightly smack the back of his head_**, just keep to yourself.**_

He shivered at that contact. While he could only feel her touch in his mindscape before, the Kyuubi could now affect him at anytime she wished. It was odd and reassuring at the same time. He didn't know if she stimulated his senses into thinking that she touched him, or if it was real. He decided that was another mystery to be unravelled in another time.

"Well, I do have all this money that I won. It's yours, so go crazy with it."

Both sisters looked at the pile of cash with wonder. It was more than they had ever dreamt of owning. But to take it from Naruto seemed... wrong. He had done so much for them, paid dearly for their freedom, yet here he was offering more.

_He either doesn't have a good grasp on the concept of money, or he is too generous for his own good._

Money wasn't an important thing to Naruto. As long as he had enough, the way it was spent became the only relevant consideration. But then again, most of it was Gatou's so he had no qualms about wasting it away if he wanted to.

"No, we can't take that. It is too much," Ayumi said resolutely.

Mutsumi wasn't quite as unequivocal, thinking of the new beginnings that she could have with her sister. But she did concede the point that taking advantage of the blond's charity would be grossly unfair.

Naruto became insistent on that point, "Come on, take it, it's not like I need it."

They looked at him in disbelief, "Naruto, you know that you effectively paid for three houses when you bought us."

He blinked, "Really?"

"Yes, really. We should know as we did the bastards books for him."

Naruto snorted at that, "What the hell was that son of a bitch in the first place? I thought he was just a wannabe gangster."

The sisters grimaced at that, "Yes, he is. He gets protection money and keeps a close eye on his underlings in case they cheat him. We could count and he was too lazy to do it for himself, so we did that."

The jinchuuriki tried to process that new information, "So, you are good with numbers then?"

Mutsumi shrugged, "I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Could you, say, pick up anything wrong with accounts if I gave you one?"

Ayumi gave a tentative nod to that, "I think we could, but I can't promise you that. Why?"

Naruto grinned before rubbing his hands, "Well, I think there might be something for you to do after all. How do you feel about Konoha?"

The girls had heard things about the Village Hidden in Leaves. By all accounts civilians were embraced and tolerated, given substantial rights and freedoms that made most shinobi villages look like despotic holes. And that wasn't too far off from the truth.

"We have heard some good things," Mutsumi said carefully, "what do you have in mind?"

He smiled at them and explained his ideas. Afterwards he was hugged by two crying teenagers who latched onto him like a lifeline. It didn't help that they had knocked him over with their combined weight and were effectively straddling him again.

_This happens far too often to be an 'accident',_ thought Naruto.

_**No kidding. Keep those hands where I can see them. **_

**End flashback**

"So, you ladies are going to Konoha?" asked Kurenai, who noted their rather expensive dresses and wondered why they were alone on the highway. While it was relatively safe, they were quite attractive and without an escort they were just asking for trouble. They seemed to have money, but none of them seemed that comfortable in their new clothes. It looked like they were not born into privilege.

Naruto noticed the distrust and wondered how he could diffuse the problem without drawing even more suspicion onto him.

_**Don't worry, let them sort it out. You might be surprised by how they do it.**_

"Ara, well, our father wanted us to get married to that awful old man, what was his name Ayumi?"

"Hattori Hanzou," Ayumi grimaced in distaste.

"Yes, and he had the great idea to give both of us to him. Two beautiful, gorgeous ladies to that old fart who was just drooling after seeing us."

"So we decided to ditch our guard and see more of the world," finished off Ayumi.

Kakashi looked at them in disbelief, "You mean hide from your parents?"

The two of them giggled nervously, before nodding hesitantly, "Well, yeah, that might be the case shinobi-san, but we are way too young to be married. And we would rather be with someone our age, cute and knows how to treat a woman in the right way."

They gave a speculative look to the group.

"Hey sis, how about him?" Ayumi asked, pointing to Shino.

"Oh, so dark and mysterious, I can't even see his face, but I don't know, what could he be hiding from in that coat?"

Ayumi hummed and pointed to Sasuke, "Well, there is that one."

"Hmm, some potential. He has that broody, pouty look going on. But his hair could seriously do with a makeover. And he looks like he is perpetually scowling. I think I'll pass," Mutsumi declared.

Invariably their eyes were drawn to Naruto who blinked innocently.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, I am just admiring your delicate facial features. Has anyone told you how lovely those birthmarks are?" gushed Mutsumi, who went over to Naruto and peered intently at his cheeks.

The boy rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew that it would come sooner or later, thought to be honest Mutsumi had held out longer than most females his age.

"Ara, can-oh this feels so forward of me, but could I please touch them?" she asked hopefully.

The two of them were playing their parts very well, to the extent that Naruto might have been fooled if he didn't coach the girls beforehand.

Hinata and Ino decided to interfere in the charade, "No, that wouldn't be appropriate Ms... I'm sorry, you haven't given us your names."

The two of them blushed in unison, "Oh, how rude of us. My name is Kyoshi Ayumi and this is my sister Mutsumi."

Anko gave the two ladies a smirk at their attempts to hit on Naruto and suppressed a snort.

They played the part of the ditzy rich girls to perfection. In a way they had always wanted to act spoilt and special. With a wad of cash burning a hole in their pockets, they had splashed out on expensive clothes, makeup and nearly gorged themselves on pricey meals. Naruto had carefully healed the remaining traces of their injuries from their bodies, which had earned another grateful hug and kiss. He had quickly taken a place in their hearts that wouldn't be dislodged easily, or at all.

_Bah, those hussies have no chance whatsoever_, she thought confidently.

The two of them managed to get introductions from the rest of the teams and then proceeded to monopolise Naruto's time and attention until they both intertwined their arms around his and nearly skipped the way back to Konoha. Both ladies were laughing and joking around.

They could feel some deadly glares at their back but they could hardly care.

They were free and had a new chance at life.

And kami knew that they were more than anxious to repay their benefactor.

_Fin._

* * *

**Omake**

**Icha Icha Shotacon: Seduction Tactics  
A joint venture between calatrava and Otomonashi**

A special person, lets call him U Naruto, no, that is too obvious. How about Uzumaki N? Anyway, a shinobi faces certain risks in their day to day missions. As a result relationship failure is something that usually results and is basically one of the worst kick to the balls when coming back after a stressful A ranked mission. You serve your Hidden Village and then find out that while you were gone another bastard was banging your girl.

And when that shinobi knows that death might be lurking around the corner or adjacent treetop, they try to make the most out of their life. Sadly, the concept of fidelity goes right through the window. Most shinobi are known to go on prodigious sexual rampages in a bizarre attempt to pass on their DNA if they should die. Though the easier explanation is that they just want some easy sex just in case they do pass away. Which seems fair enough. But you try to rationalise that to a female and you will be lucky to keep your testicles.

And kunoichi are not better; they merely take the higher ground. Too many of them came back pregnant in very unclear and vague circumstances. But there are many that cherish the idea of a faithful partner who is kind, compassionate, loving and devoted. But at the same time turn into a raving monster willing to go to extreme lengths to protect people important to them.

And Mr Uzumaki happens to be one of those people. Examining some highly classified incidents that occurred during Naruto's life (and violating a whole heap of suppression orders, but nonetheless) the following is known about him and his dealings with women:

One: Saved Hyuuga Hinata when he was seven years of age from a Kumo nin

Two: Saved Nii Yuugito at the age of ten

Three: Saved and incidentally helped promote Uzuki Yuugao at the age of twelve

Four: Saved and rescued Yuuhi Kurenai at the age of fourteen

Five: Saved the sisters Kyoshi Ayumi and Ayame from being sex slaves at the age of fourteen

Six: Miscellaneous incidents involving the Hyuuga MP force and one Uchiha Mikoto

In any event, such a record remains remarkable considering that he isn't even in his prime yet. And what is the result of these actions?

Lots and lots of heavy sexual tension. Because he seems to attract it like bees to honey. But that doesn't answer the burning question on every kunoichi's mind: How do we make Naruto ours?

Easy, use Seduction Tactics

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurenai shook her head as she went through the chapters of the latest Icha Icha, sighing at the romantic idea of Naruto saving vast amounts of women in a highly paternalistic and somewhat sexist manner.

Sure she hated the idea of women being helpless damsels in distress, but if Naruto was involved, she would make an exception.

_Oh, it would be so wonderful. I would be there, lying on the floor and he would come up to me, his eyes bright with concern. He would touch my cheeks gently and then smile at me, telling me that everything is ok. He would lean closer, his soft, pouty lips begging for me to kiss them. Slowly, oh so slowly, he would lean forward and then capture mine and time would stop for that one moment. And then he would slowly take off my top – _

"Hey Nai-chan! Whatcha reading? The latest Icha Icha Shotacon?"

Several heads turned to their direction and Kurenai hastily _kawirimi'd _to get out of the spotlight. She preferred to keep her perversions hidden as it didn't help that she did have the boy in question as her student. It would have been a gross breach of trust if she were to be discovered with her addiction. That is, if anyone in Konoha really cared about consensual intercourse. But we must remember that the Hyuuga were the MP's in charge of policing and they did take offence at 'outsiders' corrupting their golden boy. Except when they did it of course. Hypocrisy is a wonderful thing, especially when you exercised quasi-executive power in the village and no one could say otherwise. Except the Hokage, who was perverted enough in his own way for it not to matter too much.

"So, there you are, do you have any ideas from last time?" asked Anko hopefully as she discovered where the red eyed jounin was hiding.

"I do have one," she admitted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Scream for me bitch!" cackled Anko as she punched Mizuki across the jaw.

The chuunin groaned, especially when a kick came to his groin.

"Not again! Kami, anything but the crotch!"

"You think you were such a big man, running to Orochimaru for more power. What did you do, get on your knees and give him some love?" she taunted, making an obscene gesture with her tongue.

"Shut up," he ground out hoarsely.

The Snake Mistress grinned savagely before backhanding him to his knees, "Or, did you have to do something more... extreme to get his attentions away from all those pretty boys that he surrounds himself with. Did you have to... bend over? Spread it wide open?" she mock whispered to him, her hands making a parting gesture.

"Shut up!"

"Well, why don't you make me?" she dared.

And after months and months of torture, sensory deprivation and interrogation, Mizuki broke. His unquantifiable anger surged forward and interacted with his seal. He glowed brightly and managed to overcome the chakra deadening potions present in his system.

_Senaijashu! _(Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)

He transformed into his tiger form and growled at Anko, biting through her snakes and snarled at her.

"Well, shit, that's interesting. So you can turn into a tiger, is that all you can do?"

_Not quite, you filthy fox loving whore!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kurenai came home and sighed. Training Team Eight was getting increasingly difficult when Hinata was directly challenging her authority and pushing the boundaries like a rebellious teenager. In an odd and somewhat ironic turn of events, Naruto had to play the mediator between the two of them. Ino was caught in the middle and promptly hid when those confrontations occurred.

She flicked the switch and went into her main living room. The lights refused to turn on.

_Odd, the fuse must be broken,_ she concluded.

She moved to get candles when odd, pale yellow eyes blinked at her from the darkness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto whistled as he walked back from Ichiraku's after another massive eating contest with Choji.

_Naruto seven, Choji three_, he chuckled, patting his stomach that still remained toned despite the gorging that he had just did a few moments ago.

He was happy and walked along his regular path when a kunai came from nowhere, aimed at his head. The blond leaned away and caught the projectile in mid flight, tracing the direction that it came from to see a fleeing figure. Somewhat used to those warnings and having the suspicion it was something that Anko did on a regular basis, he shrugged until he noticed that there was a letter wrapped around the hilt.

Intrigued, Naruto unwrapped it and read the contents.

_You fucking piece of shit, otherwise known as the Kyuubi incarnate,_

_You think you were so damned smart, weren't you? Trapping me and leaving me to rot in that prison you little bastard, but how does it feel when the shoe is on the other foot now?!_

_Your snake bitch thought it was a good idea to torture and make fun of me, but here she is, whimpering away like a kicked dog. And your oh so pretty sensei is here as well. Kami, her skin is so soft that I can't help myself and get a taste of her..._

_If you want me, come alone to face me like a man. Boy. Whatever._

_Otherwise I will have a lot of fun with some not so willing kunoichi. That whore Anko always told me to scream for her, maybe I should repay the favour._

_I will be waiting in the Forrest of Death, come alone and be ready to die. Otherwise their deaths will be on your hands._

Naruto wondered how Mizuki could have broken out of ANBU holding cells and managed to capture two jounin level kunoichi's. He was going to report it to the Hokage to see if the handwriting could be confirmed when he saw three hunter-nin ANBU who went off, firing away at their hand-sign language. Naruto was coached in it by his 'Ne' tutors and recognised the message.

Escapee – High Risk – Apprehend Immediately

_Kami fucking dammit._

He made a clone and gave it the message.

"Go to the Hokage with this note. Tell him that he should do something quickly."

"You are the boss," it said before racing off.

Naruto hardened his eyes. He had a demon to slay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, how do you like it now?" leered Mizuki, who stroked Anko's face before slapping it.

The violet haired kunoichi glared at the chuunin in her bound state.

"Anko, how did he get you?" whispered a similarly tied up Kurenai.

"I got careless," admitted the kunoichi, "and it seems like the cursed seal had some kind of failsafe."

Mizuki was caught in his fantasises of getting even with Naruto. Even with the loss of his arms, his transformed state was still formidable. His legs were another issue, but it was partially compensated by his new form which was a bizarre hybrid between man and animal.

"Soon, you will see your precious boy die, and then I will have my fun," he cackled.

"So much talk, so little action," drawled Naruto as he arrived into the clearing, his eyes taking note of the hostage's position before drawing his zanpukuto.

"Ah, the demon brat finally comes," snarled the chuunin.

Naruto sweatdropped and blinked at the monstrosity in front of him, "Dude, have you seen yourself lately? You look like your mother mounted a tiger and you are their lovechild." The blond shuddered at that image before focusing back onto the traitor.

"Aarrgh! You will die for this!"

"Sure, whatever you say. Let's see how hard you can fight," taunted the jinchuuriki.

It was quick, swift and brutal. Naruto used shunpo and his dual blades to sever the remaining limbs and ended it with a blast to the chest. Mizuki was down for the count, gurgling away as blood was flooding his lungs.

Naruto scratched his head at that, wondering how easy it was.

_How the hell did he get Anko and Kurenai?_

He went over and cut them free. He was then ambushed by both kunoichi's who were desperately groping the boy, effusive with their thanks.

Operation Helpless Maiden was a complete success.

"Oh Naruto, thank you, it was so horrible," wailed Kurenai while latching onto Naruto's arm like a limpet.

"Yes, he, he, he licked my face!" sobbed Anko, grabbing onto his other arm with a vice like grip.

"He put his hand down my top and squeezed my breasts, like this!"

"You think that is bad, he forced his tongue down my throat and tweaked my nipples, like so!"

"Hah, he was stroking my thigh and pulled down his pants to – "

"Bah, he inserted his fingers –"

The two of them were engaged in a weird game of upmanship of their feigned sexual assault, exposing inch by glorious inch of their bodies to a light headed Naruto.

_Ok, this is messed up._

Kurenai gave him a smouldering look and smiled, "But the important thing is that you saved us. And we have to reward you in the right way."

Anko agreed and whispered into his ear, "Oh yes, heroes need to be treated to the Anko special."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuugao was teamed up with Setsuna so that they could better find Mizuki and place him back to prison. They eventually tracked down the traitors tracks, though they were concerned that he had entered into Kurenai's apartment and appeared to have taken her hostage along with Anko.

"You ready?" she asked, her mask absent as she was playing the part of the normal jounin in the regular forces.

Setsuna nodded.

"Ok, use your Byakugan and let me know what you see."

She flooded chakra into her eyes and gasped at what she saw.

"Setsuna, what is it?" demanded Yuugao.

The Hyuuga had her hand to her mouth as she shouted in shock, "Oh my, kami! We need to go in now!"

Anxious and concerned, the violet haired kunoichi faced her and asked, "What is it?! What's happening?!"

"No time to explain! We go now!"

They burst forward, kunai drawn and came across a sight that had featured prominently as one of Setsuna's nightmares. The ones that leave you sweating in fear, wanting to clutch onto something for reassurance and comfort.

Naruto was on the ground while being restrained by Anko, who held his arms away from each other as she laid butterfly kisses across the side of his neck, purring as she did so.

Kurenai was somewhat more restrained as she gently stroked the boy's cheeks before nuzzling her face across his.

Yuugao felt outraged and confused at the sight. Setsuna had her mouth open in surprise and jealousy.

"What, the, fuck?! Get off him you old hags!" Setsuna shouted in outrage.

She was ignored as Yuugao saw them shower her surrogate brother with lots of physical affection.

_Though, that is kinda cute and hot... No! Bad Yuugao, bad Yuugao!_

Gemna burst onto the scene and blinked when he saw the blond in the embrace of Konoha's finest.

"Damn, the kunoichi double... I haven't seen that in a while. And girl, girl guy instead of guy, guy girl. This kid is just fucking awesome. Go hit that! Hit them both!" he shouted joyfully. He much preferred the precedent of two women rather than two men.

_And older as well... I don't know whether the feel threatened or enjoy the show_, he thought, lazily chewing on his senbon in amusement.

Anko lazily waved off a furious Setsuna while continuing down Naruto's nape and gave him a love bite to mark him.

"Oh Naruto," she moaned, "I can't show you how much we appreciate you rescuing us..."

Kurenai gave a delightfully saucy grin before hugging her student closer to her, "Oh yes, but be sure that we will give our best efforts in trying to show you our… gratitude."

The jinchuuriki had his mind overloaded with sensory delight as he felt like he had died and went to heaven.

_**Kit, I demand that you cease blood flow to your penis now! Right now!**_

_... How the hell is that even possible?! _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi and Jiraiya were observing the scene with amusement and envy.

"You know, I was wondering why you did this in the first place," remarked the Professor.

Jiraiya gave a sheepish shrug before answering, "Well, I wasn't there for most of his life, so I figured I owed him a hell of a lot of presents. What is better than his own harem of aggressive, older and experienced kunoichi lusting after him?"

Sarutobi blinked at that, "True, but you do know that he had one already with the Hyuuga MP's?"

That stopped the Toad Hermit cold, "No, I didn't. How the hell did that happen?"

Sarutobi smoked his pipe before shrugging, "He treated them like human beings and they adopted him as one of their own. They are quite protective over him, especially when it seemed like Mikoto was making a move on Naruto. I think that she wanted him as the honoured son of the Uchiha's as well. But that led to a rather nasty confrontation. They don't like other people, particularly females, eyeing him."

The Sannin paled at hearing that, "Oh... that doesn't sound good."

The Hokage chuckled before nodding, "Not for you. I'd imagine they will be quite upset at you for exposing Naruto in the way that you did. Setsuna looks ready to kill everyone there and take Naruto back to the compound."

Laughing nervously, Jiraiya knew that he had to make an exit before Setsuna sought to take out her anger at him. While she had given him those pictures of Naruto for a lifetime subscription to the new series, that would be quickly forgotten when it became obvious to the effect the new novels were having. And if the entire MP force felt the same way… he couldn't hide anywhere from their lavender eyes.

_Oh nuts. Kami damned all seeing doujutsu's and feminine outrage! That's the worst possible mix ever!  
_

"Umm, if anyone asks, I am researching and spying on Akatsuki and Orochimaru, which means I won't be in Konoha for a while," he said nervously.

Raising his eyebrows, Sarutobi nodded before watching his student hurriedly exit from his office. He looked back into the orb and wondered if they were going to let Mizuki bleed out, or if Setsuna would murder anyone before the day was over.

Hinata felt on odd shiver go over her that led her to be concerned for the welfare of her not so secret crush. Hanabi developed similar feelings as they looked at each other in apprehension.

"Naru-kun ..." they both whispered at once.

Neji looked at his smitten cousins and sighed at the scene. He knew that only one person could raise such concern and affection from them. His mind's eye drew forth the image of the smiling blond swordsman, clad in his form fitting bodysuit that left very little to the imagination.

_It's like he is wearing nothing at all, nothing at all, nothing at all... _

_Stupid sexy Naruto_, he thought enviously, shuddering all the while.

**And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Jiraiya never met Naruto during his formative years. **

* * *

**A/N**

Yes, Haku is strong. She was trained since six to be a weapon. The idea that Sasuke could be faster than her was laughable. So in the spirit of making things more AU, the changes were made.

Zabuza having some dimension? Only in my fic… Authors, please take note. I read the Wave Arc and was struck again by how good it was in some ways. The art of Zabuza and a small Haku walking on the path was touching. Or maybe I am too sentimental… This must be countered with the prodigious amount of plot holes. I did my best, but things were spiraling outside my word limit. Hell, who am I kidding, I have no word limit.

And who is this mysterious M in my AU?

When I describe Naruto spinning his zanpukuto, imagine him twirling a revolver along the trigger guard. But replace revolver with his blades.

More on Gatou's enterprise in the next chapter.

The more attentive readers will notice that I changed Miku into Mutsumi.

As always read and review. I could be a bastard and say that I will not release the next chapter unless I hit one hundred reviews... but I won't. Apparently it is poor taste for me to take the story that I created and thought of and wrote in my spare time hostage. Even when I made the effort to complete it, check it and post it.

...

Ja ne.


	17. Shinobi, kunai and money

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N

People who leave anonymous reviews, please leave me a way to contact you guys and gals. I would rather not bloat my A/N's with the answers. And if you ask something insightful, it probably should remain between us.

I have to thank my betas again. You know who you are.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**_Dialogue_** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 25Aug08  
Chapter completed:10Oct08

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_The two of them blushed in unison, "Oh, how rude of us. My name is Kyoshi Ayumi and this is my sister Mitsumi."_

_Anko gave the two ladies a smirk at their attempts to hit on Naruto and suppressed a snort._

_They played the part of the ditzy rich girls to perfection. In a way they had always wanted to act spoilt and special. With a wad of cash burning a hole in their pockets, they had splashed out on expensive clothes, makeup and nearly gorged themselves on pricey meals. Naruto had carefully healed the remaining traces of their injuries from their bodies, which had earned another grateful hug and kiss. He had quickly taken a place in their hearts that wouldn't be dislodged easily, or at all._

_Bah, those hussies have no chance whatsoever, she thought confidently._

_The two of them managed to get introductions from the rest of the teams and then proceeded to monopolise Naruto's time and attention until they both intertwined their arms around his and nearly skipped the way back to Konoha. Both ladies were laughing and joking around._

_They could feel some deadly glares at their back but they could hardly care._

_They were free and had a new chance at life._

_And kami knew that they were more than anxious to repay their benefactor._

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen  
_Shinobi, kunai and money_**

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

The clink of two glasses could be heard in Danzo's office as two men celebrated their remarkable good fortune. They fell into comfortable silence, savouring the potent liquor in their mouths as they looked at their new balance sheet. The amount of money that they had was staggering and didn't fail to bring a wide smile to their face. 'Tatsu' faced the Root leader before asking a question.

"Why did you give that money to Zabuza in the first place?"

Danzo smiled before answering, "It really was a pittance in the whole scheme of things. And think of all the advantages. The whole reason why we have been so secure is that our southern flanks have been relatively safe for the last twenty years."

"Yes, the perennial civil war that strikes at Kirigakure like a recurrent STD," 'Tatsu' said dryly.

The scarred man couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Ahaha. Quite. They pretty much committed suicide by trying to wipe out their own bloodlines. A greater act of idiocy I have never seen nor heard of. Worse yet, they were successful. And in that lies their undoing."

"Oh?"

The 'Ne' leader leaned forward intently, "Think about it. Can you imagine the kind of hate that can breed in even the purest of people once they have been the subject of genocide? Those pogroms spared no one. They systematically hunted down some of the most powerful people in their nation. Did he really expect for that to have no consequences at all? And there were rumours that most females were taken as bedslaves for the Mizukage. And after being chased like dogs for so long... there is only so much that they can take. And once the seed bears fruit..."

"Kami..." whispered out 'Tatsu' in understanding.

Danzo nodded and leaned back, "It has been a long time coming. The children of the persecuted will grow into men and women. Importantly, vengeance will burn in their hearts like a fire that consumes everything. The hate will be passed on, like a torch, until the Mizukage lies dead and his name struck from the record. Maybe then they will find peace. And ironically enough, Zabuza is the person to do it."

The Root commander shrugged uneasily, "... Didn't he fail to assassinate him in the first place? That isn't a great vote of confidence..."

"True, but he was impulsive and consumed with... Actually, I don't know. He must have led some of those death squads. Maybe it was a bout of conscience."

"That's rich coming from a man who butchered his teammates before he was even a genin," pointed out 'Tatsu' with a grimace.

Danzo had to concede that point, "Yes, well, it may have been a bit too late. But the Academy program was too successful in that instance. In any event, given the circumstances it was the best time for him to strike. It was a pity that he didn't learn the lessons from the Kaguya clan, but with the Seven Swordsmen dealing with their rifts, ANBU still hunting, he was probably as vulnerable as he was ever going to be. But this time, with experience and the backing of those orphans which he will get, in one way or another, the outcome will be far more... uncertain."

'Tatsu' closed his eyes and thought of the army that Zabuza would lead, full of shattered children who grew up hard and fast with a single goal in mind. He shuddered at that and rubbed his temples.

"Do you think that they will follow him though? He probably killed more than his fair share of their parents," pointed out 'Tatsu'.

Danzo shrugged before continuing, "Who knows? Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Either way we keep Mist destabilised so that the Mizukage never turns his attention to us, or we gain the debt of the future leader if he wins," he said cynically. "I mean, if he was crazy enough to destroy his own people in his paranoia, then imagine his attitude to the rest of the world. He wouldn't even hesitate to strike out and we are on the borders. Either way, we win something. And now we can encourage these sort of insurrections through _indirect action_."

"Yes, money is a wonderful thing," conceded 'Tatsu'.

"The future of warfare, if you can afford it," smiled Danzo.

He smiled expansively before getting pensive, "I mean, it wasn't totally unforseen. There are no standing armies anymore, unlike what the semi-permanent forces under the Daimyo's control. Everyone has outsourced too much of their military power to the Hidden Villages and they will all end up paying the price."

'Tatsu' sighed, "Hell... the Wind Daimyo is an absolute idiot. He is pretty much inciting a civil war by handing over the contracts to us. Hell, it's ok in the short term, but the Kazekage will not forget that insult. And it's not like we can say no either. So we are damned if we do, and damned if we don't. What a sorry mess this all is. And there are rumours as well that they might be in bed with the Otokage..." he whispered darkly.

Danzo looked uneasily at the map he had pined up to his wall, "This works in our favour, at least in the short term. There are always dissidents fighting against the kages. Everyone needs a villain, a figure to despise and work against. We just encourage them along, as long as the money trail stays cold. We could destabilise every single nation by doing this, paying off the renegades to form nukenin armies to give them headaches."

'Tatsu' shook his head at the idea, "This is ... the ultimate in indirect action. Hell, we are only limited by the amount of money we can throw away."

"True and they would owe us a favour if they are successful. Not that it would be worth that much, these are shinobi that are kicked out of the conventional forces for a reason. Most of them are war criminals in one way or another. Murderers, rapists, thieves... the list goes on and on. In fact, pitting them against the kages with 'support' would be doing everyone a public service," he finished with satisfaction.

'Tatsu' looked over the balance sheet and scratched his head, "Hmm... how do we get enough money to keep this up? We need to get a reasonable return if we are to ... keep things afloat. And Gatou is dead, so masquerading as him will be necessary to keep those stocks solvent, until we can keep things afloat. But I do think that keeping a shipping company will be very useful, if only as a front. It will allow us a right of passage into places that would be denied generally..."

"Hmm... we could use it I guess. Sounds practical and it just might give us right of passage into other nations. But we have to move quickly. Did Gatou have a successor of sorts? Our _henge_ idea is not going to work anymore when word gets out to his demise. Wave did butcher him pretty violently. Most people don't survive being castrated, having their cock shoved into their mouth before making them eat it or choke."

Danzo winced at that, "Yes. But they did starve him before drawing and quartering him and displaying the parts in all four corners of the village. And people think shinobi are vicious..." he said with a sarcastic sigh.

'Tatsu' grinned sardonically, "What do they say, every man a tiger?"

The bandaged man nodded, "I guess so. And every rose a thorn. No one likes to feel helpless. Especially a shinobi village. In some ways, I do understand why people hate Naruto and the Kyuubi. They made their existence irrelevant in the whole scheme of things. Stupid because they are alienating a person greater than they could imagine, but oh so human at the same time," he lamented sadly. "In regards to the liquid funds, we need to find a decent person to put the capital under management. Got any suggestions?" he asked intently.

The commander narrowed his eyes in contemplation, "Maybe, in fact we could create our own investment bank if we wanted to. We just need to find the right people and given our operatives already, we could pull in some serious industrial espionage or sabotage."

Danzo took out two tumblers and filled them with cubes of ice. He took a decanter of spirits and filled them to the brim. They toasted each other and savoured the smooth liquor as it slowly burned its way down their throat.

"Why do I feel like we are fighting a new kind of war?" he asked with a sense of wonder.

"Because we are. In a way. The idea isn't new, but the ability to throw away money makes most people wince anyway. The true trick is to earn a return from it all. Kami help us and the rest of the world."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Compound  
Hyuuga Hanabi's bedroom**

Hanabi sighed as she stared at her ceiling, falling into a lethargic and despondent mood. It had been over a month since her sister and Naruto had left for their mission. Things had become uncharacteristically dull for the girl as she was deprived of the two people in her life that she liked the most.

Without Naruto there to feed her, she often found herself hungering for meals that she could no longer afford to have. She frowned at the inanity of that thought before shrugging internally. Naruto represented many things to her that she couldn't quite articulate.

...

And there was the queer feeling that she had gotten when she realised that her sister and the blond have been away together for an entire damned month. A tightening knot had developed in her stomach, her mind going into overdrive as she thought of increasingly lurid scenarios. What they had in common was that she was shunted off into a corner, an ornament that was doomed to nothing but to look at how her happiness was taken from her.

She tightened her fists as she remembered how things were not going so well for her in the Hyuuga front.

**Flashback**

"What are you doing?! That is not the correct form Hanabi!" shouted out her instructor, pushing her arms into the traditional position of the Jyuuken.

"Ano, but it is just a waste of time –"

She didn't have time to finish as she was viciously backhanded to the floor. The girl looked up in shock and surprise before seeing the visceral anger on the man's face.

"How dare you?! How dare you fly in the face of tradition with that mockery you dare call the _Jyuuken_?" he snarled viciously.

By watching Naruto, Hinata and Neji practise, Hanabi had invariably picked up on a few improvements to the Gentle Fist, which she had tried to incorporate into her style. But she was facing incredible resistance that shocked the girl.

"Our form isn't about pure battle or stopping power. Every movement is about getting closer to that connection. To find union with ourselves and our chakra. I will not let you bastardise the Jyuuken with what you are doing," he spat out with contempt.

His gimlet eyes narrowed as he stared down the fallen Hyuuga, "For over one hundred years we have been practitioners of the art. Who the hell are you to decide that it isn't good enough? How arrogant are you?"

Hanabi was silent at that.

"Tell me!? We could care less about what that branch member bastard does with his own spare time. That is irrelevant. It is bad enough that our heiress is involved with what _they _are doing."

The pure contempt that he placed on the word 'they' confused Hanabi, but she remained silent.

"But remember this. Your father may be the head of the Hyuuga Council but that doesn't mean he is the one in charge. He is merely the first among equals amongst our Council. In matters of succession, the majority of us hold sway on who is to be named the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan."

Hanabi's eyes grew wide at the implications. Her father had always seemed like a larger than life figure that stood and represented them all. But the man's words had too much truth for her to ignore.

"And in the name of tradition and stability, the first born is usually named at birth to be the successor. That would be your sister Hinata."

Once again, the word 'Hinata' was spat out with distaste. She narrowed her eyes at the insult to her sister.

Her instructor grinned internally.

_Now it's time to drive the wedge in deep._

"But things change. Nothing is ever set in stone. While tradition is revered, talent and merit supersedes that. The council does not approve of Hinata bastardising our style. She can do what she wants, but she cannot be surprised when they strip her of her title. And give it to someone else."

_Someone else..._

"Somebody who deserves it because they know how to respect and pay tribute to the history of our clan. We were the first to come here with the Legions of the First Empire. We fought with honour and distinction, so that we were given the privilege of the Imperial Charter. Why anyone would abandon such a legacy is beyond me."

Hanabi stood up slowly, trying to absorb the implications of what was being said.

"And you must know that there can only be one. For two siblings born, one leads while the other serves. That is the Hyuuga way."

The stark truth of the matter lashed out at Hanabi's insecurities.

She knew that one day it would be her or Hinata that would get the brand. Her father had been delaying it with his considerable influence, but one day the Council would push and a decision had to be made. While being the heiress would have many responsibilities and duties attached, there would have been many benefits. In her mind, not having a seal grafted on her forehead was one. The other related to a blond that lived under the same roof as her.

She knew that Naruto was special. Not just anyone was invited to live with the premier clan in Konoha, even if he did save Hinata. The security implications were enormous. She had looked over the records to see if there was any precedent like this. She found absolutely nothing. The farthest that the clan had ever gotten to was a debt of honour being acknowledged. So it meant that either Naruto was the son of an unbelievably important person or he possessed something that the Hyuuga had wanted.

Little did she know that she hit the target on all two guesses.

"Now get up and assume the proper positions."

She did so, a new determination flaring in her heart to surpass her sister.

With her freedom and love at stake, she would fight for it with everything that she had.

**End flashback**

So she lay there, waiting for something to happen. It wasn't an odd occurrence that she wouldn't be spending time with anybody her age as she was effectively isolated from nearly anyone else. Neji wasn't particularly talkative and just wasn't a fun person to be around. She looked at her peers with disdain as she considered them all to be thoughtless children, especially Konohamaru who managed to creep her out every time he pretended to be like Naruto.

While she appreciated other people realising how awesome her friend was, it was just not right seeing the Trio bugging the jinchuuriki around Konoha. Besides the fact that it ate up valuable 'Hanabi time', it was somewhat embarrassing as well to see a cardboard box trail the two of them in an attempted ambush. Her patented glare of death (perfected over years of staring down people who sneered at Naruto for no reason from his shoulder) did little to deter the boy who seemed oblivious to her actions.

Neji knocked on her door and opened it after she gave him the ok.

"Yes Neji-san?"

"Hiashi-sama received word from the Hokage. It seems that Naruto and Hinata are currently being debriefed and will be coming home shortly."

Her eyes lightened up at that knowledge and she jumped to her feet with a cheer. She then realised that Neji was still in the room and pretended like her outburst never occurred. Neji had to hide a smirk as he looked impassively ahead.

"By your leave. I am sure that you have things to do."

Hanabi nodded absentmindedly as she went through several plans in her head.

_What to wear? What to wear?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto walked with the rest of Team Eight as they had given a short oral debrief with the Hokage. A written report was being prepared by Kurenai later on as the mission had escalated into unbelievable proportions.

As they neared the Hyuuga compound he was greeted by thirty kilograms of flying girl. Who was incidentally dressed in a free flowing summer dress that just managed to reach her knees.

In a flying hug/glomp tackle, Hanabi managed to land crotch first on Naruto's face.

She looked down at him and blushed slightly, "Hello Naruto-kun. I missed you," she said winsomely.

"Mmphhhh," muttered out the blond as he couldn't quite speak properly in his current position.

"Pardon?" she asked mischievously.

Naruto tried to speak through the cloth that muffled his voice, "Mmphhh!"

Kurenai shook her head in amusement and took pity on the boy, "Hanabi-chan, you might want to get up so he can speak."

The girl looked down, wrinkled her forehead in contemplation and then shook her head, "No, I think I quite like the view from here," she said resolutely.

"Mmphhhh!" protested out Naruto to no avail.

The vibrations sent a slight shiver across her, which was by no means unpleasant. She looked quizzically down and wondered what would happen if she rubbed up and down –

Before she was lifted up by Ino with a smirk on her face.

"Woah, down there little girl. You're going to choke Naruto if you keep that up," she admonished while shaking her head.

She huffed at the interference but when she saw Naruto's red face she acknowledged that even Naruto needed to breathe once in a while. She settled for a hug as she mischievously scrambled onto his shoulder for her favourite vantage point.

"Dammit Hanabi-chan , aren't you getting a bit old for this?" complained the blond boy.

"Nope," she disagreed happily, pulling on his hair like it was a set of handlebars from a bicycle.

"Naruto-kun, who is that girl that's riding you?" asked Ayumi.

"Oh, she's just a friend," answered the jinchuuriki casually.

Hanabi growled and put some more pressure on his locks, pulling at it like a warning gesture if he didn't say the right things.

"Umm... a childhood playmate?" he tried again with a grin.

Hanabi pulled viciously, nearly taking off a clump of hair.

"Oww!" Naruto rolled his eyes and decided to mess with the Hyuuga some more, "Ok, she is really the little annoying sister of a close friend. Nothing more."

Hanabi's eyes were twitching at this stage and she reached for his whiskers.

"Ack no! Not again in public!" he said in a panic, trying to dislodge her by moving around in circles.

_Public?_ Thought everyone present.

She smirked before moving up to his ears, "You. Owe. Me," she whispered throatily.

"What? Why?" demanded the boy.

Her eyes started to tear up as she remembered the loneliness and sheer boredom she had to deal with when he was gone, "You left me alone with Neji. And he decided to get fatalistic again," she said with a sob.

The blond groaned before rubbing his temples.

_Dammit, I thought I knocked that crap out of him!_

But she brightened up considerably now that the swordsman was back in Konoha, "Let's all celebrate by going to Matsuri's! You're paying of course," she added as a seeming afterthought.

Naruto spluttered at that as they walked off back into the compound.

Mitsumi rolled her eyes and looked at Kurenai, "Ara, so, do people in Konoha generally greet people with a crotch to the face?" she asked drily.

The jounin coughed slightly before shaking her head, "No, that is solely reserved for some ... special people I guess. That is Hinata's sister. She is like, two years younger is it?"

The Hyuuga heiress nodded her head in a distracted motion, "Yes, that is right. Excuse me sensei, but I must greet my father and let him know that I have returned."

Ino said goodbye as she walked off to find her parents as well. The two sisters looked a bit lost as they took in Konoha. At first appearance, it looked like any other shinobi village, but there was a difference that they could appreciate. Unlike other places that had an undertone of danger and distrust, Konoha was in many ways open and bathed in sunlight. After growing up in a perpetually hazy and dreary place like Kirigakure, it was a very welcome change. Their pale skin had tanned up nicely during their travels and they looked forward to spending more time outdoors.

"Do you have any place to stay?" asked Kurenai with some interest.

"Ara, well, we think we will buy a house when we can. But for now, a hotel sounds lovely," replied Mitsumi.

Ayumi giggled before smiling happily, "And then I think I will join Naruto for some dinner. Could you tell me where this Matsuris is?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Central real estate office**

The two Kyoshi sisters peered into the window of the spacious office, peering intently at the prices of the various houses that were on the market. Naruto was gazing longingly at Teuchi's ramen stand but was shackled to the spot when he rather foolishly agreed to escort Ayumi and Mitsumi for their shopping trip.

_Never. Again. _

**_Honestly kit, you figured that you would learn from experience. Do you not remember those times with Yugito?_**

_... I hoped that it was just her. I was wrong. So wrong. Why did I have to be so wrong? _

Ayumi hummed and made some notes to her notepad before commenting, "Hmm, real estate is kinda cheap here. I mean, this is a shinobi village and might be attacked at any time, but still, how do they make any money at all?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "I guess it is in the rent. It costs more to hire the place out than to stay here. I guess it makes sense. Most shinobi are paranoid and want to keep moving, even at home. They must get their margins from there."

"Ara, wouldn't it make more sense for people to buy a bunch of houses and then lease it out to people?"

The blonde nodded his head slowly, "I guess so. I think some of them do that. But it does take a lot of money at one time to buy a house. It would be impossible for most people. But you that could do it I guess. So, you find a nice place yet?" he finished hopefully.

"Ara, we figured that you would come with along and tell us what areas to avoid and all that," said Mitsumi innocently.

"Errr, sure, why not?" he conceded like a man condemned.

Both sisters intertwined their arms around his as they herded him towards the locations that they had in mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Kyoshi Residence**

After much agonising and indecision, the two sisters managed to buy a house and move in. That necessitated another trip to find furniture to suit the house that led Naruto into more manual labour duties. The blond wanted to create a large hole in the wall to move everything in easier, which was firmly rejected by the twins. He pouted before sending his shadow clones to figure it out. They went into the kitchen where Naruto started to take out some documents that caught their attention.

"What is it that you want us to do again?" asked Ayumi with a suggestive grin.

The blond smirked at them before speaking coyly, "I don't want you to do anything."

"Ara? I swear that you mentioned something about counting..." started Mitsumi with a lollipop in her mouth.

Naruto scratched the back of his head before answering, "Oh that, well it's just an idea. You might like it or you might not..." he hedged slowly.

"Come on, spit it out Naruto-kun," said Ayumi playfully.

"Well, ever heard of something called accounting?" he asked hopefully.

Both of them shuddered instinctively, holding each other in quizzical fear.

"Ara... that was odd," observed Mitsumi in wonder.

Her sister agreed, "Yeah, it was like some sort of dirty word, just like the word c-"

The jinchuuriki interrupted at that point, "Well, yeah, it sounds terrible but I hear that there is quite a demand for it, considering how money controls everything. And if you are the one that counts it and sees if it is all there..."

"Hmm... well it sure beats fucking a guy for nothing at all," admitted Ayumi.

Naruto winced at how bluntly she said it and wondered if she wasn't irreparably damaged in some way.

_Hell, who am I kidding? I'm sure what they went through was soul changing. I'm just trying to do my best with what I have, but, but it might not be enough..._ he thought sadly.

Mitsumi recognised the sad look in Naruto's eyes and quickly changed the topic, shooting her sister a meaningful look that made Ayumi wince. She shrugged helplessly as Naruto seemingly busied himself with some paperwork before he handed it to them.

"Here, take a look. I mean, you could retire on that money you have already. But... I would get bored just lying around all day. Anyway, I got to go so I'll catchya later," he finished with a small smile. He waved to them and jumped outside the window, missing the admiring stares as he exited the building.

"Sis..." began Mitsumi.

"Yeah?"

"Is it wrong for me to be attracted to Naruto?" she asked in a distracted manner.

_Well considering that I have the same feelings, if not stronger_, "Yes, it is wrong and terrible of you. Find a guy your own age."

"... Hypocrite!" she accused.

"Slut!" returned Ayumi.

"Whore!"

The argument continued for a few more minutes before the two of them shrugged with a grin and looked at the documents lying on the desk.

_Thank you for reading this brochure. We would like to take this opportunity to promote Konoha's Chartered Accountancy Program, especially our Forensic Accounts division._

Ayumi shrugged, "Well, what else could we do? Be ramen waitresses?"

Mitsumi looked contemplative at that suggestion, "I don't know. I hear Naruto does have a thing for that girl, what's her name again? Sounds like yours Ayumi."

"Ayame I think. Hmm... well it can't be worse than –"

Mitsumi had had enough and interjected, "Please, don't say that again. You know how much it hurts Naruto. Why can't you just let it go?" she pleaded.

Ayumi hung her head before sighing, "I – I don't know. It's like; it's like something I just can't let go of, no matter how hard I try. I mean, we are living in Konoha, Konoha! This place, it, it is so peaceful. It's so different, but I can't help but compare it to where we were before. It is like the gods have blessed this place and a tenshi came and saved us from our hell..."

Mitsumi grinned evilly and whispered into her ear, "Ara, I hear that Naruto does have wings."

"Really?! Oh my, that, that is pretty kinky..." said Ayumi dreamily.

Mitsumi laughed at her sister, "Oh come on, find a boy your own age!"

"Make me you old hag!"

Naruto just walked away with a low buzzing in his ears that made him wince at times.

_People have git to stop talking about me._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Kyoshi residence  
Some time later **

The two sisters were pouring over the documents as they had invited Naruto to their place for a free lunch. Never one to pass on a free meal, especially after Hanabi had cleaned him out a week before, the boy agreed and was lying on the couch in post meal bliss. He was in a happy daze, humming contentedly as he slowly fell into a nap.

"Hey sis, I think I found something..." began Ayumi.

"Ara?"

"I mean, things look good. In fact way too good to be true. The debits and credits matched up, with no need for dirty surplus items. But... it's too clean."

"I know. But the statements are missing something. There is a cash flow that can't be explained or reconciled. I mean, look at these disbursements and payments to third parties. It looks like a ... dummy corporation where liabilities have been shuttled off..."

"Yeah, that is weird. Let me get the past statements as well."

The two of them consulted the voluminous documents and found the exact irregularity on all of them.

"These, stem back right to the beginning. Kinda. I mean, there were large losses taken by the account. But they just disappeared in the next statement. But, these amount to the ... kami."

They looked at each other in surprise.

"I – I can't believe that somebody tried to screw over the Uchiha's..."

Naruto stood up and looked at their findings with a confused expression on his face.

"Umm... I don't get it," he confessed.

The two sisters sighed and tried to explain it again.

Naruto had a thoughtful look on his face before shrugging again, "... How about I take your word for it?"

Mitsumi shook her head in mock dismay before rubbing her temples, "Fine, fine. So it all points to a single fact. The Uchiha steward has been a very bad boy. He first of all took some very, very bad investments and lost a lot of capital. And afterwards, he managed to get it all back, but then decided to squirrel it away. He has been skimming the profits quite nicely for the last few years and hasn't reported it all, so it's probably in an off balance sheet account. There is no way to know how much is left, unless we get an account of profits. And possibly an injunction as well. Plus damages for all sorts of things. Do you even have lawyers or advocates in Konoha?"

Naruto shook his head slowly, "Maybe, but it's more of a might makes right kinda things still. We could bring this up with the Hokage, but it seems to be a ... civilian jurisdiction thing. I don't know much about these kind of things, but we would have to let Mikoto-san know of this. How the hell could that bastard rob from them..."

The two sisters nodded at that. It was one of the tales that had made itself commonly known throughout Konoha. There was a bizarre sense of disgust yet pride that Uchiha Itachi had singlehandedly massacred his own family. It was like they were satisfied that the only person who could have done the deed was a Konoha nin. Nukenin. Whatever.

"Are you sure of this?" asked Naruto, pacing the room as he tried to find a way to tell this to Sasuke's mother.

_Heya Mikoto. How are you? Did you know that your steward has been robbing you blind while you were unaware for six years?_

_That is not going to go down well at all._

The two females took some offense to the implied question to their competence and huffed slightly at it, "Yes, we triple checked everything with an extra fine teeth comb. Trust us Naruto, we know that we are right."

"Ano ano... I just have to be sure. So, do you want to tell her?"

Mitsumi smiled nervously at him before shaking her head, "Ara... no."

The blond rolled his eyes before facing Ayumi.

"Err... I will if you go with me and hold my hand at the same time," she said hopefully.

Naruto sighed before offering his hand to the grinning girl, "Fine, let's do this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto always had a soft spot for Uchiha Mikoto. It was in part because of the way she carried herself. She was always so dignified and graceful that he felt absolutely clumsy in her presence. She had possessed all the qualities that the blond had wanted in a mother and he subconsciously projected that unto her. And it was a clear fact to nearly everyone but Sasuke that she deeply loved her son.

And he was deeply jealous of that in some ways. Their relationship had only deepened when she had taken him and Hinata into her Crimson Flame Initiative. Naruto discovered the wicked sense of humour that she had possessed that was only shown to those close to her. Mikoto found herself being drawn by the jinchuuriki's maturity, insight and conscience.

And again she had to wonder to how any mother could abandon Naruto. He was open with his feelings and shared a devilish sense of humour that put a smirk on her face at times. Though there were times that she saw something ageless and hard in the boy that gave her concern. She knew that he had issues with Kushina that were not going to end nicely at all. She didn't know who to pity more.

Naruto for the feelings that would break free of his carefully constructed constraints.

Kushina for the new one that her son would rip into her.

The Uchiha matriarch knew that forgiveness had limits. Not even Naruto was a saint in that regard. And that act of betrayal was all too personal and painful for him to ever get over it.

To forgive and forget were not options open right now.

She hoped that maybe, just maybe, both of them could get over their demons. She knew Kushina well enough, being rather close friends with her until things derailed. While highly emotional and outgoing, she wasn't capricious enough to leave Naruto to his own devices without some sort of rational reason.

While she herself struggled to find one to excuse the red haired kunoichi, she knew that there must have been a reason. Because if there wasn't one...

She would have lost all her respect for her.

_Or ... maybe it was all for the best. Maybe the Naruto that we know and love now is the product of everything good and bad that has happened to him. He lost his family and regained people close to him. He knows the pain of losing people, of having bonds being broken. Hell, he could have ended up as a loud idiot with no idea of what the world around him was really like if Kushina didn't do what she did. I don't think that his maturity or thoughtfulness were a part of him normally. It seemed to be the product of life experience._

She looked at Sasuke at times and wondered how two people could be so similar but so different at times.

Her son had spent a large part of his time brooding over what had occurred over in Wave. The loss of his finger was nothing too major, but the fact was revealed that he wasn't the top dog anymore.

He, the Uchiha genius was overshadowed by the enigmatic blond swordsman who revealed that he was probably as strong as a jounin. And the worse thing was that he wasn't even conscious to see it all happen. And neither was Kakashi.

_Dammit, what is his secret!_ He railed in his mind.

It was intolerable, the ignorance. It was also hardly fair in his mind as well. He had a doujutsu that was feared throughout the Elemental Nations, yet Naruto had possessed some sort of bloodline that made him a stand alone killer.

_And to take a Raikiri to the chest and live..._

He was a metaphorical tank that could handle punishment after punishment.

_Who the hell are you Naruto?_

Said blond waltzed into the compound and knocked politely. Ayumi gave a low whistle at the splendour of the residence and shook her head in amazement.

The Uchiha were granted many favours and enticements when they had laid down their arms against the Senju. Along with the Hyuuga et al, entire sections of the northern quadrant were given to them to establish into their own hamlets. It was a miniature village at times, but unlike the Hyuuga quarters, it was eerily silent.

And Ayumi realised that this was the place where it had all happened. When Itachi became the greatest criminal that Konoha had ever produced.

_Kinslayer._

Throughout the rest of the world the name Itachi was synonymous with madness. Entire clans were now leery of teaching their children too much, of pushing them too far just in case they became serial killers in the same mould as the raven haired nukenin.

Of course the odds of that were quite low. His doujutsu was a decisive factor, but still the fear was always there. The prevailing mood was that it was safer to be vigilant and careful than sorry.

She looked uneasily at the empty corridors and walkways, trying to envisage how it might have been when it was fully populated. But in its eerie silence, she couldn't help but feel that it was a mausoleum, a monument to a shattered clan placed in the jaws of extinction.

_Kami, how can they bear to live in such an area? The memories alone..._ She shuddered at the thought. Naruto looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong," he asked.

"Eh, nothing. Don't you find it is a bit creepy being here? I mean, they all... passed away. I think I can see some of the blood stains still..."

Naruto gave a sad look to where she was pointing to. Itachi's seemingly pointless actions were a mystery to everyone. They had all postulated theories and hypotheses, but none of them quite fit the profile.

Hell, the best explanation was that he did it because he could.

Danzo hadn't quite shared the history of animosity between Konoha's premier clans to Naruto. He wanted Naruto to make the connections himself as a test of sorts.

"We cannot run away from the past. Terrible things happen, but if that overwhelms us..." Naruto trailed off, looking around him before continuing, "Then we lose. I guess they are keeping up appearances..."

Mikoto was sorting through a pile of paperwork, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear as the numbers and letters sought to overwhelm her.

_Third notice. Final notice. Commencement of legal proceedings if there is non compliance._

She closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears gathering in her eyes. She was just so tired of looking at the red. Her steward had inundated her with documents which required her attention. And all of it was bad news in one way or another.

The worst were the offers of marriage that made their way monthly to her. While normally she would feel flattered, she knew better. They were there for one reason only and it didn't make her feel comfortable. The Hokage had decided to let such matters lie to her discretion, and the day that he would let the Council foist a betrothal on one of Konoha's founding clans would be the day he proscribed each member and left them to hang.

_Hell, the only reason they want me is because of –_

_Too many reasons. Prestige. The revival of the clan. Our 'assets'. Me._

She was aware that she was a stunningly attractive woman. The leers and appreciative stares were things that she had gotten used to after puberty. But being looked at like a piece of meat by most males had turned her off.

_I am not some commodity to be traded dammit!_

That in part explained why she stayed single for so long. She played the part of the 'grieving widow' perfectly. And at times she did wonder how Sasuke would take to having a step father.

_... Badly I would imagine._

She heard a knock and quickly got up; seizing on the excuse to avoid the bad news on her desk as she quickly looked herself over in the mirror. Finding herself to be presentable, she made her way to greet her guests. Their compound still had some servants, so hopefully they would be seated in her foyer. She soon came into sight and saw a blond teenager chatting with a brown haired girl to his left.

She smiled at the sight, always happy to see Naruto in her house. She stood back and watched him for a few more moments.

She knew all about Wave, the bridge and the fallout afterwards. While she knew that Naruto was a competent swordsman, the fact that he had an advanced and unknown 'bloodline' was intriguing the say the least. Of course, when it was revealed that Kakashi had accidentally thrust his Lightning Edge into the jinchuuriki, she nearly lost it and threw the jounin out of her house. It took all of her self control to speak civilly afterwards. The realisation that he could have been killed by friendly fire was very... uncomfortable.

It was a sad fact, but a shinobi battle was confusing by its very nature. It was all about misdirection, mobility and excessive use of force at times. Targets became blurred in battle, where the urge to fire at every moving object was undeniable. That was one of the reasons why most elemental jutsus were not taught to the students in the Academy. Any wide area affect ninjutsu was released slowly to the genin under their jounin senseis. They were impulsive enough in the first place that giving them an arsenal of techniques was tantamount to negligence. Friendly fire happened too often that the senior ranks had made a policy of not going too deeply into chakra techniques unless it was under the discretion of a responsible shinobi.

Of course that didn't stop her from shooting icy glares at the Copy Nin every so often. Kakashi was growing used to the disgusted looks being thrown at him. As a jounin sensei, the fact that he had did it to a student not under his instruction had seriously tarnished his reputation. The guilt that he carried in the first place was heavy enough already. He didn't need people like Anko or Yuugao adding to it.

The fact that the teen was still alive and well brought a warm feeling into her heart. Though things were extremely awkward during their meetings where the Copy Nin was present. The blond had excused himself from turning up, as strictly speaking he didn't need to be there.

And if she thought that she was angry, Hyuuga Hinata was absolutely murderous. She just hid it well under her placid exterior but Mikoto understood the signs unique to females when they were deeply pissed off. The veiled looks, the slight shaking of her arms and legs, the subtle way that she made him repeat instructions over and over again...

She cleared her head at those thoughts and wondered why Naruto was here in the first place. She walked in and smiled at the two, realising that she had not met the girl that was with him. Both of them stood up and bowed in unison, a grin on the corner of their mouths as Mikoto fought the urge to roll her eyes at the act.

"Oh please, why so formal Naruto-kun?"

Naruto chuckled before rubbing the back of his head, "Well, it seems like the proper thing to do."

Her eye ticked at that, "What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, nothing, nothing at all!" he tried to reassure the Uchiha, wondering if he had unintentionally insulted her in any way.

Inside Mikoto was grinning at the whole scene, thinking that she had teased him enough.

"And I do not believe that I have met your friend over there. Would you care to introduce her to me?"

"Oh, yes. Ayumi, this is Uchiha Mikoto, the head of the Uchiha clan, mother of a certain broody duck haired teme and the nicest lady you have ever seen," said Naruto with an absolutely straight face.

Ayumi was amused that he had insulted Sasuke right in front of his mother, but tried to suppress her giggles as she saw Mikoto fighting her urges to roll her eyes and whack Naruto on the back of his head.

_No, that would be too... unseemly. But I can always –_

"Mikoto-san, this is Kyoshi Ayumi, my friend. She likes ... long walks on the beach, back rubs and lots and lots of ramen."

"I can see why you two are friends Kyoshi-san," said Mikoto, gracing her with a warm smile.

_Kami, she is so beautiful... _thought Ayumi, just dazed at how classically good looking Mikoto actually was. She had heard tales and stories told about the matriarch, but words just didn't do justice to her beauty. Her long hair reached her tailbone as it shimmered in the light like liquid darkness. Her fine cheekbones and flawless skin made her seem so much younger than she actually was. Combined with a mega watt smile and warm brown eyes, she had no doubt that she was a fine catch for anyone.

In fact, she felt oddly insecure in her presence as she unconsciously compared herself with Mikoto. Her figure was blessed with her youth, but there was only so much that Naruto could heal after several years of damage. She knew that she was good looking, but not stunning. One of her main attractions was the fact that she was a twin sister. While not exactly identical, there was an attraction that most men seemed to have towards them. Individually they were hot, but together they were stunning.

Even Naruto was not immune to their combined charms. Except that he was probably the only guy that they were willing to have sex with at the same time. As soon as he gave the slightest invitation that he was interested... The word willing did not begin to describe how the fireworks were going to fly at that event.

'Mi' and Jiraiya would have been proud.

But when she saw the wistful looks on Mikoto's face whenever she looked at Naruto, she had to wonder if there wasn't something going on between the two of them. She couldn't have known that she regarded the jinchuuriki as the son that she never had and possibly desperately wanted.

_Dammit, like we needed more competition on the scene_, she pouted internally.

"So what brings you here to my humble house Naruto-kun?" she asked gently.

Ayumi had the awful feeling that Naruto was going to handball her onto Mikoto and looked at him with her doe like eyes. She was right and the blond cursed himself for his inability to fight it off.

_He he he. Score._

"Well, umm... you see. I was kinda doing some research and found something not quite right."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, ahh... I didn't really understand it myself, but I brought it to Ayumi who is a chartered accountant. Or something. She would be the best person to explain it to you."

_Oh well, at least it wasn't such a cold referral._

Mikoto drew her attention to the brunette sitting next to Naruto. She was pretty in a wholesome way, having a nice figure and a demureness that most men would have found to be attractive. She caught the surreptitious stares that she gave the blond and she smirked inwardly.

_Oh Naruto-kun. What a lady killer you will be when you are older. If only Sasuke could get half the attention that you get from girls..._

"Umm... well Mikoto-san, I think the best way for me to explain this is to give you this document," she said, pushing a sheaf of papers across the table.

Intrigued, the Uchiha took them and flicked over the pages. Her face changed from confusion to distrust as she saw her financial information that was supposed to be confidential in the hands of a stranger.

"How did you get this?" she asked coldly.

Ayumi gulped at the rather harsh question and looked at Naruto.

The boy gulped before scratching the back of his head.

**Flashback**

"Naruto, how close are you to Uchiha Mikoto?"

"Well, I think she likes me. And she hasn't even made a move to touch my birthmarks yet."

Danzo rolled his eyes at that and motioned for the boy to sit down.

_Lord, is that how he judges his relationship with women?_

"We have a little enterprise that we need your help with."

"Ok, what is it?" asked Naruto slowly.

"We need a legitimate front for our new venture. It is along the lines of an investment bank."

"Eh?"

"Well, it's complicated and you don't need to worry about the details. But what we need are large capital reserves and the right kind of reputation. There is only one real clan that can help 'Ne' pull this off. And that would be the Uchiha's."

The blond blinked before asking, "What's wrong with the Hyuuga?"

"Well, in many ways they are too conservative to risk their money in this enterprise. And they have this weird aversion to being known as traders. It stems back to something long ago and the fact that they consider themselves to be 'old money'."

That confused the boy even further, "What's old money?"

"They have this quaint idea that they inherited everything from their ancestors and don't need to work for it. In fact, working for it is seen as shameful."

"... That doesn't make any sense to me."

"Well, we are talking about the same clan that brands its own family members like cattle," observed Danzo dryly.

"... Touché," said Naruto with a hint of bitterness.

Filing that away for future reference, Danzo laid back and continued, "The Uchiha have the name and the resources to make this work. They did command and own immense pieces of property in the most profitable districts. But there has been something odd going on."

"Like?"

"The fact that they seem like veritable paupers for one. Most debts are extinguished upon death, if the estate cannot pay it out. Any remainder just lapses. One of the concessions to the founding clans was that they were given a separate legal identity, much like a corporation. They are theoretically immortal, hold property and bring an action in their own name."

"So, you're saying that even if Itachi had killed off all of the Uchiha, they still would have existed? How the hell does that work?"

"Well, in a nominal sense, yes. It would essentially be put under administration until a successor could have been found. So that means Itachi redeeming himself somehow, or having the ANBU capture him and drain him of his semen."

Naruto winced at that thought.

"Yes, unpleasant but necessary. In any event, the debts should not exist anymore, nor should there be any claim on the main assets of the clan as it didn't technically belong to anyone member to be secured over any one individual loan. But after doing some... research there has been irregularities."

"What kind?"

"The ones involving fraud and misappropriation. We have it on good authority that the Uchiha steward has been taking bribes and skimming off the investment income for the last five years. Plus bizarre sales that are never accounted for."

Naruto's eyes blazed with anger, "That... that fucker! They lost their entire family and he still thinks to do this?!"

Somewhat surprised by his outburst, the 'Ne' leader sipped his tea as he contemplated his next words.

"Yes, but you can do something about it. If you can reveal it to her then she would be fairly grateful towards you. And given the control back over her finances, one of us can approach her with our offer to form UBK."

"UBK?"

"Yes, the Union Bank of Konoha. Catchy isn't it?"

"I swear that I have heard of something similar to that..."

**End flashback**

Playing the part of the good Samaritan came easily to Naruto and he had managed to give his pilfered statements to the sisters. In fact, he had tried to bribe the steward to get the accounts which worked just as well. That saved him a lie and he just laid back and watched the girls do their work. He wasn't disappointed by their efforts.

Of course, Naruto had to pull off another hard and fast conversation as he needed to diffuse Mikoto's suspicion.

"Well, you see. I always wondered why one of the richest clans in the village was always so poor."

That stopped Mikoto cold, "Poor?!"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I mean, Sasuke always wore the same clothes over and over again. I always thought it was weird..."

The Uchiha rubbed her temples before sighing, "Sasuke has always been quite partial to that outfit. He has many pairs of it. But it wouldn't kill him to have some variety in his wardrobe," she muttered under her breath.

Naruto smirked before she shot him an exasperated look, "And you are not any better Mr Black Jumpsuit."

"Hey! I wear the MP uniform as well," shot back Naruto defensively.

"Yes, _uniform_. Would it kill you to wear something different and not black or white for once?" she teased, a lively look in her eyes took any insult from her words.

"Eh, what's wrong with black or white? Though I have always wanted to go back to that orange jumpsuit," he remembered fondly.

Mikoto suppressed a shudder as she had vague memories of that monstrosity that shouted out 'Kill me now and increase the average intelligence of the Elemental Nations!' Ayumi just marvelled at how Naruto had diverted her concerns by his rambling but disarming nonsense as he skirted the issue.

_Then again, that is one his charms. He can make a situation lighter if he puts his mind to it._

"So, I decided to, uh, investigate and see what was going on."

"Ok, I am somewhat flattered that you cared about our family that much. But how did you get the documents in the first place?"

"Well, I approached your steward and he said that I had to pay for it like everyone else."

_What?!_

"I asked him how much and he said he had sold at least fifty copies for five hundred each. There was no way that a few pieces of paper would be that much, so you really have to stop him from cheating people like that," said an 'oblivious' Naruto.

Mikoto's face froze up in anger.

**_Kit, just lay it on a bit more. I must say, you are pretty good at this._**

_Well, I did have a good teacher..._

**_Not good. The best. And don't you forget it._**

..._ You like taking credit for things don't you?_

He felt her chuckle and embrace him from behind. He fought the urge to shiver under her phantom touch.

"So I offered him fifty and he took it. I gave it to Ayumi and her sister over there and they found funny things."

Her interest was now peaked as she finally took stock of the records. She never did bother to read them before, leaving it to her steward. She had entrusted the matter to his discretion, that he would look out for her interests. But as she looked over the numbers, something became clear.

There were irregularities. And they became larger and larger as time had gotten along.

She was always told that there was a large deficit owed by the debts of the deceased Uchiha. And that he had to refinance them and take out another debt to consolidate it. But with the amended advice in her hands, she had to wonder.

There were very convenient entries that didn't make sense. There were expenses that were illogical and irrelevant.

_What on earth is happening?_

And then her eyes came to the remuneration paid to the Steward. Her eyes widened in outrage as she crumpled the scroll in her hands

"That... that – that motherfucking son of a bitch!" she cursed out in outrage.

The blond raised his eyebrows at the vulgarity. Naruto had always admired Mikoto for keeping her cool, even in the face of adverse tragedy. But to see the righteous anger on her face, it was terrifying and inspiring at the same time. Her delicate face had flared into a sudden hardness that was scary in its seemingly incongruous state. Her doujutsu seemingly glowed as her tomoe started to rotate, gaining speed and angular momentum as she let her anger overwhelm her. Her knuckles went white as she tried to control her breathing that incidentally did very interesting things to her chest that Naruto tried not to stare at. It was a wholly unsuccessful attempt as she stood up and started pacing the room.

She had deactivated her Sharingan and briskly strode out of the door. She then went back to grab the two of them.

"Hey, where are we going?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Fujisawa Emoshima's residence **

Emoshima smiled happily as he admired the new porcelain stallion that now graced his mantelpiece. He sat back on his lounge and indulged in a shot of cognac, savouring the sweet burn of the brandy as it went down oh so smoothly. It was another expensive affectation that he had developed, an imported luxury that he enjoyed at the expense of the Uchiha's.

He mused on his situation, wondering how things had ended up this way. When the Sharingan wielding clan had fallen so suddenly and unexpectedly, many people were shocked and were nervous. The loss of one of the premier fighting forces and active deterrents left them scared and uncertain.

But a rather unexpected problem had arisen when it was discovered that the Uchiha's had tried their hand in the developing financial markets. They had taken massive loans for side projects that were never quite made clear. The banks and credit unions were all too happy to lend them the capital, not really caring about what it was used for. It was secured by their name.

_Hell, that was enough in Konoha. No one could have expected that Itachi would take parricide to a new level._

There were some loans that were secured over property, but when nearly all of the mortgagors had died, things became a bit confusing. The separate legal identity doctrine had effectively insulated the clan from any one debt of their individual members. The legality of it was a bit disputed, but the effect of various charters and constitutions stated that all debts of clan members were personal in nature. This was supplemented by the fact that no individual person owned property; it was all owned by the clan as a whole. So those secured mortgages were not actually worth the paper that it was written on as the individuals never owned the land in the first place.

It was a rather technical piece of work that Emoshima was quite proud of. He had fought long and hard to be appointed as the Uchiha Steward. Things were spiralling out of control as Mikoto tried to keep things together so she asked the Hokage for some assistance. He suggested that she retain a trustee administrator, a steward to take care of her affairs as she pursued her Crimson Flame Initiative.

And through a combination of good luck, persuasion and timing Emoshima found himself in the lucrative position of being in charge of the Uchiha finances. He was hit long and hard initially by the creditors, all demanding repayment of the monies owing. He had tried to settle them with what he had, but with no cash flow coming he was hard pressed to satisfy them at all. He had tried to invest in a few ventures that worked out dismally, but not bad enough that they were public knowledge.

He had gotten quite desperate such that he managed to fudge the numbers to make it appear that he was doing a good job. He then hurriedly gotten some legal advice that had penned the whole argument that had shocked the lenders into silence. With much satisfaction, he told them that all debts were extinguished, and if they made anymore noise about it he would seek an order seeking restitution for the repayments made by mistake on the grounds of unjust enrichment. Knowing that they were beaten, they had sullenly backed off. He still made some payments to them in order to gain some favour, which they accepted with rather pathetic gratefulness.

This left Emoshima in a rather odd position where he could actually make some money. So he did. He had made some interesting investments, including one in the emerging Gatou Corporation, which made a very tidy profit. By this time, he had established an off balance sheet account to hide his success.

He was used to giving very select pieces of information to Mikoto, who seemed happy to let him take care of the little details. At first he gave her full disclosure, but it became obvious that she didn't read it. And after his initial failures, he slowly began feeding her an impression that they were in a very hard spot. He had subtly nudged her to accept a marriage proposal to make her more financially secure.

That was partly done as he owed some favours to people, and partly because he wanted to broker some relationships with the remaining clans. While a part of him felt bad about what he was doing, he had managed to silence his conscience by living off the healthy income stream he had planted.

_Hell, if she took more care and actually looked at those reports that I gave her, she would have known,_ he thought rather cynically.

In time, he blamed the Uchiha matron for her trust and 'stupidity' in an attempt to assuage his conscience.

_Whatever. This is a sweet ride that I am not going to give up anytime soon._

He heard a knock on the door which got his attention. Frowning slightly, he walked over his woven rugs to answer it. He was met with the sight of an impassive Mikoto which made him slightly nervous.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama, how may I be of assistance?" he asked politely.

He was met with a punch to the face. He reeled back, the cartilage of his nose broken as he felt blood flood his sinuses and gasped out. He looked up in shock and was met with a kick to him temple that made him lose consciousness.

"Umm, Mikoto-san, wasn't that a bit much?" asked Naruto nervously.

She turned and gave him a sickly smile that the blond wound to be disturbing and frightening at the same time,  
"Whatever do you mean Naruto-kun?"

"Ahh," he started, scratching the back of his head subconsciously, "You know, he might have some sort of explanation for all of this. You can't really ask him questions if he's dead," he pointed out reasonably.

Ayumi just looked in a detached manner at the violence that had just occurred in front of her. Such scenes were not new to her and not for the first time she wondered if she was damaged in some way. She regarded the sight with a complete lack of emotion as if she was de-sensitised to it.

She laughed lightly before ruffling his hair affectionately, "Oh you silly boy. I was with the MP's long before the Hyuuga. I know a thing or two about interrogation. Would you like to watch?"

_This ... gives me a bad feeling._

Emoshima woke up with a groggy slur, wondering why he was chained up to the ceiling.

"What, what are you doing you crazy bitch!?" he demanded.

Naruto growled at that, "Watch your mouth," he warned.

The Steward blinked before spitting out, "Who the hell do you think you are? Let me go this instant!"

Mikoto _tsked_ and shook her head, going up to the man and held a needle to his face.

"What, what is that?" he asked nervously.

"Sodium penthanol. It's a very rough truth serum. Most shinobi can fight it off, but civvies don't have a chance," she observed clinically.

"What, why!? Stop this madness!" he pleaded.

She chuckled evilly before nodding, "Oh don't worry. I will when I get the answers that I want."

The syringe was plunged into this neck, the viscous liquid injected into his blood stream that made him scream in pain. He started to sweat and suffer from violent hallucinations, screaming every so often. After an hour he went limp, exhausted and unable to control his inhibitions. While that would have been enough the Uchiha decided to beat him for a few moments to show him the gravity of the situation. She started to pummel his face, working away until he started to cry and beg. Mikoto then began asking questions and he managed to spill his guts. Every sordid detail came from his mouth as he unloaded the truth to the Uchiha matriarch.

Mikoto's face tightened until it was white as she whispered out at him, "Why?"

Emoshima laughed hysterically as he blinked owlishly, "Why? Because I could," he said viciously.

"You... bastard," whispered Naruto, disgusted that he would have tried to sell Mikoto off in a marriage contract.

"Because you could?" repeated Mikoto dangerously.

"Yes. You, you call yourself a kunoichi?" he asked contemptuously, "If you were anyway half decent, I wouldn't have had any change to cheat you. You brought this on yourself."

"I trusted you. I had no experience, no skill, no – nothing dammit! That is why I retained you," she uttered out in anger, "I trusted that you would have looked out for my best interests. That you would place Clan Uchiha above yourself. That was your duty!" she spat out.

Emoshima shrugged, not really caring at the moment, "Whatever. I was the one doing all the hard work, for what? A pat on the back, an occasional 'good job'? Well fuck that and fuck you. And fuck your son as well. I was sick of pandering to you and your precious clan. As far as I am concerned, Itachi did the right thing."

Ayumi and Naruto winced, waiting for the explosion to occur.

Mikoto roughly grabbed his hands before placing them down onto the wall. She looked around before finding a candelabra and hefted it in her hands. She gave a cheery smile before she slammed it into the first joint of Emoshima's finger.

There was a sickening crack and it broke cleanly. The man screamed and Mikoto pouted at the lack of satisfaction. She brought each individual digit into her own palm and slowly exerted pressure, bending them backwards until they snapped. Emoshima yelled at screamed for her to stop before she did. He looked up to receive a blow to his diaphragm.

"You know. It's a bit funny. It's actually quite hard to kill a man by beating them to death without strangling them," she commented idly as she waited for him to regain his breath.

"I mean, sure I can break your ribs such that it punctures your vital organs, but hell, that's an exception. The human body can take a lot of pain and punishment."

Just as he struggled to get his voice Mikoto struck out again, aiming for the abdomen again.

"But I heard that this is quite effective. Striking between your breaths such that it's like you are choking every time. It's like drowning someone without using water. So tell me, how long can you take this for?"

She continued for half an hour, where Naruto was wondering if he should do something to stop her.

She finally stopped as Emoshima sobbed at her, drawing tortured gasps of air as he spat at her in hate, "Why don't you kill me already?!"

Mikoto just stared at the broken man in front of her, unable to muster up any more emotion than contempt and disgust.

"No. I will let the courts settle this. You forget a few things."

She went up to his ear and whispered, "The Civilian Council loves me. They will eat out of my hand. And I will tell them a story. About a couple of people, a widow and her son being placed at the mercy of an unscrupulous businessman."

Emoshima scoffed at that before she continued, "That she was lied to for six years of her life as she tried to rebuild one of the founding clans of Konoha. That he tried to use her vulnerability to profit from a marriage contract with certain people. He would have whored off the last female Uchiha... and hell, I have all their letters as evidence."

"And you know what will happen?" she asked rhetorically.

The man was mute at that.

"They will give me everything that I ask for. An account of profits, having your property confiscated and given to the clan. Numerous claims for breach of fiduciary duty, confidence and anything I can think of. And I am going to have you jailed like a dog. And I am going to pay some people, with your money of course, to make you their _bitch_," she promised viciously.

Naruto heard all of that with his superb hearing and for the first time realised how determined and resolute Mikoto could be. She had always seemed so friendly and compassionate that this side of her shocked him somewhat.

_Man, remind me never to cross her. Ever._

**_Yeah, you think you know a person, and then they pull of something like this. Hey kit, do you reckon that this is some sort of message?_**

_Maybe. For who? Me? What the hell did I do to her?!_

**_Hmm, something tells me that if you ended up hurting Sasuke, you could expect this kind of behaviour. So yeah, hold off from killing if you can. _**

_Well, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. _

**_You never know. Sometimes he's just asking for it, with that smug look of satisfaction on his face. You just want to wipe it off sooooo badly don't you kit?_**

_... You're trying to egg me on aren't you? Aren't you supposed to be the responsible adult here?!_

**_Well you know what they say. Don't do what Kyuu Don't Do does. _**

_Don't do what ... I'm confused. _

**_Exactly. _**

_Stop that!_

While he was somewhat put off by Mikoto's seemingly uncharacteristic behaviour, he was also strangely attracted to the assertiveness that she had demonstrated, how she took charge of events with a righteous fury that he hoped was never turned on him.

"... Naruto, who is this scary woman again?" whispered out Ayumi in trepidation.

"Uh, someone you don't want to annoy," answered Naruto quietly.

The aspiring accountant nodded slowly and blinked, "I see. I feel scared. Hug me?" she asked hopefully.

The boy rolled his eyes before complying, finding her presence to be reassuring after the end of a thoroughly odd day.

"You think that you can get away with this! You fucking tortured me you stupid whore!" shouted out Emoshima in outrage.

Mikoto chuckled before nodding, "Of course I am. The ends justify the means. We live in a shinobi village after all. Deontological arguments have no place in Konoha. We got the evidence and it won't be excluded. Of course, we will give you _procedural_ fairness. The Hyuuga MP's will be called, you will be served, judgment will be entered for me and then you will be indicted. Then you can find out first hand how prison really is."

She made a kage bunshin who went off to get the military police as she looked at her hands in surprise. Her impeccable manicured nails were caked in blood; her knuckles were raw and bleeding as she took a vicious pleasure in rearranging her steward's face to reveal his perfidy. She blinked and wondered how she had lost control so easily, in front of witnesses. She blushed at the thought of how they would be affected, while shooting guilty looks to Naruto who wouldn't meet her face.

Setsuna soon arrived and narrowed her eyes at the scene. She gave Mikoto a look that promised that they would be having words soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Hyuuga Compound  
Military Police Tenement  
Interview Room Four **

Emoshima was quickly arrested and placed into lockup, his protests and complaints ignored as they proceeded to process him into the system. Mikoto had a grim look of satisfaction on her face as she witnessed the proud and supercilious man brought down like a dog. Her thoughts were interrupted by a not so polite cough as she turned to face Hyuuga Setsuna.

The Uchiha respected the woman for her leadership qualities and integrity. While she was somewhat concerned over her intentions towards Naruto, it wasn't like they were malign or anything like that. Setsuna gestured for her to follow her into a soundproofed room, which made her eyebrows rise for a few moments before complying. She gracefully flowed into the uncomfortable steel chair before focusing on the MP.

"Ok. What the hell do you think you were doing, dragging Naruto into your little torture session?!" ground out Setsuna in anger.

Mikoto had the good grace to blush before looking at the ground regretfully, "It seemed like a good idea at the time," she tried to say.

"Good idea?! Why don't you drag Sasuke out and watch you break a man down without a fucking warrant. What the hell?! You were a MP, you should know better."

The Uchiha snorted before facing the indignant Hyuuga, "That is nice and all. But Naruto came to me with his concerns and I acted on them as my right as a founding clan member. I admit that perhaps things went a bit far," she conceded, "But I never intended to hurt Naruto."

Setsuna sighed before kicking a chair, "This is ... too messed up. I try to protect him but I can't even be sure that he will be safe in Konoha."

Mikoto raised her eyebrows before standing up, "It is sweet that you are looking after Naruto's interest like this, but you are not his mother," she said kindly.

"And I am glad that I am not," she responded icily, "Because there is a nice place in hell reserved for that woman. And ... yes, I know that I am not his mother," she conceded, "But who else is going to do those things, you?"

The raven haired woman stopped at that and rubbed her temples, "I –I don't ..."

"Exactly," finished Setsuna, "And it is time to clear the air. What is your relationship with Naruto?" she demanded.

Mikoto smiled wanly at the MP, "What is it to you?" she asked tiredly.

"He is ours Uchiha-san. We look after our own, especially the first Honorary Son of the Hyuuga to ever grace our clan," responded Setsuna coldly.

"He is a lovely boy that I always wanted," she said candidly, "I mean, I have my own son, but it's like I am living with a stranger at times. One that I think hates me at times or looks down on me," she said sadly.

The MP blinked, "What?"

"Nevermind. The point is that ... I don't know if I can express it in words. Naruto is a special person. And I just want to know him better."

"So that is why you dragged him with you?" she asked dubiously.

"Yes. No. Maybe... I don't know anymore," confessed Mikoto.

She had a faraway look in her eyes before speaking softly, "He looked out for me. A boy who should be concerned with training, girls and friends took the time and effort to look out for us. Without him, I don't think I would have ever caught those things that Emoshima was doing under my nose. Why? Why would he do that for me? He had no obligation to do that whatsoever, but he did. What was his motivation? Did he just think it was the right thing to do?" she asked in wonder.

Setsuna chuckled at that question, "Oddly enough yes. He sees everyone as being important, no matter what part they may play in his life. That is part of his charm," she confessed.

Mikoto smiled at that, "Isn't it? And because he was the one that opened my eyes, I felt compelled to bring him along, to make sure that he could back me up if I needed him to. Does, does that make sense?"

"In a way yes. But don't be surprised if he avoids you for a while. You were quite a mess after you beat the shit out of your steward. He was always fond of you, but he had this image of this gentle and matronly woman. Torture, interrogation, whatever you want to call it, is unpleasant and would have shattered that illusion quickly enough. And we all know that he is a ... kind boy at heart. Those things you exposed him to... Just do not do it again."

The Uchiha bowed her head in acquiescence. She made a move to leave before Setsuna shot some last words, "Oh and another thing. Back off from Naruto. He is ours and the Uchiha do not need an honorary son at the moment," she said with a sickly sweet smile.

Mikoto returned the grin and shook her head in mock understanding, "Why should you hog all the good people?"

The MP pouted, "Dammit, he was ours first! Get your own!"

The Uchiha chuckled before leaving with an enigmatic smirk on her face.

_Stupid, compassionate, caring, considerate, thoughtful Naruto_, grumbled out Setsuna in weary resignation. But she couldn't help but smile at Naruto's act of kindness.

_Maybe, just maybe he will be the one to make our clan whole again._

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Monument **

Hanabi gazed up in the sky as she used Naruto's stomach as a pillow. The boy was staring up at the clouds and idly drummed his finger over the Hyuuga's stomach as his thoughts consumed him. It had been an eventful month where he wondered if things were always destined to change, never staying static.

**_Of course not. All things must die. To stay the same is to stagnate and to become obsolete. I mean, would you like to throw rocks at each other like they did in the past?_**

_... way to kill my pensive mood Kyuu._

**_Eh, whatever. I have something to teach you later on, so get ready. _**

_Umm. Should I be afraid?_

**_Oh yes. Very. _**

_... fuck. _

The girl didn't mind the close contact with the blond and smiled happily. She blinked before turning around and crawled up his chest, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers.

"Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"What happened when you left with nee-san?"

"Well, we had a mission."

"... Yes..." she said with her eyes rolled, "But specifically?"

The jinchuuriki chuckled before sitting up. Hanabi slid down his torso and pouted at their new position.

"Well, we saved a bridge builder, fought off an A ranked nukenin or five, rescued a lady and her son and saved an entire village. I think they wanted to name a bridge after me, but I said no."

Hanabi blinked before shaking her head sceptically, "Really?"

"Yes, really," he said seriously.

"Oh. Anything else interesting happen?" she asked in a tone that suggested that she didn't believe his previous claims.

_I realised my shikai and murdered over thirty men Hanabi. Do you want to hear that? Because I don't. _

"...No," he finished after a pregnant pause.

The Hyuuga growled and reached for his whiskers. Ignoring his fearful gasps she focused her oh so serious eyes into his, "I know when you are not telling me everything Naruto-kun," she said sweetly. "And I don't like it all. Not one bit. Now, will you tell me or do I have to ask my sister?" she growled out in an adorably menacing manner.

Naruto really didn't want to tell Hanabi that he had killed so many people. She had an odd sense of innocence that contrasted with her serious demeanour that he felt bound to protect. And he was honestly afraid that she wouldn't look at him in the same way if he told her the truth.

The longer that he contemplated, the more concerned the lavender eyed girl became. She felt that she was being slowly marginalised out of the blond's life which was a terrifying thought for her. If he didn't confide in her, if he couldn't confide with her, then –then...

_I... don't want to think about that._

Seeing a desperation in her orbs that made him uneasy, he decided that he was sick of lying.

"I –I killed some people," he admitted reluctantly.

"Oh... how many?" she asked curiously, like she was discussing the weather.

They boy was disturbed by her blasé attitude and answered uneasily, "Enough."

There was silence before he sighed and lay down onto the grass again. Hanabi followed, resting her cheek against his chest.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun? You, you seem to be very ... shaken over this," she asked with concern.

The blond chuckled sadly before speaking softly, "I thought that it was ok. That it could be something that I could do. But –but I am not sure of that anymore," he said with regret and confusion.

Hanabi faced him again before asking, "What do you mean?"

It was Naruto's rather curious status as a living shinigami that made him reconsider his position on killing things. It was so easy in the abstract to do it without seeing the consequences of ones actions. He tried to sleep, but at times those haunted eyes and accusations flung at him made him wake up in a cold sweat. And throughout it all came a sense of wrongness, that it was a grave unspoken sin that he was committing.

"Hana-chan, do you like waking up in the morning?" he asked suddenly.

"Well, sometimes," she answered in a drowsy voice.

"Do you like eating at Matsuri's?" he continued.

That got an enthusiastic nod, "Yep. Let's go for dinner tonight!" she cheered enthusiastically.

"NO! Since Wave still hasn't paid up for that damned mission and I am flat broke from that binge you had last time!" protested Naruto with a long suffering sigh.

Hanabi chuckled deviously as she remembered the surprise of the wait staff as she had cleaned out the swordsman's wallet. Naruto wouldn't speak to the girl for days afterwards until she apologised by treating him to ramen for a week. He wondered how she got the money but shrugged it off. Free ramen wasn't something that he questioned.

Naruto hummed before continuing, "Anyway. Imagine not being able to do that anymore."

That silenced the Hyuuga as she pondered his words. Naruto continued in his reflection.

"Now imagine not being able to see the people that you care about. Not ever again. Never seeing a smile, enjoying a bowl of ramen, to see the sunset. All because one person decided to end it for you. And it's final. There is no going back, nothing you can do to change it. Dead is dead," he concluded wearily.

"But, sometimes it is our duty to do that," she quoted. Being part of the Hyuuga clan had instilled upon her a sense of duty that involved the taking of life. It made her somewhat comfortable with the whole concept. But seeing Naruto in his state made her concerned.

Naruto agreed reluctantly, "Yes, maybe, but I never liked it. I'm not sure that I will ever like it. It's funny, I always thought that people who chose not to were just self righteous idiots who didn't understand reality. But... now I don't know. Maybe that makes me weak –"

"NO! Don't you ever say that again!" commanded an indignant Hanabi, growling at the thought of her precious friend being labelled weak.

"Eh?"

Hanabi had spent enough time in the Academy to realise that it was populated by crass and shallow people with no idea of what it was to be a shinobi. They had boasted of the kills that they would take in the future without realising what it truly meant. And the girl pretty much adored and worshiped the jinchuuriki who was the strongest person she knew, besides her father.

Kind, courageous and determined. Those were the qualities that she admired about the boy. And added to that was the maturity that surrounded Naruto that set him apart from his peers. And she appreciated his sly and mischievous sense of humour that they had in common.

"You –you are not weak," she whispered out.

He gave a genuine smile at that and hugged the girl gratefully.

"That's nice of you to say-"

"I mean it," she said seriously.

He grinned even more and idly played with her hair, "I know."

They stayed like that in silence before Naruto noticed that the girl winced every once in a while. That roused his interest and he lifted Hanabi's chin to meet his gaze.

"Have you been over training again?" he asked in exasperation.

The Hyuuga looked uncomfortable, not wanting to meet Naruto's eyes that had too much compassion in them for her to confront. The training sessions had gotten rougher, her trainer going through incredible tough exercises to loosen up her limbs and increase her stamina. It was incidentally a crude but effective Pavlovian conditioning program where she was subtly moulded into the traditional ideology of the Hyuuga's.

"Dammit, you don't have to push yourself this hard Hanabi-chan," he said with exasperation.

She turned to face him, torn between happiness at his concern and disgust at his hypocrisy, "That's funny coming from you," she fumed silently.

The jinchuuriki looked confused and it showed.

"How many times did you train all the way into the night? At times when the sun was rising? I was there dammit, watching you. What is so different that I can't do the same?" she demanded.

_Because I am a hunted man Hanabi. if I don't get strong, then they are going to get me. And I can handle it, thanks to who I am. You, you don't have to do this._

"Why do you have to push yourself so hard?" he asked with curiosity.

She held her head up high before answering imperiously, "To show everyone how good I am."

Naruto chuckled at that before smiling, "I guess I can understand that. Now, tell me where it hurts so I can heal you."

Hanabi smiled mischievously before whispering into his ear.

* * *

**Konoha  
Yuuhi Kurenai's Apartment**

It was a sunny day in the village hidden in leaves when their resident and not so secret jinchuuriki walked up into a block of homes that was unfamiliar to him.

It was odd but he had never actually seen the inside of his sensei's apartment. She had always visited him and Hinata in the Hyuuga compound or a training ground. Her sudden invitation was a pleasant surprise, but he was a bit concerned about the reason for his attendance.

_So... what is this all about?_

**_Could be innocent. But then again, it could be that chat they wanted to have with you after Kakashi left._**

_Crap. I hoped that they would forget._

**_Yeah, well, that's a bit wishful. I'm sure the alarms started ringing after what happened on the bridge._**

_Dammit, that wasn't my fault! _

**_I know that kit, but try to explain that to them._**

In truth, the Kyuubi had flooded his system with youkai to incite his bloodlust. Naruto didn't quite recognise it at the time because it had never really happened before. She kept a tight rein on her powers, even over the tails under Naruto's subconscious control. In any event he had felt the healing so often that he was somewhat insensitive to the other affects of her chakra. But he was consumed by outrage and vitriol at the time that it could have been easily his own hate and disgust that seemingly overwhelmed him.

_And I'm still not sure how I lost control then..._

**_Well, we can figure that out later. The problem is, do you have a good excuse for them?_**

_I think I do. I mean, you manifesting is going to be a bitch to explain..._

**_Ummm. My bad?_**

_That's easy for you to say! I'm the one stuck to get out of it._

It was one act that she had regretted from the whole affair. The sheer opportunity to experience the world outside of Naruto was too sweet to pass up on, even if it would lead to future complications.

Oh well. If things don't go our way, I can always try to get Naruto to summon me and I can mind wipe the rest of them. Though that would be a bit hard considering she might have defences for that kind of thing.

Naruto finally made his way up to Kurenai's door and knocked. The genjutsu mistress opened it with a smile and welcomed him in. Naruto looked around and took in the interior.

It was brightly lit and suffused the entire apartment with an airy feel that made him relax subconsciously. The walls were painted in a pale cream, the ceiling a sky blue. Everything was ordered and neat, the furniture being trendy but not too ostentatiously avant guard. He made his way into the living room before he stopped.

Waiting there was Uzuki Yuugao and Mitarashi Anko. His danger sense was going through the roof as every part of him screamed for him to get out. He whirled around to see Kurenai move to bind him in her bandages, the shock and betrayal on his face was like a slap in the face to the red eyed jounin who gave him an apologetic smile.

Yuugao blinked before standing up in confusion, "What's going on here?!"

Anko ignored her before moving behind the blonde and made hand seals, intent on clearing Naruto's name by any means possible.

_Jigyaku no Jutsu!_ (Time Reversal Technique)

_Oh fuck_, thought Naruto as he desperately tried to avoid Anko's thrust. Yuugao was left with an odd sense of déjà vu, that something was all too familiar with the scene but she was the one in the boy's position.

_What do I do?!_

Kyuu ran through the possible scenarios in her mind and only found one option. The ANBU level technique had little to no counters, being an unbelievably useful tool for interrogation. She could only see one way out of it.

**_Kit, when you lose consciousness, let me take over._**

_What?!_

**_Now is not the time to whine! Give me limited control of your voice, that's all I need._**

_But –_

**_No time! When her chakra hits your central nervous system, it's all over, the gig is up. Don't you trust me?_**

_Of course I do._

The answer warmed her heart and made her chuckle with satisfaction.

Excellent.

Naruto's head fell to his chest, his mind clearing as his inhibitions were lowered. His breathing slowed, his pupils dilated as he blinked subconsciously.

"What the fuck is going on?" demanded an indignant Yuugao, helping Naruto stay up right as his lost control of his balance, "That's a kami damned ANBU interrogation technique Anko!"

"I know," admitted the snake kunoichi as she helped her put Naruto into a comfortable chair.

"Someone tell me what is going on," said the ANBU taichou dangerously.

Kurenai sighed and explained to her the events in Wave.

"... so in conclusion, Naruto was able to fight off two jounin level nukenin, kill about thirty brigands and manifested a bloodline that incidentally has a woman attached to it."

Yuugao blinked, "Woman attached?"

"Yes, a woman with tails."

That stopped the lavender haired ANBU cold.

"You can see our problem, can't you?"

She nodded hesitantly.

"Naruto... there was always something about him. Like he was hiding his strength. We know about Kisuke and how he might have trained Naruto so that he was as good as he is today... but there is something not quite right. No kid should have this amount of power. And why didn't he tell any of us?"

Yuugao frowned in thought. She turned to face the semi-conscious Naruto with some concern. She knew that he had abilities far beyond any normal genin, but to hear him at ANBU level capacity was a bit disconcerting.

"Why did you fail for so often as well? Every graduation, it's like you didn't even try..." she whispered.

"That is a good question. I thought that he wanted to be with people his age, or with Hinata... But he failed it and was passed due to that whole Mizuki incident. We need answers," concluded Kurenai.

"Couldn't you just have, you know, asked him?" asked Yuugao in exasperation.

Anko and Kurenai looked at each other before sighing.

"Yes, we tried at Wave. He was all evasive and promised to talk to us later. And we didn't want to alienate him and push the point. But after the bridge, things changed."

The captain rubbed her temples, "He is not going to forget this when he wakes up."

"Oh don't worry, he won't remember a thing," said Anko casually.

Facing their quizzical looks, she shrugged, "I do this all the time. We find that having them remember the technique to be prejudicial to the whole interrogation thing. So I modified mine to wipe his mind clear after we are done."

Incidentally it was one of the reasons that Kurenai considered the option in the first place.

"It still doesn't make it right," muttered Yuugao, "And why am I here?"

Kurenai gave her an apologetic look, "Well, the three of us know him the best, besides Hinata, Hanabi and that Yugito girl that he is with. And I don't think they would be inclined to help us at the moment."

Yuugao sighed unhappily before acquiescing, "So, what questions do we ask?"

Kurenai decided to being, "Let's start at the beginning. Naruto, how strong are you?"

"Not strong enough."

"Given the classification of genin, chuunin or jounin, where would you lie?" tried Yuugao.

"Chuunin to jounin."

They all frowned at that and shook their heads. Either Naruto was incredibly humble or he had no idea of his power.

"When did you reach this level?"

Hmmm. Good question.

"At Wave when I activated my kekkei genkai."

Yuugao decided to push the question as she didn't see it in action, "What is your bloodline Naruto?"

"It allows me to use my swords in their true form. And it gives me wings."

"What do you mean true form?"

"I am a shinigami of another world."

That was a part that Sarutobi kept vague. They had always thought that he had the attention of the blond death god, but to be one as well...

"How did that happen?" demanded Anko.

"The Yondaime did it to me. He killed me, sealed the Kyuubi into me and I was brought to life again somehow. I don't understand it really."

Kurenai blinked and said slowly, "Who told you this?"

"Urahara Kisuke. The one that helped Namikaze Minato."

"Ok, what does that have to do with your true form?"

"My blade is a part of my soul that I make real. What you see now is just the part that is sealed up. When my bloodline is unlocked, it takes on the true form and gives me my abilities."

"How about that woman?"

"She is my soul. The zanpukuto is a guardian spirit that guides the shinigami throughout their existence. She mirrors me so she has tails and kitsune ears."

"Where is the Kyuubi now?"

"I don't know. I have never spoken to it."

'Why did you kill all those people on the bridge Naruto?"

"... They –they made me so angry. I looked at them and everything I hate in the world, I saw it in their faces. Wave was so poor, so desperate, but they would have helped Gatou kick them into the dirt. And they, they looked at Haku in that way."

All three women looked at each other, acutely aware of what Naruto was talking about.

"And ... she was important to me. It was like she was my sister or something. I wouldn't let that happen to her. And I wouldn't let them get away without paying the price."

"Have you ever heard a voice in your head that has told you to do things?"

"Not really."

"Not even your zanpukuto?"

"It didn't really say much besides to concentrate. I'm not really sure. This is a different world and it uses a different energy, so it can't stay long anyway. I think. I have to ask Kisuke to be sure."

Yuugao nodded before facing the other kunoichi, "Is that enough?"

"Maybe. I just have one more question," said Anko.

"How do you feel about Mitarashi Anko?" she demanded.

"She is like the sister I never wanted. She makes me pay for food, chases me around the place for no reason. And she does things with her tongue that I am not sure of. It's like really long and reaches places that scare me. She tastes like dango as well."

The two other women sweatdropped and looked at the abashed kunoichi.

"NANI!?"

Anko laughed nervously, realising that she had opened up a bag of worms that she wanted to keep quiet for the next few years.

"Umm... I got to go. Bye."

She disappeared in a flash of smoke that left two unimpressed shinobi. They were then struck with a devious idea as they took out paper and pen.

"So Naruto, how do you feel about Hinata?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was seething when he left Kurenai's apartment, feeling betrayed and hurt as he kept up his mask while Kyuu answered the questions for him. He had a vague awareness of what was going on, but couldn't quite hear the words that she said.

His greatest fear was that he would be subject to that jutsu and 'Ne' had spent time after time trying to help him counter it. But the truth was that it was impossible. With training and exposure, one could shrug it off once or twice, maybe give false answers, but the user would notice the resistance in the chakra system that would give away their training. So he was stuck between two very hard places.

Thankfully Kyuu could take over, but it wasn't something that he wanted to rely on. The concept of borrowed power made him uneasy, especially when it was answers to interrogation that would affect him. Naruto believed that Kyuu was looking out for his best interest, but he was the one that had to live with the consequences.

She dutifully recited the questions and responses that she gave while acting as his proxy.

_Hmm... it could have been worse I guess..._

**_Probably. I mean, the answers were kinda reasonable. But still, I wonder how this is going to pan out. You know there will be confrontation with the Hokage, if only to see Kakashi get his just deserts. _**

_... FUCK!! Who the hell do they think they are?! After everything I have done for them!_

Kyuu wisely stayed silent as Naruto continued venting internally, knowing that there would be repercussions from that act.

Kami, you stupid bitches just had to ruin such a wonderful thing. But hey, why am I complaining? He will just rely on me some more.

Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu.

* * *

**Konoha  
Kyoshi Residence**

"So Naruto, have you done your taxes?" asked Ayumi innocuously.

The boy blinked and scratched his head, "Taxes?"

"Yes, you know, the payments you make to the consolidated revenue fund."

"Waa? Consolidated. Revenue. Fund?"

The two sisters nearly face faulted as they saw that Naruto was absolutely clueless to the concepts that they were talking about.

"Ara, ok, do we need to get out some paper and pens?" teased Mitsumi with a grin.

Naruto mock scowled at them before shaking his head, "No, I'm a big boy. Use words, or something."

"Sure you are," agreed Ayumi, chuckling a bit as they went through a brief explanation of Konoha's taxation system.

The jinchuuriki absorbed it all before blinking.

"So you're telling me that I have to give part of my money back to them?!" he demanded incredulously.

"Of course. You're a citizen and you get services that are paid for by tax."

"Really? Like what?" asked Naruto.

"Umm... stuff like health, policing, err things like that. Ask the Hokage next time you see him if you really want to know. But the important thing is that you do your return documents."

"Meh, what's the worse that could happen?" he asked sceptically.

"Well, they can fine you, get the payments by selling your property, and maybe throw you in prison."

The blond blinked, "You can't be serious. Why don't they just take it away when they pay me for those missions?"

"Well, it's taxed at the final amount, not on an individual basis. You might have a good year, you might not. Anyway, how many missions have you done?"

Naruto shrugged before stroking his chin, "Well, I guess I completed like ten D ranked missions a day."

"Ara? That's a lot."

"Yeah, well, I'm awesome, don't you forget it."

"Like we can forget it, Naruto-sama," said Ayumi, sticking her tongue out.

"Dammit! Stop calling me that! It's just as bad when Yugito-chan called me Naruto-sensei. I taught her nothing really," grumbled Naruto.

_Wait, they don't know about her and 'Ne'. Oh shit..._

_I hope they don't question this._

Thankfully they didn't, passing it off as another female acquaintance that Naruto had. It wasn't really that unusual when it came to the boy.

"So yes. How much was your gross earnings?"

He told them. They widened their eyes and whistled.

"Ara, that's only been five months. Not bad. But the financial year is ending, so we better help you do it now."

"That's funny. I'm sure Hinata or Ino would have told me about this..."

Ayumi shrugged, "They are part of the clan structure, that gets special benefits and all that. It's kinda like a really complicated trust deed situation where payments are filtered and funnelled. It's what we kinda get paid to do really."

"Trust? Deed?"

"Ara, leave poor Naruto-sama alone. Finance gives him headaches," Mitsumi mock scolded.

"But, but I want to have my fun," she said with a pout.

"Ah forget it. How hard can it be? It's just numbers-"

And somehow Naruto knew he put his foot in his mouth, even if he didn't understand why.

"It's not just numbers! It's an art!" declared Ayumi.

"Ara, those things are the purest things of all. No subjectivity to the numbers 1, 2, 3 and so on. Not like words that have so many meanings!" shot in Mitsumi.

"Yes, how dare you mock us! And our noble profession!"

Naruto's eyes widened before he rubbed his temples and sighed, "I give up."

"That's a good boy," smiled Ayumi, patting his cheek condescendingly.

"Geez, it's just my tax return. I didn't know it was so serious," grumbled out the boy.

"Ara, we want to help you. We are in your debt," Mitsumi stated seriously.

That word lay heavily between the three of them.

Ayumi nodded gravely, "Yes, and we will do everything to discharge that. We owe you _everything_ Naruto-sama. _Everything_."

The honorific wasn't a joke or jest anymore. They were deadly serious about it.

"Ara... Let us help you where we can. Won't you let us do that?" asked Mitsumi with wide, doe like eyes.

Naruto just couldn't look away or say no.

"Sure. That'd be great," he said softly.

"Excellent. And in return you can help us with a little project."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, why are we planting watermelon seeds again?"

They looked at him, like he was saying the most ridiculous things imaginable.

"Naruto-kun, have you ever had a watermelon?" asked Ayumi with surprise.

"Err, not really."

"Ara, boys," said Mitsumi with exasperation, rolling her eyes, "Always concerned with meat, never having fruit or vegetables."

"Hey! I have vegetables, with my ramen," defended Naruto.

"That doesn't count!"

"Err... How about miso?"

"... If you are talking about ramen, then no."

"Uh... I'm sure Konoka would have made me eat it once in a while," hazarded Naruto.

Ayumi shook her head in disbelief before reminiscing, "Anyway, our best memories were when we had watermelon at night, watching the stars."

Her sister nodded, "Ara, it also helped us avoid our parents, may they rot forever."

The blond coughed and started to form his cross shaped seal, "Hmm, I see. Well I could just kage bunshin and get this done in –"

"NO!" both of them screamed at once.

"Eh?" asked Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"You have to do this the, errr, traditional way," declared Ayumi.

"Yes. Your clones don't have the right touch," Mitsumi tried to put in.

"But if you teach me once, then I can get them to cut down on the work-"

He was silenced by Mitsumi's finger, who sighed at him, "While the end result is important, how you get there does matter as well Naruto-sama."

"There, is something special about planting some seeds into the earth. Something so simple, but it creates new life. Delicious, red and green life. Its soooo juicy as well!" gushed Ayumi.

"So yeah, enjoy this with us. Call it a new Uzumaki-Kyoshi tradition. So, what do ya say?"

The boy chuckled before giving up, "Well, if you put it like that, how can I say no?"

"Ara, you can't," smirked Mitsumi, grinning deviously at the sweating Naruto who took off his shirt to help them with the planting.

_Damn, he sure is well built for a kid._

The blond had taken a hoe and ploughed several furrows before looking back at his handiwork.

"Woah, it sure is hotting up in here, isn't it sis?" asked Ayumi.

The sun had reached its zenith, sending pleasant rays upon the three of them. No shadows were present as the two sisters luxuriated in the light. It was a pleasant change from the mist covered country that they had come from. The only thing that they had to work on now was their tans.

Let's call it a work in progress.

"Oh, it sure is," agreed Mitsumi.

"You know, it's getting so sticky that I need to take off my shirt."

With that in mind, she slowly peeled off her top, revealing a rather fetching burnt orange bikini that attracted Naruto's eyes like honey.

"That's a great idea Ayumi! Why don't I do the same?"

With that she pulled off her white t-shirt just as slowly, making sure that she made a big show out of it. She had on her a matching set, which was slightly smaller than her siblings.

Naruto blinked before chuckling as he got caught out for staring. He started to whistle innocently and tried to finish off his row before he was accosted by the two of them. They had a tray with a pitcher of cool lemonade that they offered to the boy.

"Sugoi!" he said thankfully, gulping down the cool drink in one motion that left them surprised.

"Damn, did you even need to breathe for that Naruto-sama?" teased Ayumi, her mind enlivened to the possibilities.

"Eh, I can do that thing. Circular breathing or something. It's pretty cool."

"Ara, oh, that does sound interesting," agreed Mitsumi, who slowly raised her glass and started to drink. Naruto's eyes were drawn to the slow movements, watching the liquid travel from the top of her neck as she slowly swallowed the fluid in a way that made her chest heave against the laws of gravity. Seemingly.

Not to be outdone, Ayumi did the same, but managed to spill a significant portion over her bikini top, causing her to shiver at the cold contact.

"That hit the spot," she said dreamily, giving the boy an avid look as he was teased beyond his mind.

The blond was sure that there was some sort of subtext going on, but he just shrugged and refilled his glass before taking another shot.

Mitsumi shot her twin a dirty look at being up showed and slowly approached their saviour, leaning into him significantly as she laid out her plan for the rest of the plantings.

"Now," she whispered into his ear throatily, "I think that place would be great, since the tree gives a bit of shade-"

Ayumi seethed at that before planning her next offensive.

Sibling rivalry can be a wonderful thing.

* * *

**Konoha  
Central Marketplace**

"Ohayo Hayate-sempai!"

The swordsman turned around to see his protégé walk up to him, an infectious grin on his face as he walked up to the man.

_Oh my. That boy has changed into something..._

Only an idiot would have thought that the blond was anything but a trickster who was capable of so many things. Even better it was that he kept things close to his chest.

Like a decent ninja.

He had heard from the grapevine that Naruto was responsible for fighting Zabuza to a standstill. That alone bought a lot of respect that he had for the boy to new levels.

_This has many implications. Like how strong you really are._

Even at his best, he was not sure if he could defeat the _Akuma no Kirigakure_. But for Naruto to do it, that was a mystery that he wanted to solve. Especially if the boy was developing his own style of kenjutsu that would herald a new school in Konoha.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. What's happening?"

"Oh, I have something awesome to show you," he sang a bit, giving him a mysterious smirk that made Hayate smile.

"What is it? Don't tell me it is Yuugao's underwear. Oh kami, don't you remember what happened last time you did that?"

The two males both shuddered at how indignant the kunoichi was, with both of them trying to pass the blame onto the other. Naruto claimed that he Hayate made him do it for more training, while the then chuunin tried to convince the ANBU that the blond had a fetish for white lace. She wasn't very impressed with the two of them.

Naruto's face darkened at the mention of Yuugao's name, but he shrugged his shoulders, "It's something better than that. Let's go to a training field or something."

"Eh sure. It's not like I got work or anything."

The two of them used _Shunshin no jutsu_ to enter Training Ground Twenty Two as Naruto drew his sword and whispered out a few words that made Hayate shiver.

_Kaze no wameki koe oyobi bunsan subete hakai ni_: Kamujin!

Naruto's familiar kilij like blade morphed into twin zanpukutos that made his eyes widen in awe.

The blond smiled at his expressions and chuckled, "Pretty cool isn't it?"

"How did you do that?" he asked with a sense of wonder, walking up to the boy to inspect the blades.

The kensai had long impressed on Naruto the proper etiquette for handling a blade, especially someone else's. But there was no denying that what Naruto held in his hand was an exotic curiosity that made him want to snatch it from the boy's hands and run away.

He admired the sinuous curve of the blade and the exquisitely fine smithing that produced a blade with no hammer marks whatsoever. He was intrigued by the hilt ring and the simple cord that provided some grip for the hilt. The blades were not too long, being about three quarters of his original katana. He was especially interested in the odd blade design, before he realised that Naruto held in his hands a swordbreaker.

"_Tsuragi bureka_," whispered out the nin in disbelief.

"What?"

"Naruto, do you know what that is in your hands?" he asked softly.

"Err, yeah. It's my sword?"

Hayate rolled his eyes before sighing, "Well, yes, besides that. It figures that you would have one of the rarest blades in existence that make you the perfect counter for any blademaster."

Naruto blinked before staring at his blades with a new sense of wonder.

"What do ya mean?"

"Well, back in the days of the First Empire, blademasters were rather rare and respected for their skills. However, it takes a long time for one to perfect the Art."

"And?"

"And, there are always people like you dedicated to finding shortcuts, so they wanted a counter to it. They made things called swordbreakers. Basically, it stated off with a notched piece of wood much like comb. But it them become a slotted piece of steel and wood, bound together that it formed a channel in the centre, kinda like yours. Here, let me show you."

With that he drew his blade and inserted it carefully into the gap between his tertiary blade.

"Ok, and if you are quick enough you can exert some lateral force over my blade to trap it."

Naruto twisted his wrists to catch Hayate's katana in his own.

"Good, now if you exert more torque, you can snap it."

As Naruto made a move to do so he quickly withdrew his blade.

"Dammit! Don't snap my blade!"

Naruto laughed in an embarrassed manner, scratching his head, "I kinda got carried away."

"Yes... well it's not that easy to do in battle. You need excellent hand eye coordination and strength in your wrists. Most people decide not to parry with those breakers and use other methods. But that is very interesting. Most swordsmen would hate you, except a zanbatou wielder. You couldn't quite break that."

"Hmm. Ok, so, wanna spar?"

Hayate grinned before nodding. He wanted to see how strong Naruto had become.

The two of them faced off before they got serious.

"Show me what you've got you brat!" taunted Hayate with good humour.

"Hah, I'm not that whinny little kid that you kicked around back then," shot back Naruto with a smirk.

And they started to Dance in the truest sense of the word.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Not bad Naruto. Not bad at all, but it's kinda obvious that you are not used to fighting with two blades. Your balance is all off."

"Eh?"

"It's hard to explain, but the problem is that when you swing your blade normally, you hold your body in a certain way that maximises your force. But when you swing with both arms, you lose a lot of that grounding and support. Instead you rely a lot more on speed and ... an overwhelming amount of blows. It doesn't help that you spent eight years learning how to use one blade and now you have to rechange your style."

"Ah nuts," said Naruto in disappointment.

"Yeah, but you seem a lot faster and that energy attack that you have is very useful. Have you tried firing it along the ground instead of a straight out aerial attack?"

"Not really, why?"

"You could make a really good smoke screen if you did, if you send out a tonne of dirt into the air. But then again, I think you might want to be a bit careful with that..."

"Why?"

"Well, it might be elemental."

"What do you mean?"

"It could be based off wind elemental chakra. Especially those wings on your back. In fact, are they even wings? I can't see them at times."

"I don't know. It seems like they are just there."

"You did surprise me with that for a second, so I wouldn't get close to you. But I have a counter now."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. _Katon: Housenka!_"

The fireballs burst forward and he dodged to avoid it. However, when they got close enough the fire was attracted to his wings and Naruto gulped.

"Oh fuck"

He started rolling around, screaming as he doused the flames.

"It took me a while to figure out, but hey, better late than never. Fire wins against wind."

"You bastard! Why did you set me on fire?!"

"Hey, you nicked me with that weird black wind attack of yours! Consider us even," said Hayate with satisfaction.

"I am so going to kick you ass Hayate-sempai," swore Naruto darkly.

"Oh really? Bring it!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two men lay down on the grass, exhausted as they tried to regain their breathing.

For Hayate, it was one of the best days in his life as he truly felt the thrill of facing a peer that could match him blow for blow in a kenjutsu spar. Naruto had energy and enthusiasm in spades, living up to his name as he was a maelstrom in battle.

But he was experienced and showed him parts of his Dance that no one had ever seen before. And in some cases it was necessary to avoid being decapitated. Naruto pulled off combinations that were unpredictable if a bit clumsy. The sheer thrill of using live steel against a tricky, unconventional enemy got his blood up like nothing before.

"So, what do you think?" asked Naruto after taking a sip of water from a canteen that he carried with him.

Hayate motioned for the flask and caught it when the blond tossed it at him, "Not bad. I can see why you surprised Zabuza as you did. Against Kiri nins with little fire jutsu, you were a great matchup. Against a Konoha nin, maybe not that great if you intend to use your wings. But then again, if you can get enough control and retract them at will, then that would lessen your weakness."

"I guess."

They were silent for a few moments until Naruto decided to broach a topic that had bothered him for a while, "Hayate... what is going on between you and Yuugao-sempai?"

_Now isn't that a good question._

"You know, it's hard to explain," hedged Hayate, not really wanting to explain the finer points of a relationship breakdown to the teen.

"I thought you guys liked each other," said Naruto softly.

"We do. But ... sometimes things do not work out the way that we want them to," he replied back.

"Why dammit! Why did she leave you?! Why did she a-"

Naruto stopped himself in mid sentence and went silent. The word hung between them that made Hayate widen his eyes.

_Abandoned._

He knew that this was treading on a sensitive issue that he didn't want to touch with a twenty meter pole. He had the sudden and profound realisation that Naruto saw Yuugao in the same light as his mother.

_... Crap. Dammit, why do I have to be the bad guy here?_

The situation was different, but he didn't know if he could convince Naruto of that fact. She apparently left him without reason, much in the same way that Kushina did. He did note that things were a bit cool between the two but didn't think too much of it.

"Hmm, you shouldn't blame Yuugao for this. It was a mutual decision."

_Well, if you can say that she said she wanted to call it quits and I agreed, then yes_, said his inner voice sarcastically.

"But there has to be a reason. There has to be!" said Naruto desperately. He had an immense amount of respect for the purple haired ANBU. He had risked so much to protect her as well and he didn't want to think poorly of her. But at the rate that things were going, the esteem that he had for the kunoichi was dwindling into contempt.

"You would really need to talk to her about it. It isn't something that is mine to share, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said. It's ... complicated. And it's better coming from her than me."

"... Coward!" accused Naruto with a scoff.

_You know. Maybe I am._

"Brat."

"Bastard."

"Gigolo."

The jinchuuriki blinked before cocking his head, "What is that?"

Hayate just laughed before smiling, "Oh, it's this wonderful career path that lets you experience new and different things each day. The pay isn't bad as well."

"Oh, hmm, sounds good. I think I should ask Setsuna about it," said Naruto innocently.

Hayate panicked and went to stop the boy before he could expect a nasty visit from the Hyuuga MP's who would probably show him how displeased they were with him.

"Not a word gaki! How about we keep it a secret between you and me?" he pleaded.

"Gigolo. It has a nice ring to it. I think I need to do more research on this. Seems better than a shinobi anyway. Thanks Hayate-sempai."

"NNOOOO!"

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Thirty Four**

It was another peaceful day in Konoha where two teens were taking advantage of the clear skies and a free day to relax and forget about being child soldiers, if only for a little while. Naruto lay against a tree, with Hinata's head resting on his shoulders as he slowly drank some iced tea, gazing into the distance as he wondered how complicated his life could get.

**_Very. You haven't seen nothing yet kit._**

_Geez, why is always bad news coming from you?_

**_Do you want me to lie to you Naru-kun?_**

"Hinata, are you ok with what we did?" asked Naruto carefully. While he didn't really want to talk about it at all, he was concerned that Hinata was more reticent than usual. It was starting to concern him when she didn't bounce back to her new found self.

The Hyuuga heiress became silent, before shaking her head slightly.

"Ano, I – I don't know," she admitted brokenly.

Naruto was aware that the lavender eyed girl had undergone a tremendous change in personality that was a welcome change from her previously meek nature. While he was a bit suspicious about it all, it wasn't like the difference hurt anybody. But now he could see parts of the insecure and unsure girl that she was when Hinata refused to look into his eyes.

The girl was haunted by dreams that didn't make sense to her, voices telling her to act in a certain way, commanding her in a way that left her shaken and confused. She remembered her part in the killing, standing over the bodies of so many dead and dying men that filled her with horror.

She had repressed those feelings, aided by those voices in her head as she didn't want to let Naruto down. She couldn't bear to see his eyes narrow in disappointment at the sight of her weakness.

But now she wasn't so sure. She had followed Naruto when he stared at the bridge after it was cleaned up. The blond just stood there, his shoulders shaking slightly as she ached and wanted to do nothing more than hug her best friend. But she remained still, finding comfort that the swordsman wasn't a mindless killer without remorse. That he was just like her, a shinobi doing their duty.

He had shrugged off his discomfort and presented his perfected smile and grin that had warded away any questions asked of him. But Hinata was concerned about him nonetheless. She figured that if she gave him an opportunity to confide in her, he would be able to let it all out.

Naruto hated the counsellors that were assigned to his case, who spent more of their time trying to prove their intelligence than actually help him. Their concern was superficial if not outright fraudulent, so he just gave them the answers they wanted to hear before leaving.

"I don't, don't know how I am supposed to feel," confessed Hinata truthfully. In the heat of battle, her consciousness was reduced to the most important things in front of her. She didn't have time to overthink her position as she used to, just reacting to the violence around her. But as much as she wanted to deny it, a small part of her revelled in the control and power that she exerted around her. She was the one that held the power of life and death over those men.

It delighted her. It terrified her even more.

"I understand," said Naruto delicately, placing his hand over hers with a wan smile. She returned the gesture, leaning deeper into his shoulder as she relaxed into his gentle hug. She appreciated the show of physical affection more than words could express. The Hyuuga clan were not a touchy-feely kind of a family. It was a somewhat guilty pleasure that she and Hanabi indulged in.

Ino walked into the cute scene with an envious sigh and took Naruto's other side as she emulated Hinata. It was their day off and the three of them decided to take some time to relax. After all, it wasn't like genins were supposed to be involved in A ranked missions. Their success merited some leave which they gratefully took.

"This reminds me, when are they going to pay us? I have some things that I want to buy with that cash. I hear A ranked missions give you the thickest wad of notes that you have ever seen," she said dreamily.

"What about S ranked missions?" asked Naruto.

"That's kinda classified. I always wondered why they bothered to list those things on the Bingo Book's anyway," said Hinata drowsily, feeling the heat seep into her bones, causing her to snuggle into Naruto's side.

"That thing is ridiculous anyway," scoffed Naruto.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would any village advertise their shame?" he asked candidly.

Both of them blinked at that and nodded slowly, "Yeah, that does seem kind of odd. I mean the whole nukenin declaration thing has to be public to avoid state responsibility," said Ino carefully.

"Eh?" asked the boy.

"Well, all shinobi form part of a village. They form an organ of government, kinda. So each act is taken to represent the kage and the village itself. If one screws up, it is attributed to the whole. Wars have been declared over such things," lectured Ino in a bored voice.

Naruto blinked, "When the hell did we learn that?"

"You know, in one of Iruka's classes. Don't you remember Naruto?" asked Hinata with some disbelief.

The blond laughed nervously before shaking his head, "Not really," he lied.

"Dammit, how could you forget?! He went on and on and on about how shinobi literally represent Konoha and that if we screw up then it's all over," said Ino in exasperation.

He just shrugged before lying down, taking them with him with a squawk, "I guess that is why I have friends like you around me," he said offhandedly.

And in an odd way, he did consider Ino to be a friend. Or at least someone that was willing to challenge him and be obstinate at times. He had seen her fight and support Hinata during Wave, and that was enough for him.

Ino huffed a bit, though she brightened a lot when Naruto implied that she was one of his friends. It was an association that she would cherish for the rest of her life.

"But doesn't it strike you a bit odd how we even have a Bingo Book in the first place? It's like saying, "Look at how we were embarrassed by one of our own. Let us tell you about his name, his birthday, his picture, his favourite sexual position –"

"They do not state that!" said Ino incredulously.

"Yeah, well, whatever. It doesn't matter. Doesn't it just make them an even bigger target to capture? I mean, if they made such a mess, they would have secrets right? Secrets that other villages would kill for? It's just pointing a target on them, but the wrong kind," mused the jinchuuriki.

Hinata nodded with concern, "Yes, it's really odd. But the Book is also there for the ANBU Intelligence to get dossiers on enemy shinobi that should be looked out for," she pointed out reasonably.

"Maybe," admitted Naruto, having personal experience that the information in the Bingo Book was to be taken with a pinch of salt. The really good shinobi hugged the ground to maintain their anonymity, a testament to their skill that they do their job without any fanfare or publicity at all. But it was a curious paradox that shinobi needed to have their heroes as well, figures to inspire and motivate like their kage's. But the best ninja were really silent blades that no one noticed until they had killed an entire detail without leaving any evidence behind.

Naruto remembered the time that he and 'Mi' had confronted a "C" ranked shinobi that had nearly killed the both of them in an acrobatic display of nin and tai jutsu that was poetry in motion. They managed to take him down after deforesting their surroundings. There wasn't even a bounty to collect afterwards.

'Mi' was irritated for weeks afterwards.

"But eh, I had to do my taxes. I hope it works out," said Naruto absentmindedly.

"My parents do that for me," noted Ino with a yawn.

"Same," said Hinata drowsily.

There was a pleasant silence until Ino decided to break the atmosphere, "Guys, I think we need to talk."

"Umm, can we not? How about we all just shut up and fantasise about that money?" suggested Naruto.

"I agree with Ino," started Hinata, trying to find the right words, "things have changed."

"Like?"

Ino sighed in disbelief before punching him in the stomach lightly, "Like you going all crazy on us back in Wave," she said softly.

Naruto stiffened at that, sending alarm bells through Hinata who internally cursed at Ino's seeming thoughtlessness.

"I ... don't want to talk about it," Naruto said truculently.

"Oh come on, you don't want to keep it bottled up like that."

"... Watch me," promised Naruto with a baiting smirk.

"Boys," sighed Ino before thumping her head against Naruto's chest, "Kami, you're insufferable you know that?"

The blond chuckled before agreeing, "Hell yeah."

Ino's eye twitched, "That wasn't a compliment Naruto."

"Whatever. Look, I am ok. Things just kinda went... crazy. And shit happened."

"Dammit, how can you just shrug this off?! Don't you know what you did."

There was a cold silence before the jinchuuriki turned away and spat out his words viciously, "I know damn well what I did _Ino-san_."

"I murdered them. Are you happy? Are you fucking happy? I cut them into pieces, all of them!"

The Yamanaka was caught out by Naruto's vehemence.

"And, and you know what?"

Ino didn't dare say anything.

"If, if I had to do it again, I am not sure if I would do anything different."

"Naruto, I am not saying you didn't do the right thing," Ino hastily tried to assure the boy.

"..."

"But really, you, you scared all of us. Me, Hinata, Kurenai, definitely Sakura, even Anko looked a bit put off by all that blood. Though she did kinda lick her lips towards the end."

Hinata shivered a bit. She figured that all shinobi were allowed some eccentricities, but a blood fetish was a bit too much for her.

"... How scared was Sakura? Was it like, wetting her pants scared?" asked Naruto with great curiosity.

"Yeah, pretty much. Why did you think forehead girl would never let you get behind her since then?" she asked with a roll of her eyes.

The boy chuckled maliciously before giving a contented sigh, "Mission accomplished!"

Both girls face faulted, "You killed over thirty men to scare the crap out of Sakura?!" screamed out Ino.

"... Maybe?" conceded Naruto cagily.

Hinata shook her head stubbornly, sick of Naruto's prevarications, "No, come on, be serious. Can you at least say why?"

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"... And?"

"Fuck it, I, I was just so angry. It was like nothing, nothing I have felt before," said the boy honestly, emotion clinging to his words as the two girls hung onto to his words, "they, they were looking at her in that _way_."

Both girls knew exactly what the jinchuuriki was speaking of. Naruto had seen it all too often, the cruel animal lust that affected so many people when their blood was up that everything was discarded for the thrill of the moment. It had sickened him then, it sickened him now.

"And, I just fucking lost it. They, they stood there, so fucking smug like they were untouchable. I, I just wanted to go and show them that they were wrong, that they wouldn't get away with that kinda shit," he finished with a low snarl.

Somehow Hinata managed to wind her arms around the boy's waist and hugged him. Naruto stopped speaking, exhausting from being so truthful after years of living a double life.

"Does, does that make me a bad person?" he asked softly.

"Of course not Naruto-kun, it just makes you the person that we always knew you to be," whispered Hinata softly.

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

"I. Am. So. Bored," complained Yugito, banging her head against the wall lightly as she moped around on base for a better part of a month.

'Hebi' gave her a sympathetic look before shaking her head. Naruto had left for his mission and she had learnt nearly all the jutsu in her repertoire in his absence. Her usage of kage bunshin wasn't as prodigious as Naruto, but she had much finer control too.

**_Ko-neko, you know what you have to do._**

_What?_

**_It's obvious isn't it? You must mark Naruto as your own!_**

_... I'm listening._

**_Oh, I figured that there would be some gesture of protest at that. But I am pleasantly surprised._**

_Why? Naruto belongs to me dammit. No other whore, slut, hussy, bitch, golddigger, tramp, slattern or village bicycle sink their claws into him! He would be too kind to turn them down and they would ruin him!_ she thought viciously.

Even the Nekomata was taken back by her vehemence.

_So, you were saying?_

**_Ah... Yes, well, it is clear that the Kyuubi vessel belongs to me, us. Don't worry, you'll get your time with Naruto._**

_Wait – why are you helping me?_

**_How can you say that ko-neko?! I only have your best interests at heart!_**

_Liar! I remember all the times you were hissing at me, promising to gouge out my eyes and skull fuck me! How is that even possible, you're female!_

**_Umm... yes, well, that was before I got to know you ko-neko. I would never do those things to you. Mainly because they are physically impossible, but regardless, I have come to care for you like my own. _**

_... You just want to one up the Kyuubi don't you?_

**_Maybe. Is that such a bad thing? I mean, do you think her influence on Naruto is such a good thing?_**

_I... don't know. _

**_She is the reason why he is despised around Konoha. You can see the veiled glances, the mutters, the fact that they would kill him without a second thought if they could get away with it. And if they knew what would happen if he died._**

Yugito tensed at the words, _What would happen?_

**_Who knows? That's the beauty of the uncertainty. It keeps Naruto alive and well. If treated poorly. Yet he loves her like his own mother._**

The jinchuuriki's eyes darkened at the mention of Kushina, _Yes..._

**_But do you really think that she has his best interests at heart?_**

_As much as you do for me,_ she thought dryly.

**_That wounds me ko-neko, it really does. In any event, she might lead him down a path where he might not ever come back from. It is up to you to stop him from walking the path of darkness._**

And the Kyuubi was always been an impetuous being, so wild and uninhibited. Stupid irresponsible ... Kami, words don't do justice to the situation.

Why is it that power always goes to the people least suited to using it? At least this ensures that nothing will happen before you fulfil your promise to me Kyuubi.

**_And really, what do you have to lose? You get to twirl Naruto around your little finger, have blond children frolic around like a rabbit infestation, making hot, sensual love by the fireplace as he wraps your ankles around his neck and –_**

Yugito blushed, but continued to listen, her mouth widening at the graphic description of everything that she could do with Naruto when he was of age. Or even before then.

_Oh my... could you go through that again, but slower? And use more descriptive words?_

The Nekomata smirked before nodding. The art of seduction was something that she was known for amongst her siblings. And she intended to pass on her gifts to her new student.

**_The first thing is about flexibility. Now you –_**

'Hebi' was wondering why her student was blushing so deeply, but figured that she didn't want to know the answer just yet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto walked away from his training session with a shit eating grin on his face. He started whistling happily, not noticing his surroundings before he was suddenly snatched into an abandoned interrogation room.

_Dammit, why is this scene always so familiar?_

He turned to see Yugito with a frown marring her pretty face.

"Why Naruto, what a pleasant surprise! Hasn't it been a while since we last talked to each other?" she asked innocently.

_Oh boy. I am going to get it, aren't I?_

**_Yes. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when she's finished._**

_Damn you! Kyuubi, you fiend!_

**_Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu ._**

Naruto chuckled in apprehension, slowly making his way to the door, "Uhh, well, you see Yugito-chan, I have been kinda busy."

The blonde blurred right up to him and started to jab at his chest with her fingers, "Oh really?" she asked dangerously.

"Yeah, well, you see I had to –"

"I –don't –care."

Naruto figured that shutting up would have been the best option at the moment.

"You, you leave me alone for over a month and when you come back, you don't even tell me! I had to hear it from 'Mi'," she spat out venomously.

_Oh shit. I knew I forgot something._

Yugito just stopped and turned her face, "Do you know how boring it is without you here? It's not like I can go to the Academy or anything like that. Or to a normal school. So I was just sitting here, staring at a wall just waiting for you to come back. It was either that or listen to Sai talk about your micropenis until he got bored. It never stopped."

Naruto's eyebrows twitched at that, but he stayed silent.

"Was, was it really that bad?" he asked dubiously.

"Well, 'Hebi' taught me a few jutsus, would you like me to show you them?" she asked innocuously.

"NO!"

She chuckled before getting serious, "The point is Naruto-kun," she started sweetly, "is that I missed you. But I don't think that you missed me at all," she concluded sadly.

His heart stopped for a few moments before he opened his mouth to argue, "No, that's not it at all! You're very important to me!"

She inwardly smirked a bit, before she found Naruto hugging her. It was incidental that his head only reached to her chest, but she filed that away for future reference.

"I –I'm sorry for being such a bad friend," he said sincerely. He was reminded of the fact that outside of him and 'Ne', she didn't really have any people that she was close to. He could have introduced her to his circle of friends, but for some reason civilian and shinobi did not mix quite well. And it was the fact that she was an undercover operator as well that didn't help things at all. He felt that it was his duty to mitigate her isolation.

"That's alright, I am sure you will make it up to me," she said with satisfaction.

The swordsman felt a shudder go through him, much like the times that Hanabi expressed what she called a 'slight appetite for fine dining.'

"Yugito, I have to let you know that my tax bill wiped me out for this year," he said somewhat hopefully.

"Taxes?"

"Yes. This is sooo unfair. Why do I have to pay taxes when you don't, and you're older than me. Like ancient!" he complained carelessly.

"What did you say?!" demanded Yugito with a deadly frown.

"... Ah nuts."

* * *

**Konoha  
Superior Court of Record**

"I find in favour of Uchiha Mikoto," declared the sitting justice, concluding the short hearing with his gavel before leaving. Everybody stood up to show their respect, except for Fujisawa Emoshima who merely blinked in disbelief.

He was ruined in absolutely every way possible. All of his assets were frozen and taken via a compensation order to Mikoto. He was then fined and sentenced to spend the next ten years of his life in prison.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!" he screamed hysterically at the Uchiha matriarch, who had nothing but a satisfied look on her face. He made a move to her but was restrained by the MP's who rather elegantly knocked him out before transporting him to lockup.

She stood and made a move to register her judgment against the former steward, a hefty piece of paper freshly sealed with Konoha's sigil. Before she could make her way to the registrar, she was met with a sight she didn't expect to see.

Danzo was in front of her, a sympathetic look on his face as he frowned at the sight of Emoshima being hauled away, "Tragic business this. I am so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you for your concern," returned Mikoto politely, wondering why one of the more powerful Council members was here talking to her.

The bandaged man had always remained a mystery to her. She knew that he was a powerbroker of some description, with much influence in the Chamber and had the grudging respect of the Hokage. He was one of the more experienced ex-shinobi that were still alive and possessed a deep and incisive mind that put many younger and brighter people to shame.

"Would you care to join me for lunch? I took the liberty of booking a table at Matsuri's so that we can discuss some things of mutual concern. I believe you and I would benefit much from it."

Before hand a dining experience at Konoha's premier restaurant was an extravagance that she dared not indulge in. But with a wad of cash burning a hole in her pocket, she didn't see any reason to say no.

"I would be delighted."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Matsuri's**

Matsuris had a well deserved reputation for being one of the finer restaurants in the village hidden in leaves. Superb service backed up with a renowned head chef contributed to their fame, along with an excellent view and exclusive clientele. Most people needed to wait for months to get a table if they didn't have a standing account like the Hyuuga's. Danzo was one of those people that the waiters knew by name, seating them both in a charmingly polite and friendly manner. They ordered smoothly before engaging in light chatter. Their meals arrived promptly and both of them started to eat.

"We find ourselves in an interesting position, once Fujisawa's treachery was revealed," said Danzo softly.

"How so?" asked Mikoto, gently putting down her chopsticks as she regretfully finished off the last piece of onigiri on her plate.

_Kami, I have to come here more often with Sasuke._

"Yes. After hearing of this outrage, I did some "investigating" of my own," he said with a cold smile.

The Uchiha didn't know to be scared or concerned at the rather ominous tone in his voice, but nodded slightly, keeping her expressions to a bare minimum.

"You see, those payments that were given to those banks don't belong to them," he said candidly.

She blinked before narrowing her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"What was the legal basis of their receipt? A payment of a debt that extinguished upon the death of the borrower?"

Mikoto's eyes widened in understanding, "But, I guess money is still owed to them-"

"Perhaps. In any event, you would have a rather nice claim for unjust enrichment against them. And seeing how the winds favour clan Uchiha, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to get them to settle for an amount."

Getting intrigued by the prospect, she smiled gratefully, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"But there is a problem," allowed Danzo, sipping on some sake as he savoured the fine taste, "Most of them are somewhat bankrupt anyway."

"How?"

"Simply put, and please take no offense at this, they were quite enamoured of the Uchiha's and made loans to them that they couldn't afford."

"Oh," she said softly.

"Yes. And when they defaulted, they couldn't exercise their security rights, as everything vested in the clan itself, and they were left with a rather large hole that was filled by payments made by Emoshima. But it wasn't enough. You start a claim and there will be a run on the bank. But without you paying them, they are as good as dead. Herein lies our opportunity. I wish to consolidate all the financial institutions in Konoha under one name. Ours."

"What do you mean?"

"Their net asset values are fairly worthless. They know it, you and I know it, their customers don't. All of those loans given to your clan are tied up into infrastructure that are just sitting there being poorly managed. They will accept our offers to get out, we can sell those underperforming assets to shore up the balance sheet. And then run the business like it should be done."

Mikoto shifted uncomfortably, "I don't know. This sounds a bit too –"

"Don't you wish to be more financially savvy Mikoto-san?" he asked deviously, "That with enough knowledge and experience no one will ever trick or deceive you ever again? I mean, Naruto can't always be there for you, as much as we would like him to be," he commented with some humour.

Mikoto's blood chilled at the thought of Danzo turning his attention to Naruto. His views about conflict were quite notorious and she felt that nothing good could come from it. And it wasn't like his offer was unattractive.

"What do you propose?" she asked out of curiosity.

"A partnership. I do have considerable resources, you have those assets to push them into a corner, and we can both find the talent to be part of the Union Bank of Konoha."

She smirked at the rather grandiose name, "That's ... fairly ambitious."

Danzo returned her smile, "Oh yes. UBK will be capable of many great things. Have a think about it and let me know when you do decide. I am sure you know where to find me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Secret Uchiha Arsenal**

Like any good ninja clan, the Uchiha's kept several caches and arsenals around Konoha in case things went south. Deep south. The once real conflict between them and the Senju necessitated such actions. The Nidaime and Shodaime responded by creating a deep series of warrens underneath the village to give them instant access and storage if there ever was an insurrection. They had employed some of the greatest sealing masters to ward them such that it was impervious to the Byakugan and Sharingan. This was actually where 'Ne' found themselves being nested, a secret that Danzo had discovered long ago as part of his plans. No one else was aware of it, not even Sarutobi. It was a secret known only to the brothers Senju who refused to let it outside their circle lest it be used against them by anyone.

Mikoto passed by a seemingly normal spot that opened up to her chakra signature. She continued on until she was greeted by two felines.

"Ah, Mikoto-chan, you've come to visit!"

"Tenka, Hina, how are you?" she asked politely.

The two nin cats smiled at her before purring, "We are fine. Are you here to see Grandmother?"

The Uchiha nodded, "Yes, I am. Is she where she normally is?"

"Yep," answered Hina, waving her tail slowly, "and I am sure that she would be glad to see you. She always did like you, so you shouldn't keep her waiting."

Mikoto chuckled before rubbing their ears affectionately, "I will speak to you guys later ok?"

"Sure thing," they meowed contentedly.

The kunoichi walked until she reached a chamber surrounded by kittens. In the centre was a nin-neko who stroked them with care and looked at the matriarch in surprise.

"Ah Mikoto-tan, it has been a while since we have last spoken."

Mikoto winced at the implicit accusation in her tone and she bowed deeply, "I am so sorry grandmother. Things have been ... hectic and I have neglected my duties. I offer my most humble apologies."

The nin-cat laughed with great fondness before jumping up and landing lightly on her feet, "Enough of that. You always were my favourite grand-daughter."

"I am your only grand-daughter," she said darkly.

"Yes, well, that's beside the point. So my dear, what brings you here?"

"I seek your wisdom," she answered with a cheeky grin.

"Ahh, find yourself a nice young husband to wear you out. I'm sure that will be a great way to de-stress," purred the cat with mischief.

"Grandmother!" said a scandalised Mikoto.

"Oh, really. I know that young people these days don't bother with the whole marriage thing, but some traditions have to be maintained! Though in your case, I guess we can make an exception if we want to make clan Uchiha great again. So any cute, young thing catch your eye lately?

"None at all," she said firmly.

"Now now, don't lie to me. You can tell me who he is," chided the nin-neko, sitting in an upright position.

Mikoto rolled her eyes, "When I do, you will be the first to know," she promised drily.

The elder cat chuckled before meowing, "I will hold you to that promise. Now, what has been bothering you lately?"

So she explained everything that had happened over the last few months. It was cathartic in a way, except that she saw the disappointment in the nin-cat's face as held her head down.

"You must remember that in life, there will always be challenges. Meet, adapt, overcome. That is how things have been and always be. Have you organised for a suitable punishment for your _steward_," she said the last word with distaste.

"I am sure he won't enjoy his time in prison," promised Mikoto grimly.

"Excellent. Now, tell me more about this Naruto boy. He sounds like quite the character."

"He is, isn't he," she said somewhat dreamily.

"So when will I get to meet him?" she asked with a Cheshire grin.

Mikoto blinked, before smiling, "You know, I might just bring him along one day"

"How old is he again?" she asked mischievously.

"Fourteen I think," replied Mikoto after some thought.

"Ah. I might introduce him to Chisame. She would benefit from having a sweetheart like that."

For some reason that made her feel somewhat queasy, "I will ask him when I see him next," she said diplomatically, "but importantly, what should I do about Danzo's offer?"

The nin-neko went silent.

For as long as the Uchiha could remember, the summoning contract for the shinobi felines had been in the hands of the Uchiha since the time of the First Empire. It was a secret that wasn't actually well known outside the clan. In fact, the more that Mikoto thought about it, the less sense it made to her. They lived in their own little world, presumably, but appeared in the Elemental Nations when summoned, or at their will. She had to wonder what they did do in their spare time as the nin-neko's never seemed to be in their own realm for any period of time, preferring the company of humans like the Uchiha's.

"Danzo is a ... person to look out for," it said softly.

"How so?"

"If you are loyal to him and Konoha, he will be the greatest ally that you could ever ask for. But if you would even think to betray him or go against his interests... Tread very carefully Mikoto," warned the neko, tail stiffening.

The kunoichi nodded, "What else can you tell me?"

"... The Uchiha have had dealings before with him. Our interests have been aligned in one way or another during the past. And he has honoured his word, to an extent," she allowed.

"To an extent?!"

The cat shrugged before sighing, "Yes... If things change that it goes to Konoha's detriment, he will do what he things is necessary. The problem is that he is a true patriot."

"How is that a problem?" asked Mikoto dryly.

"Well, that depends on the path that Konoha should follow. Or what methods one should employ in the achievement of that purpose. His views have been twisted over time, but there has been a change," she grudgingly allowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that he has calmed down somewhat. But that isn't the issue. This business proposition of his is intriguing. It will consolidate financial control into your hands, along with Danzo. Make sure you structure the agreement right. Sure, they don't mean much but you need to set clear guidelines to keep him in line. He might try and have you killed, so remember to look out for your interests. And make sure that Naruto is there by your side," she added as a seeming afterthought.

"Why Naruto?" she asked.

"He will be a good influence on you," she said innocently, "And I might expect some great-grandchildren if you two get close enough," the nin-neko added suggestively.

Mikoto sighed in exasperation, "Grandmother, need I remind you that he is the same age as my son?"

"Well, there is that little difficulty-" she started to admit.

" –Little?! The MP's would kill me!" interjected the Uchiha matron with disbelief.

"But nothing that Uchiha wiles cannot overcome," it stated comfortably, " I'm sure that he won't be complaining in any event. And when you protest so hard, it makes me wonder if you are really fighting this at all," she finished with a feline grin.

Mikoto rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Oh stop it. What do I do about Danzo?"

"This is an opportunity to turn the clan fortunes around. Both of you are eminently suited to helping each other out, so that the combined will be greater than the sum of the parts. I'd like to call it synergy."

"And if he turns to betray me?" she asked with concern.

The elder neko's eyes hardened into diamonds, "Then you make sure you do it first."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You can come out now granddaughter."

Chisame walked out of the shadows with a pout on her face, watching Mikoto leave the room. She gave a low curtsey to the elder neko before sitting down to rub her ears.

"How goes the surveillance?" asked the content nin-cat.

Chisame sighed happily before replying, "Naruto-kun is doing just fine. There really is nothing to be concerned with."

"Ah, so it's Naruto-kun now?" asked the neko with amusement.

"He's pretty cute," she said defensively.

"Cuter than Sasuke?"

"Hmm... about the same. He does have the better personality. But are we going to do anything else but stalk him for the rest of his life?" she complained with a pout.

"Observe Chisame, it's observe. Stalking is what Hyuuga Hinata does. Or did. It's hard to call it stalking when you are open about it and not hiding."

"Lucky bitch," muttered Chisame.

"What was that grand-daughter?" asked the elder cat sweetly.

Startled, she tried to change the subject, "Oh nothing. Are you sure that he is the one?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Even if he isn't the fact that he is the host for the Kyuubi is enough to warrant our attention. Since Jiraiya is concerned with that elusive Rinnegan wielder in Amegakure, he may be too distracted with other possibilities. The sealing changed things forever, but all these mortals are too short sighted to see the truth."

The girl fell silent before asking the question that had been troubling her for the last year, "Have you been hearing it?"

The feline fell silent before nodding her head, "Yes, yes I have. The call is getting more insistent now. I am not sure if I can resist it for much longer."

"Looks like our loyalty will be tested once more. Keep a closer eye out on Danzo as well. Things are moving at a pace that wasn't foreseen. With Naruto by Mikoto's side he wouldn't dare try and cross her without alienating the boy. And it would make our job a lot easier. That should be enough for now. But then again, I would rather not bet the Uchiha's safety on the whims of a boy."

"Naruto-kun isn't like that," shot out Chisame defensively.

"I know that you like the boy, but we do have higher duties to observe," chided the cat gently.

"I know, I know. But still... when can we reveal ourselves?" she asked with resignation.

The elder neko just sighed, "When we have to. When we have to. That day will come when we will need to choose a side, but I am not sure that I am looking forward to that at all."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

Kakashi knew that this day would come. And he had been dreading it for the last few weeks as the final debrief was made on the mission to Wave.

In some ways it was an absolute success. There were no fatalities, the client was alive and well and Konoha had cemented it's reputation with some carefully placed whispers.

But on the other hand Kakashi had nearly killed Minato's son with his signature assassination technique. What was even worse was that he did it to another student not under his command. The tradition of the three man cell headed by a jounin stretched back towards the Shodaime and Nidaime, a near sacrosanct practice that defied change. Responsibility was vested into the sensei so that they taught their students accordingly. It was considered to be terrible form for another sensei to encroach and teach another student without their consent. It was a professional courtesy observed by all jounins.

And to have another one injure their student would and did destroy relationships. Anko and Kurenai had made it very clear that they would not forget the matter any time soon. He already had to look out for any toilet or urinal for snakes that would burst forward, targeting his genitals. The shock of it once was more than enough for his lifetime. It nearly made him drop his Icha Icha novel. He could remember the hissing and the sheer terror at the thought of his penis being engulfed into the snake's mouth. And she had managed to penetrate into his home and placed all sorts of traps that frankly disturbed him. It was a poignant reminder of why Orochimaru had chosen her to be his apprentice. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he was somewhat frightened over the level of sadism that she was capable of. That added to her ability to summon snakes made her a very dangerous person to piss off. And he hadn't been sleeping well thanks to nightmares that ended up with him being beaten and broken. He had the feeling that Kurenai was somewhat responsible for that, but he couldn't see how.

Once the final report on the incident was made he was summoned to see Sarutobi, who sat behind his desk with an impassive expression on his face.

While it was an uncomfortable truth, fratricide was a reality in the shinobi profession. However, it was expected from green ninja, like genins or even chuunins, than an experienced ANBU taichou feared the world over. He rehearsed his explanations once more in his mind, but he didn't think that it would be going well at all.

And that feeling wasn't helped when he saw both Anko and Kurenai waiting by the sides, looking as equally cold as their military leader.

_Ok, I get the feeling that this is going to suck._

"Kakashi, please take a seat," the Hokage said coolly, not giving any indication to his feelings as he spoke.

Inside he was fuming at what might have happened. He was concerned about Naruto from outside sources, not from his own ninja. It was galling in a way that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

From the eyewitness statements, Naruto had taken a wound that would have been fatal for any other person. But for his accelerated healing, he would have been a corpse with a very irate Kyuubi being unleashed on the Elemental Nations again.

There was the mitigating circumstance, such as Naruto actually running into the attack to protect an enemy, which was the only reason that Kakashi still enjoyed his liberty. But there were questions to be asked. For reasons of policies, teachers were under a strict liability for the damage caused by their students, and for damage suffered as well under certain circumstances. Sarutobi refused to let the student be the culpable party when there was a jounin in charge of them. Their duties as responsible adults was made for that purpose as well. He found it perverse to blame the victim here when there was a non delegable duty upon the senseis. The balance of convenience laid upon the elders in this case. Not to mention the effect upon reputation they would face in any event.

"So tell me Kakashi, was it really necessary to use _Raikiri _when your enemy was incapacitated and immobile?"

"He wasn't quite incapacitated," Hatake protested, "and he still had his zanbato on him."

"Right, which you couldn't bypass and had to use a straight linear attack? Is flanking beneath an ANBU captain?" asked Anko mockingly.

Kakashi refused to rise to her bait, besides shooting her a chilling look that she return with a snort, "I used the tactics that I thought were appropriate at the time," he said quiet dignity, "and in the fog of war, accidents do happen."

The Professor remained sitting before taking a long puff from his pipe, "Granted."

"That is my student that you are talking about," ground out Kurenai with barely hidden hostility.

There was an uncomfortable silence before the Copy Nin started to get twitchy.

The Hokage reviewed the evidence before closing his eyes.

_Kami._

"Kakashi, you do know that this makes it all but impossible for you to be assigned as Naruto's sensei."

The silver haired jounin was about to protest before he was silenced by another look, "The most important thing about the relationship between the genin and their sensei is trust and confidence. Tell me, if Minato impaled you using his Rasengan, would you quite hold him in the same way that you do now?"

"Well, the Rasengan would render my internal organs into porridge," muttered Kakashi.

"Exactly. Now, knowing that, could you ever expect Naruto-kun to confide in you? To listen to you? To follow your commands without question or hesitation?"

The jounin hung his head slowly, "But, but I didn't mean to," he said softly and sadly.

The Hokage rubbed his temples before coughing, "I know. I am not indifferent to your ... situation," remembering the conversation that they had when he had assigned Kurenai to Naruto, "and I will promise that a chance will be given, when the events are not so raw on everyone."

"You can make the decision," argued Hatake strongly, "just give me the chance to make it up to him. I am at least owed the chance to make things right!"

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Kurenai didn't want the status quo to change and let her team go from her grasp.

"The longer that things stay this way, the more he will hate me, the more he will despise me. Hokage-sama, you must give me this opportunity. I have always served faithfully and never have I asked for anything. But this... _please_."

The plea on his lips made it hard for the Hokage to say no. Never before did the proud and aloof shinobi ever beg for anything. It was humbling in a way that even Anko realised. She was fairly sure that Kakashi was repentant for what he did. If he truly intended to kill Naruto she would have found a discrete way to dispose of Kakashi. Despite her seemingly low rank she was deadly in ways that very people knew. She managed to hide her abilities out of a very well developed sense of self-preservation and in many ways resembled her mentor. Though if anyone said that to her face they would be up for a beating.

"Please," he asked intently once more, showing more emotion than anyone had ever seen before with his superficially simple request.

Sarutobi just turned his face towards the ceiling.

_Why me?_

_Fin._

* * *

**Icha Icha Shotacon: Trustee in Bankruptcy**  
Another "_How do we keep coming up with these ideas?"_ from Hakosuko "_I change my name on a regular basis_" and calatrava "_This guy who will break your hearts when he doesn't finish the main fanfiction_"

"This cannot be right."

He read over the documents Ayumi and Mitsumi provided for him. They came to him with a very grim expression on their faces, biting their lips as they gravely explained Naruto's financial position to the boy. Of course Naruto didn't understand all the talk about 'tax evasion', 'late payments', 'sale and seizure', 'compulsorily acquire' and 'debt owing to Konoha due'. But once everything was explained he screamed and fainted on the spot. After waking up he went into a panic, pacing around in circles as he desperately tried to find a way out of his current predicament.

"Naruto-sama." Ayumi spoke, "You haven't paid any of your tax statements since you became a genin. Didn't they teach you about this sort of thing?"

"NO! They didn't! I went to the ninja Academy!" he replied sadly, "All they teach us to do is steal, kill and be stealthy! How was I supposed to know about all of this! I'm only 14!" he wailed out in disbelief.

Ayumi shook her head in sympathy, "Financial skills are needed even in shinobi life Naruto-sama. You are a shinobi of the village and therefore a legal adult." she explained, "Civilian children don't have to worry about this sort of thing. But you however do have to worry about this. Declaring bankruptcy is your only logical choice right now. It's the only way to get a handle on this."

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Ano… What's bankruptcy?"

"Ara. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual to pay their creditors. It offers you protection in a sense. A trustee is assigned to take care of all your affairs concerning the issue. Unsecured debts cannot be pursued. Your creditors lose the right to pursue you and go after the trustee." Mitsumi explained with encyclopaedic knowledge. "All of your assets are liquidated and divided among your creditors. Your house, ability to buy shares or stock is taken away. Basically it means that you have no money, and no property. You have nothing."

"W-What?! That's not fair!" protested the blond.

"Really Naruto, what did you spend your money on?" Ayumi asked, "Didn't you ever set up a savings account? Did you even make any deposits?"

**Yeah. What did you do with all that money? **Kyuu asked. She knew how much he made with 'Ne' alongside his genin missions. So Naruto being bankrupt was a shocking surprise to her.

"No… I have a checking account though," he supplied helpfully. Images of treating Hanabi to Matsuri's constantly, bribing Anko with dango and gorging on ramen repeatedly flashed though his mind. "I spent it all on supplies. I go through a lot."

**Right… 'supplies', **answered Kyuu sarcastically.

_What did you expect me to say? That I spent it all on food and women? Or food for women?_

**…Yes. I thought I brought you up not to lie Naruto-kun. At least not to me.**

_Whatever. I think if I do that I might not like the results._

"Ara, you should have set up a budget, so you only spend what you need to and save for the future." Mitsumi sighed, "At least you get a fresh start now and can start over." She waved a finger at him as if scolding him, "With better planning this time!"

Her sister nodded in agreement. "We'll be your trustees and take care of all this. And the first order of business is no more ramen! We have all seen you eat. You spend way too much on that stuff. From now on it will be home grown watermelons only!"

An eerie pause swept across the village, before Naruto screamed. "NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

That poor bastard.

Mitsumi gave him a light hug to console the distraught boy, "Now don't you worry; me and my sister will prepare them so that they are nice and juicy. I can guarantee you that they will just melt in your mouth!"

"But, but I don't want to suck on your juicy watermelons!"

If only Naruto knew what they were referring to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Mi' looked at Naruto cautiously. He was acting very strangely the last few days. Always moping around HQ as if he was lost and had nowhere to go. As if his only true love was taken away forever.

The blond stared at the far end of 'Karasu's' office sighing forlornly. It was seriously freaking him out, like he was pining for his sweetheart that was cruelly taken away from him by fate. Or poor fiscal management. He had heard about Naruto's financial predicament. And while it wasn't all that important to him, he knew an opportunity when it came knocking on his door. 'Mi' had been considering retirement for a while, and considering 'Ne' had its own financial problems, a comfortable retirement wasn't in his foreseeable future from Root. So he had to make do with what he had.

After thinking about it he came up with a solution. One that solved Naruto's financial issues, and his own problems. It all depended on whether or not Naruto agreed to it.

"Naruto?" He waved his hands in front of him. "Hey Naruto?" Slowly the jinchuuriki's dull blue eyes met his.

"Yes?" he said listlessly.

'Mi' sighed and sat next to him, "What's wrong with you kid? You look depressed. Like your life just ended."

The boy just nodded in misery, "My life did end. No more ramen. I can never have ramen again. Only… _watermelons_," he finished with a shudder.

The assassin blinked, "Say what!?"

"I-I'm bankrupt!" admitted Naruto, hanging his head in defeat.

'Mi' patted his shoulder, "Bankrupt you say? That's bad. And no more ramen… that just makes it worse. Those creditors are real mean dogs." Naruto looked up to him, eyes glistening sadly with tears. "What do you mean?"

"Well they can't go after you legally. But they can sure as hell prevent you from doing a lot in the future. If you want to buy land or a house? You'll be rejected at every application once they find your name on the bankruptcy register. If you want to take out a loan at any point in time? Forget about it. There's no chance of that happening. They never lend to an insolvent person. Basically you're screwed for life kid," said 'Mi', laying it on thick.

"T-They can't do that!" shouted out Naruto in outrage.

"Yes they can," 'Mi' responded sadly.

Naruto grabbed his hand, and begged like an addict, "I-I need ramen. Please help me."

'Mi' pretended to think for a few moments, "Well… I might be able to but you have to understand. I don't do things for free, you owe me."

**_Don't do it kit! You're signing a deal with the devil if you do! And I don't mean an awesome sexy kitsune devil like me. It's like one of those tentacle ones. You know the ones that I am talking about! I don't trust him, he's planning something!_** Kyuu cautioned. She was always suspicious of the man who had always plotted to her detriment.

_Kyuu relax I'm sure what ever he wants is reasonable. I'm only fourteen what's the worse he can make me do?_

Naruto nodded, "Sure I'll do it. Whatever you want."

"That's good." 'Mi' smirked inwardly. Everything was turning out to be so easy. Ramen-less Naruto was so easy to manipulate. '_Now I can start handing out those posters'_ "You see Naruto. I have some lady friends that get very lonely when their boyfriends are out on missions."

**_I don't like where this is going… Get out of it now!_**

"Ok then. So what does that have to with you giving me ramen?" he asked quizzically.

"Simple my boy." He chuckled, "All you need to do is show them a good time and do whatever they want you to. No questions asked."

The blond blinked before frowning, "Isn't that morally wrong in some way?" he asked sceptically.

'Mi' hastily tried to reassure the boy, "No, no it isn't Naruto. It's a good thing to show lonely women in the world that they are appreciated." '_Especially when they pay by the hour.' '_Mi' continued, "At any rate don't' you want ramen? Do you still want to be confined to... _watermelons_?"

Naruto shuddered before nodding enthusiastically, "Of course not! I'll do it!"

"Great." He tossed Naruto an envelope stacked with bills. "Use that to take them out for a night on the town. I'll let you know when your first appointment is. And if I find out that you spent all of that on ramen our deal is off!"

_'Beach House on Moon Island, you are mine,_ cackled 'Mi' internally with great anticipation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugito wasn't mad.

She wasn't angry.

She was murderously pissed off.

The flyer in her hand was crushed into a small ball, while other hand was curled into a fist. "That bastard! How dare he do this! How dare he?!" she screamed in outrage.

'Hebi' blinked as her office door was kicked open. The Nibi vessel has visible veins pulsing on her forehead. Not a good sign. "What's wrong Yugito? You seem, angered somewhat," she observed somewhat mildly.

"Angry. I'm not angry," she growled, "Oh no; I am beyond that right now. I am going to kill someone."

_Oh boy_, thought 'Hebi'.

"Wait, why don't' you slow down and tell me what this is all about-" Yugito pointed to the unwrapped flyer. In only three seconds did 'Hebi' go from calming Yugito to punching a hole through her desk.

There was a reason why 'Ne' was facing funding problems. Incidents like this leading to property damage made expenses that could not quite be classified as capital expenditure.

"That BASTARD!!" she screamed, "He's gone way too far this time!"

Ladies, do you find yourself being lonely at night? Boyfriend out of town or on a mission? Do you have an itch that just can't be scratched by yourself alone? Your problems are solved! Call: 359-XXX-XXXX for companionship services. Rates charged by the hour. First come, first served. We specialise in a certain blue eyed blond that can really take you places and provide a companion that will cater to your every wish. And we do mean every and any thing you may want.

Right below the text was a picture of an overly familiar looking blond with whiskers. In an overly cute pose that would make any woman squeal in delight and reach into their purses for the required fee.

"He's pimping out Naruto!!" Yugito shouted in anger, "I overheard some of those harlots who's already had their way with him. Talking about how cute and how firm he is!" She pouted, "That bastard's cutting into our Naruto time."

"Don't worry Yugito. We are leaving now." 'Hebi' grabbed her and pulled her along, "We are going to find him and save him from that bastard's evil clutches. And save him from all those harlots. Then give justice where justice is due."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Would you like some more tea Suzuka-san?" Naruto asked politely.

The young woman giggled and nodded. Naruto poured her another cup, and resisted the urge flinch as she rubbed his ass. For the last few night's this is what Naruto has had to contend with. Multiple giggling women nuzzling his neck, snuggling to him, rubbing his whisker marks and any other place their hands roamed.

All this was hell for a prepubescent hormonal teenager.

_Maybe I should have listened to Kyuu._

**_I told you so!_**

_Dammit, you aren't helping! Now isn't the time for this…_

Behind a one-way mirror 'Mi' looked on in glee as Naruto worked his magic. The blond could get women to do anything he wanted to and didn't even realise it. All his cute shota looks attracted single nubile females like bees to honey. And charging by the hour made him a tidy little profit.

"Man I could take a trip to Moon Island to gamble, drink, whore myself around and still have enough to match my salary for the year. I. Am. A. Genius!" he crowed in triumph.

"Genius you say?"

Every warning light in his head went off once he heard that voice. He turned slowly to see 'Hebi' and Yugito glaring holes into him, with an aura that gave him the feeling of imminent death. "'Hebi', Yugito. W-What's up?" he asked nervously.

"What's up?" Yugito snapped, "_What's up?_ That's all you have to say, you conniving son of a bitch!? I am going to castrate you! That's what's up! That is what is never getting up for you again!"

'Mi' immediately went on the defensive, "I-I was only trying to help the kid out-"

"Help him?!" Hebi hissed, "You manipulate a poor defenceless kid in his time of need and take advantage of him. Have you no shame you sorry excuse for dog shit?!"

"H-Hey I resent that! And I wouldn't call him defenceless. That Exploding Bunshin-"

"You know what we mean!"

He shut up and nodded slowly. "Yugito could you please go get Naruto-kun and bring him here? He should know about this."

"Right." Yugito took a chair near the desk and slammed it into the glass, shattering it. Naruto and Suzuka stared at Yugito and into the secret room that they were in.

"Yugito-chan, what are you doing?! And why the hell is there a one way mirror in that wall?!"

"Saving you!" She turned to Suzuka. "You get out," She spat out coldly.

"Hey!" She protested and pointed out. "I paid good money to get my time here! I was on a two-day waiting list!"

She went silent as a wave of killing intent washed over her. "I said get out now!" Yugito growled out with a demonic tint in her voice. In no time flat Suzuka was gone.

"Hahaha…" Naruto let out a nervous laugh, even if he was fairly sure that he was innocent in all of this, "W-What's going on Yugito?"

She slowly walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "We came to save you from Mi. He was taking advantage of you and pimping you out to women so he could make money for himself. He was using you Naruto-kun," she explained gently.

**_I told you he was no good!_ **Kyuu shouted, _**But do you listen to me? Nooo. You just have to do anything once ramen's involved. Naruto no baka!**_

His eyes watered, "B-But, he gave me ramen whenever I wanted," he said brokenly.

"That's nothing compared to the amount of money he made off of you Naruto-kun." Hebi explained sadly. "This bastard will do anything for a profit. He watched the whole time."

"It can't be true." Naruto sobbed. "I-I had to do things… weird and strange things. With my fingers and my mouth ... And he sat there watching it?!"

"You twisted pervert!" 'Hebi' slammed her fist into 'Mi's' head, "Putting such a cute kid through all this. Where is your morality?" she demanded indignantly.

"I left it at home?" he hazarded, trying to find a way to escape.

Yugito pulled Naruto into her chest to comfort him, "Don't worry Naruto. Everything will be better. We promise. We will help you and make everything right again."

"Now…" 'Hebi's' glare intensified, "Where's all the money you made?"

"I-It's in the safe." He answered meekly. The power of the righteous female was enough to make any man cower in fear and cross his legs in vain hope.

"Good. All of it goes to Naruto."

"Nani?!"

"Yes. All of it." She growled, "Because he needs it the most and it is rightfully his. Now go to hell. FALCOOHN PUNCH!!" She hit him with a fierce uppercut, sending him flying into the air.

_This hurts. It hurts a lot._ He thought before another warning light went off in his mind. Yugito ran up the wall and launched herself after Mi.

"FALCOOHN PUNCH!"

Landing another punch to his jaw, increasing the velocity and making him nothing but a speck in the horizon.

"Well that's now all taken care of." Yugito smiled at Naruto. "Let's go home." Both Hebi and Yugito enveloped him into a tight hug, a little too tight for his comfort. He flinched as Yugito pinched his ass and 'Hebi's' hands started to wander. Nothing ever ended perfectly for him. He felt this wasn't going to the last time he would deal with this.

At least he was going to get his ramen back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days later all of Naruto's debt was paid off using the money from 'Mi's' operation. No one had seen him since then, so it might be a few more weeks before he was back in Konoha. Hopefully he would come back a redeemed man. But most people concluded that that was unlikely.

Hebi and Yugito sat with a kettle of tea reminiscing about the whole ordeal. And they came across a slight problem.

"It's only right." Yugito said politely, with a smile. "I am the one who brought this up. I am the one who found out what that bastard was doing to Naruto. So it's only right that I get him all to myself for the next few days."

"What? No, no ,no. I am the one who helped him consolidate all of his debts and open a new line of credit. Granted, Ayumi-san and Mitsumi-san helped. But I did the majority of the work. Breaking the bastard down, and setting up that punch. It's only right that I get the majority of Naruto's time all to myself."

"No. You have it all wrong. I'm the one who comforted him. I deserve alone time with him."

"Haha, sorry girl. But he needs someone with more experience and who can help him emotionally. I fit the requirements."

"It's first come first served. I was there first," shot back Yugito.

"What? I was in the door before you by a second at least," scoffed 'Hebi'.

The two went on ignoring the fact that Naruto was actually in the room with them.

"Doesn't Naruto get any Naruto time?" he asked plaintively, chewing on his beloved ramen once more.

They spared a glance at him. "No."

At least he had his ramen back.

Fin.

* * *

I got nothing to say really. My sympathies to everyone in the investment banking and finance industry.

As always, read and review. It just might make me write faster.

Ja ne.

* * *


	18. Convergence, the first

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N

I apologise for not updating earlier but things have been quite hectic.

Here is a thought for everyone. Naruto is fourteen years old. He enters into an ocean of a world, where the real predators have honed their skills and abilities for a good score of decades. Add to the Kyuu, who is a thousand year old entity. If you don't expect her to be able to manipulate Naruto, then she seriously has been wasting her time learning nothing throughout her life. Add to that she knows all of his intimate secrets and thoughts, then it really is no contest. What else is she going to do? Sleep and snarl at him all day? It is totally and utterly unrealistic that Naruto be free and independent at this moment in time, because the players will not gratefully concede the point and leave him be. They will try to use him to further their agendas and whatnot through influence, coercion, covert plans or otherwise. It can be mutually beneficial, at times not. The game still must be played. Otherwise there is just no fun. Or everyone will conspire to kill Naruto or neutralise him so he isn't a threat. It can happen. And remember, Naruto is no super genius. He is smarter in this fic, but he still needs advice and to mature into an autonomous adult. That takes time to take control of his life. This is why this will be epic. He wins, sometime he loses. And he will remember. Writing about overachieving infallible Naruto at the age of fourteen is just fanciful.

He's right, you know? -Juopunumies

I have to thank my betas again. You know who you are.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 10Oct08  
Chapter completed:01Jan09

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_The jounin hung his head slowly, "But, but I didn't mean to," he said softly and sadly._

_The Hokage rubbed his temples before coughing, "I know. I am not indifferent to your ... situation," remembering the conversation that they had when he had assigned Kurenai to Naruto, "and I will promise that a chance will be given, when the events are not so raw on everyone."_

"_You can make the decision," argued Hatake strongly, "just give me the chance to make it up to him. I am at least owed the chance to make things right!"_

_As much as she didn't want to admit it, Kurenai didn't want the status quo to change and let her team go from her grasp._

"_The longer that things stay this way, the more he will hate me, the more he will despise me. Hokage-sama, you must give me this opportunity. I have always served faithfully and never have I asked for anything. But this... __please__."_

_The plea on his lips made it hard for the Hokage to say no. Never before did the proud and aloof shinobi ever beg for anything. It was humbling in a way that even Anko realised. She was fairly sure that Kakashi was repentant for what he did. If he truly intended to kill Naruto she would have found a discrete way to dispose of Kakashi. Despite her seemingly low rank she was deadly in ways that very few people knew. She managed to hide her abilities out of a very well developed sense of self-preservation and in many ways resembled her mentor. Though if anyone said that to her face they would be up for a beating._

"_Please," he asked intently once more, showing more emotion than anyone had ever seen before with his superficially simple request._

_Sarutobi just turned his face towards the ceiling._

_Why me?

* * *

  
_

**Chapter Eighteen  
Convergence the first**

**Six months prior  
Hi no Kuni  
Northern Border  
**

Throughout the Elemental Nations were outposts set up as official boundary delimitations for the Hidden Villages. While the precise line was a bit blurred and hotly contested using the equidistant principle, there was often a highly contentious strip of land that no one in their sane mind would want to inhabit. And it was there were most of the covert action occurred, where operatives often slipped in and out of enemy territory to infiltrate the other. To prevent that from occurring the kages constructed hardened bunkers sunk into the ground that doubled up as forward observation posts that housed both shinobi and the forces under the direct control of the daimyo. Most of the time it was fairly boring stuff, being guard duty as the world was in a state of peace. Uneasy peace, but there was more a lingering sense of resentment rather than outright war.

But things were changing that made Konoha's Intelligence ANBU a bit nervous. The reports about a new leader in the Rice Country were nothing really new. There were new leaders being proclaimed left, right and centre. All of them were vying for the coveted title of Hidden Village, the tacit and express sovereign recognition by the daimyos. But they were usually somewhat open and free with their information about themselves, in order to create an impression that they were good enough to be considered in the elite circle occupied by Konoha, Kiri, Kumo, Iwa and Suna.

But Oto were strangely secretive with their details and information, except gaining a reputation for ruthlessness that gave the ANBU commander some concern. Most of the attempts by the Konoha special forces at infiltration had ended dismally, which meant that they were skilled enough in counter-intelligence to be a disturbing force to deal with. Then there were minor conflicts between bandits that were able to take short probing attacks before leaving without being engaged.

The reinforced bunkers were now being used to look out for those intrusions as well, which made the soldiers and shinobi manning them to be quite annoyed at pulling a double duty. It was a well settled principle of international law that bandits were crimes against all people so there were no issues of jurisdiction when it came to hunting them down. But they were so adept at disappearing that it would take a dedicated task force to bring them down entirely. Due to Konoha's depleted strength, that was not possible at the moment.

"Kami, what are we doing here?" asked one chuunin assigned on piquet duty. He sat on a chair within the lookout position of the bunker, idly twirling a kunai with his fingers as he tried to stay awake when midnight had broken hours ago.

"What do you think this is? A manga or something?" drawled one of the professional soldiers who had a spyglass on him, slowly and methodically sweeping the horizon for threats.

"I'm a shinobi," he responded flatly, "we are where the action is. We do the sneaking around, not the looking out. We have you for that."

Giving a tight smile at the nin's condescending tone, he merely shrugged before making a record on his notebook and repositioned the scope to a new quadrant.

"You know, you shouldn't be rude to these people," chided an ANBU jounin that leaned back against the wall with disinterest.

The chuunin shrugged with antipathy, "Pfft. Whatever. What good are they anyway? Can't use chakra, what else they got?"

"Oh I don't know. Discipline. The ability to fight in organised formations. The ability to take land, villages, surrenders and have a constant, active presence on the ground?" responded the jounin with a roll of his eyes.

"There's not that many of them are there?" he asked dubiously.

Nodding seriously, the ANBU got up and made his own observations of the landscape, "More than us at any given moment in time. They are just all spread out throughout Hi no Kuni doing other things like keeping the peace. Or in the capital serving the daimyo himself. We do have a large country. The Villages are pretty much where the specialist forces reside. Why don't you know about this? It was required reading at the Academy."

"Err... yeah. It sure was," responded the chuunin lamely.

His superior sighed and waved his finger at him in admonishment, "Granted that we don't have much contact with one another besides a major war but that is no excuse, dammit. And the rumour that they can't use chakra isn't correct. Some of them can. Some of them better than most jounin. But for most it's a personal choice to accept the daimyo's commission or not. Trust me, you wouldn't want to be up against a squad of those guys if they were determined to kill you."

The soldier chuckled at that and turned to face them with a grim smile, "Yeah, we grunts know how to hold our own. Don't you remember Nagoya Valley?"

The jounin blinked a bit before widening his eyes in surprise, "Wait, it was you guys-"

"Yeah, when you fucking shinobi were retreating with your tail between your legs it was the twenty seventh squad that held the line. Even if the Daimyo wanted nothing to do with it, they stopped Iwa in its tracks for five days for you to regroup and finish off your stupid "Secret Shinobi War" number two. Namikaze just had to-"

"Idling while you are on duty soldier?"

The soldier froze in mid sentence and slowly faced his superior officer. Standing in his combat fatigues with a deep crimson band around his arm, the hardened veteran faced his subordinate with an intimidating stare before he composed himself.

"No sir. Just explaining the reality of our intervention at Nagoya Valley, sir."

"Ah, well, that is understandable. Those were challenging times that could have been entirely avoided if a certain someone kept his delusions of grandeur under check," he said distastefully, shooting the shinobi a dirty look as he remembered the Valley all too well.

"What are you talking about?" asked the chuunin with some confusion.

The officer eyeballed the shinobi before craning his neck towards the jounin, his face revealing no emotion, "I guess the truth has been conveniently forgotten yet again, shinobi? I guess it's a part of your profession, ne? To contort and twist the truth to the point where it has no meaning at all?"

The ANBU tightened his expression at the cynical tone before shaking his head marginally, "Not at all. What's past is past. There is no use dwelling on it."

"Oh, there is. Especially when good men died for another's arrogance," the officer responded icily.

There was a stalemate between the two of them as they all felt the evening breeze wash over their shoulders, making the junior personnel shiver slightly.

"It is no longer important," insisted the jounin.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected any other answer but that," said the officer somewhat sadly. He turned and grabbed the observation log before gazing over it quickly.

"Sitrep, now."

The soldier nodded his head before recounting the events from the night, "There were some movements beyond the DMZ but we cannot be sure that it is anything. We don't exactly have a treaty or whatever with those people in Sound."

Humming with some thought, the officer flicked through the log before he was satisfied with what he saw, "Quite. Get some rest. We need to make a rotation-"

Before he could finish off his sentence there was sickeningly wet sound that drew their attention sharply as they saw a pure white arrow impale itself on the officer's neck, cutting off his ability to talk or breathe.

"What the fuck! Code red!" bellowed out the guard as he quickly dove down and tried to drag his superior away to a medic. Quickly enough the entire contingent on the bunker was placed in high alert as they manned defensive positions to face the threat.

The jounin reached some cover behind a wall and tried to triangulate the trajectory of the shot.

_Shit, that was accurate. Where the hell did that come from?!_

Doing some calculations in his head he saw some movement to the north as five figures brazenly walked out of their genjutsu concealment and strode confidently towards them.

"Shit, contact north! Three hundred and approaching!" he yelled out angrily.

A few other figures came into sight as they split off into wings in an attempt to flank the bunker.

_What are they trying to do? Assault an armoured position with twenty shinobi and soldiers?! Do they want to die?_

"Sir, what do we do?" asked the chuunin with some nervousness.

"We fight them. And we kill them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How long do you think this will take?"

"Well you stupid shit fucker, if you were halfway competent, half an hour."

"Screw you, you frigid bitch. Why don't you let someone give you a good fucking instead of you PMS'ing all over us?"

"Yeah, right. None of you are good enough to even gaze on the perfection that is me. Get back to jacking off in your corner, faggot."

"Please, Orochimaru-sama was given us a job. I suggest that we carry it out."

"Fine, whatever _boss_. We don't want to disappoint the great Orochimaru-sama do we?"

"Do you have an issue at the moment you piece of trash?"

"Pfft. Whatever. Let's waste this place."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

"I guess it is that time of the year again," commented Sarutobi idly as he consulted his papers for the Konoha hosted Chuunin Exams.

He looked at the jounin senseis along with his senior shinobi as he waited for nominations.

As expected Gai spoke loudly and confidently, "Hokage-sama, my youthful students are ready to show everyone the glory of their springtime of youth!"

Kakashi resisted the urge to bash his head against a wall before concurring, "I nominate Team Seven," he concluded simply.

Kurenai looked a bit unsure but strengthened her resolved,"Team Eight is more than ready."

Asuma yawned a bit before giving his father a lopsided smile, "Team Ten is prepared."

The other sensei's made their recommendations that the Hokage recorded before looking at the numbers. It would be an interesting exam for sure, especially with the amount of foreign nins that were rumoured to be entered. Especially the Kazekage's children who made the Intelligence ANBU division quite interested.

"You know, I never really understood the need for a chuunin exam, when we can just pass out field promotions if we get down to it..." said Anko with some confusion.

"You know the 'official' explanation, that it is a substitute for war," explained Kurenai in a lecturing tone.

"Yeah, that's the official explanation. I mean, as much as I like to see immature brats injuring themselves with jutsu that they can't use properly, it's a waste of time and a security breach," complained the violet haired kunoichi.

Sarutobi sighed before taking a deep puff of his pipe, "Yes, but they are vitally necessary for a few things. We can update our Bingo Books on upcoming ninja who feel compelled to reveal their techniques. And we can forecast their future threat levels from there."

Genma chuckled darkly before speaking, "But it is a fairly even playing field, if all the jounin senseis get to see the matches. But I guess the host country gets some advantages, like setting the exams and having all our intelligence units present as well. But still, it seems like a negligent waste."

The Hokage had to agree but decided to explain why it had to be done that way, "True, it is more hassle than it is worth. But really, it's the price that the Daimyos demanded after the last great war."

Hearing those words Asuma stiffened slightly, an action that did not go unnoticed by the rest of them.

"What do you mean?" asked Anko in confusion.

The old man stayed silent before shaking his head, "The last war was ... immense in scope. Casualties were high, territorial sovereignty was violated, the laws of war were not observed. Let's just say that the Daimyos were not impressed and gave everyone a fairly strong warning that future 'open' warfare was not going to be tolerated. And when they order, we obey."

Anko scoffed at that, "Why they hell do we even listen to those people, anyway?"

Asuma chuckled, a dark undertone that drew their attention, "You don't want to anger them in any meaningful way. There is a reason why shinobi bend knee to the feudal lords. And it isn't because we like taking orders or otherwise. Simply put, they are dangerous. But most of the time they don't realise how dangerous they are to the rest of us and we have to keep it that way."

Even Kurenai had to blink at that, "What do you mean?"

The two Sarutobi looked at each other before the elder nodded, "We appease them, in a sense. All of them carry a unique bloodline that ... well, it's highly classified. But rest assured it is only useful for mass destruction. Luckily they spend most of their time amusing themselves with politics and doing some esoteric research. But there is no doubt that any one of them could destroy a Hidden Village."

"Really?" asked Genma with scepticism.

"Yes, really," drawled Asuma as he puffed out some second hand smoke, "and it wouldn't take that long either. There isn't much that any of us could do about it, even if we wanted to. But they need us to provide general policing and special forces duties, in a sense. They come from a strong martial tradition and they have their own regular forces with them."

The jounin then made a face and took another puff, "Regular doesn't really describe those guys. They are probably the textbook definition of professional soldiers who fight shoulder to shoulder. Not very effective against shinobi, but still, they also are the ones that invented the munitions that we use. And they are really much better than ours," he admitted.

Anko got wide eyed at the mention of explosives and had to ask, "What do you mean?"

With a faraway look Asuma recalled a moment that managed to stick with him, "There was a demonstration one day, something called a cusser. The size of a large plate, about five kilograms as well. Took out an entire neighbourhood. And I am talking about steel and concrete buildings here. Bunkers would not have stood a chance either."

Kakashi was not that impressed, "So they have some soldiers and explosives. Is that all?"

Asuma gave him a pitying look before shaking his head, "Not by a long shot. There were things that were hidden even from me. But honestly, making a Daimyo angry is signing your death warrant. They could kill you, your entire family and no one would make them accountable. It's just a damn good thing they are doing something else at the moment."

Kurenai blinked owlishly before asking, "What are they doing?"

The wind user chuckled before giving her an enigmatic smile, "Let's just say that they are High Priests and they pray to their gods."

The Hokage turned his head slowly, unaware of that new piece of information, "Who and what are they praying for?"

The black haired nin shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know who. But I think they pray for their gods to ... ignore them. And us."

There was silence.

"What?" asked Anko.

"Yeah, it's the strangest thing. They keep saying "Wake them not." to each other. It's part of the whole mystique I guess. I have seen some of their rituals and it makes the Fourth's fuuinjutsu seem like amateurish scrawling in comparison. But whatever it is that they are doing, I think it's important."

Anko stared before stating dryly, "So we open our village up to outsiders, have our security breached, play meaningless games as a war substitute, and put most of our missions on hold just because some old men tell us to do so?" she asked incredulously.

Asuma nodded his head in all seriousness, "Yes. That is exactly why. They like those kind of adversarial games and think that making the villages host one every six months is the fairest way to go about it. Because they cheat by sending overqualified genin candidates, and we cheat with the events that we set. Even when I was protecting them, they still scared the crap out of me. At times I felt like I was a political prisoner or they wanted me to tell you this."

The Sandaime nodded his head, "Deterrence through fear and misdirection. We have never really seen their powers in action, but the myth, the reverence, it has continued on for all these years. They reaffirm this belief by having some of our finest serve as the Shinobi Guardsmen of Fire. And all of them have come back with the same story. Or variations upon that theme."

Kurenai couldn't help but appreciate the subtlety behind it all, "It is one hell of a murky and elaborate tale."

Asuma laughed again before fixing them all with a serious stare, "It isn't a tale."

* * *

**Soul Society**

"It's a nice night isn't it?"

Kurotsuchi Mayuri turned his head to face the person that addressed him, only to find the vulpine grin of Ichimaru Gin staring right at him.

_What the hell does that fox face want?_

Though he held himself beyond such unenlightened emotions such as fear, even Mayuri felt deeply uneasy around the Fifth Division vice captain who had an aura that screamed out child molester. He had heard rumours about the closed eyed child prodigy that had completed the Shinigami Academy in under a year. Impressive and it set a benchmark for new people to follow.

He had the body of a child back then but had now matured into a young adult. His silver hair and permanently mocking expression tended to polarise most people in Sereitei, but physical appearances were not things that bothered the scientist. Most people were disgusted and appalled by the form of his bankai, so he figured he had no real right to criticise on that ground.

_But still. You would be an interesting specimen to –_

"A bit late for a walk, is it not?" came another cultured voice to his left that made him spin around again with suspicion.

Mayuri got annoyed that he was accosted by another person on his rare time away from the eleventh division lab before raising his eyebrows at Sousuke Aizen who smiled genially at him. The moonlight reflected off his spectacles, giving him a sinister appearance that gave him pause.

_How... odd._

"I like the silence, there is no meaningless chatter of idiots to sully my enjoyment," answered Kurotsuchi stiffly as he turned his back towards the two of them and continued to walk.

The two men looked at each other before grinning sardonically and started to follow the perturbed shinigami.

"Tell me, do you feel free?" asked Sousuke in an off handed manner.

Kurotsuchi snorted at that and laughed cynically, "No one is free."

Gin chuckled darkly before nodding, "Isn't that tha truth? We claw our way up tha ladder and find ourselves on our knees. But the thing is that we don't know it."

Aizen hummed his agreement before whispering, "I am sure that you know the feeling all too well, don't you?"

Mayuri stopped and turned around suddenly, a rare sense of anger consuming him as he confronted the slightly mocking and condescending faces of the Fifth Division leaders, "What do you want with me?" he demanded.

The usually friendly taichou gave an uncharacteristic shark like grin before answering, "I think that you are like me."

Kisuke's subordinate blinked before unobtrusively moving his hand towards his zanpukuto, "I highly doubt that."

"They locked you away for your 'perversion' but I never really saw a problem with what you were doing. It was sensible and would have yielded great results. It was a shame that the notion of morality was so ... inflexibly subjective," commented Aizen with some amusement.

"Because at the end of the day, the truth is as clear as the summer sky. You don't care about Soul Society," he concluded with a smirk.

"Oh, what makes you say that?" asked Mayuri uneasily.

He stared into his eyes before shrugging slightly, "I recognise a like minded soul when I see one. We are all interested in our own things, our passions, our ambitions. It's just that those... _commoners_ are so blind sighted by their own mediocrity. We are never, ever happy with the status quo, and we are always exploring, reaching for perfection, but never reaching it because that means that we have nothing left to do. To change, create and learn. That is what they would deny you and me."

"What do you want," demanded Kurotsuchi, sick of the treasonous talk that could be a test of his loyalty to Sereitei.

"Just to help out a kindred soul. We all know that Urahara-san is doing something quite interesting and against Sereitei policy. And you know that he is the only thing keeping you from you proper spot. I mean, your position here is not very secure. You manage to annoy our great twelfth division captain and he might just send you back to the Maggots Den. Now, wouldn't that be a shame?"

Mayuri didn't show it, but he shivered internally at the thought of being imprisoned again in that dumping ground where he would be unable to complete his work.

"But the brilliant thing is that he won't even think about you being the one to ... keep him 'accountable'," Aizen finished with a sardonic smile.

"He thinks you are too grateful, that he controls you like one of those gigai that he experiments with. You are not a peer to him, but an underling. Do you always want to remain in his shadow when you can be so much more?"

The scientist was silent but Sousuke knew that he had an avid audience.

"And with Urahara out of the way, no one will question your acts within the Twelfth Division. And I am sure that you want to know what the hell he has been doing with his spare time. All I need is someone like you to give me that information and then the Central Division can be informed. Best of all, no one will know about it."

"How do you know that I won't go back to Kisuke and tell him all of this?" he demanded.

Aizen chuckled before shaking his head confidently, "You might do that. But I think you know an opportunity when it presents itself. Even if you do, what will he reward you with? Will he make you his equal? Or keep you under his thumb? He will question why I approached you in the first place, if there is something inherently ... unreliable about you Mayuri."

Kurotsuchi blinked before shaking his head.

"Your position is at his whim and fancy," he continued, driving the spike deeper with his friendly grin, "and really do you think he respects you or is forced to use you? With his constant oversight and hypocrisy, don't you wish to be free from it all?"

"Freedom is a wonderful thing. Freedom from judgment. From moral censure. From condemnation. From the short sightedness of fools that can never understand the beauty of progress. I am sure that you have some special projects that Kisuke doesn't approve of. And isn't that hypocritical of him?"

His eyes widened slightly.

_Does he know about Nemu?! Who the hell are you Aizen?_

"Just... think about it. I think that we have much in common."

* * *

**Konoha  
Teuchi's Ramen Stand **

It was another quiet day for Konoha as Ichiraku Teuchi prepared his stall for the rush of customers that he hoped would come and visit. He brought his broth to boil as he kneaded some dough in his hands before slicing them into thin stands of ramen and put them aside. For maximum freshness he would only boil the noodles when they were needed. A sigh escaped him as he looked at his accounting books when he was done with the dough.

_Things are not looking up. Not that they have been for a long time. But our budget is getting increasingly tight, no matter how much fish that Naruto and Ayame bring back at times._

_Damn, maybe we could become fishmongers instead_, he thought morosely before shaking those thoughts out of his mind.

While they were living hand to mouth, it left nothing for his savings account that he wanted to give to Ayame when she was old enough. He didn't want the rest of her life to be occupied with serving ramen.

_Dammit. This... isn't fair. _

While Teuchi was lost in his own world, Uchiha Mikoto calmly entered into the ramen store with a determined look on her face. The noodle chef looked somewhat confused when she arrived; wondering what was the occasion for her visit.

_Uchiha Mikoto, eat ramen? At my stall? Madness. What's next, Naruto becoming celibate?_

Kunoichi around the world shivered mysteriously as they looked at the shadowed sun, aware of the omen but not quite sure of what it was.

He knew of the Uchiha matriarch, as did most of Konoha, but more specifically by the tales that Naruto would tell when he ingested his ramen. He had indulged the boy somewhat, not really believing his words as he wove tales of how wonderful the woman was. And badmouth Sasuke at the same time. While he was the honorary son of the Hyuuga, even he knew of the rather strained relationship between the two clans. So either Naruto was shamelessly boasting, which was prone to happen at times, or he was telling the truth.

But as she approached him rather sedately and asked for a moment of his time, he wondered what it was all about.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry?"

Mikoto smiled faintly before repeating herself, "It is fairly clear Teuchi-san. And all in writing as well. It occurs to me that we have an opportunity to do some business," she said smoothly.

"But, this is a lot of money," he protested weakly, unable to comprehend the number of zeroes at the end of the document.

She nodded genially at that, "Yes, but there is a lot of good sense in this venture. Portable, convenient, tasty and a varied selection of ramen. The returns to scale are quite impressive, if managed properly and economies of scales can be realised . And I think that you are the person to do it. I know that you have approached the banks for loans before."

He nodded glumly, remembering each rejection.

Konoha Mutual: _I am sorry sir, but your collateral just isn't enough._

National Bank of Konoha: _A ramen stall isn't sufficient security._

Takashi Brothers: _Your history is sketchy. You weren't even born in Konoha._

The excuses made him sick after a while. He had ideas to start a chain of restaurants or mobile stalls around Konoha. It would make a decent profit if done properly. More importantly, he could hire people so that Ayame could pursue her dreams. He loved his daughter deeply and it bothered him that he could not provide for her as he wanted to.

It didn't help that she was so nice about it and did not complain. And here he had the chance to make things right. But something made him hesitate. He was a bit suspicious of people wanting to give him help for nothing. After all, this was Uchiha Mikoto, one of the few people regarded as Konoha royalty.

"How is this going to work?" he asked warily.

"I am sure that you have some savings, yes?" asked Mikoto lightly.

The man nodded cautiously.

Seeing his hesitance recede the Uchiha continued, "I propose a partnership. Basically we pool our resources and use that, along with the clan name, to secure a loan from UBK," she declared

"... Aren't you a director at UBK?" he asked savvily.

"Oh my, isn't that a coincidence?" she asked innocently.

"Quite..." he agreed wryly.

The Uchiha continued, "And since it will be on very favourable terms, we can start taking advantage of that leverage. Nothing more than five basis points over the bank bill swap rate. How much down time do you think you need?"

Teuchi did the calculations in his head and came up with an answer, "Not very long. We just need to build the stalls, get some advertising done and that's it. It is all about reputation in the food business. It isn't like we offer anything exotic. We do a simple, filling meal, but we do it well," he concluded.

"How about new chefs?" asked the Uchiha.

Ichiraku hummed at that, "It's not too hard to bring noodles to the boil. The real art comes from the soup base and stock. Well, the noodle making is a bit of an art form, but training for a few weeks and getting them to constantly work at it will make them better," he concluded.

Mikoto was aware of how much their friendship to Naruto had cost them in terms of sales. Their persistence despite that fact endeared them to her heart and she wanted to repay that gesture. And she wasn't kidding when she said that money would be made by them.

"So, less than a month?" she hedged anxiously.

Teuchi nodded happily, "Yeah, sure. And I'm sure Naruto will provide the labour for free, if we pay him in ramen."

Mikoto chuckled at that before smiling, "Yes, I am sure that he will. So, partners?"

Teuchi didn't hesitate for a moment, grasping onto the Uchiha's hand like a lifeline.

"Partners."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto and Hanabi were walking to the blond's favourite food stall, with Hanabi riding happily on his shoulder as they saw the eerie sight of an empty booth and a large sign out on the front which confronted the two:

**CLOSED**

The boy froze up, starting to hyperventilate at the sight of that single word, so he didn't bother to read the following ones. His eyes started to roll; breathing becoming difficult with him losing consciousness as Hanabi suddenly found herself on the ground as Naruto collapsed. She gasped a bit before going down on the floor prodding the boy.

"Nii-san?" she cried out, wondering why the blond was muttering hysterical nonsense. She looked up and observed the notice placed on where Teuchi's stall used to be.

Sighing, Hanabi shook her head before trying again, "Naruto-kun, come on, pull yourself together!" she admonished.

When the boy refused to become rational, she huffed before smirking. She reached for his whiskers and started to tickle them. That brought Naruto out of his malaise when he started to giggled uncontrollably, trying to fight off Hanabi's ministrations, who cackled manically internally as the boy started to wrestle with her in the street. Bypassers looked on in amusement and concern as the jinchuuriki gained leverage and pinned the girl to the floor, his face mere centimetres from hers.

She started to breath heavily, enjoying the physical tousle between them and smiled deviously, "That will teach you to ignore me!"

"Dammit Hana-chan, not in public ok?" he complained, trying desperately not to laugh at the adorable pout on her face.

"Did you even read all of the sign before you started to faint?" she asked dryly.

"I didn't faint. I passed out," he grumbled.

"Whatever, you so fainted," pointed out Hanabi with a teasing smirk.

"Don't say that," whined Naruto, crossing his arms as he started to read the billboard in its entirety.

**CLOSED FOR TRADE DUE TO RENOVATIONS. THE RAMEN EMPORIUM WILL BE OPEN IN FIVE NEW LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT KONOHA. MORE DETAILS SHORTLY.**

Naruto's eyes glazed over as he started to drool.

"F –F –Five new locations?!"

He fainted again.

Hanabi shook her head as she sighed, "You're so embarrassing onii-san."

* * *

**Konoha  
Union Bank of Konoha**

"Nice office," remarked Mikoto as she walked into Danzo's study that overlooked the Hokage monument. The sun was shining brightly and almost gave the wizened ex shinobi a healthy glow as he steeped his fingers below his chin.

"I must admit, it is very pleasant," conceded the older man as he swivelled on his chair in a contended fashion, "Yours is as equally nice."

"Oh, I know," replied Mikoto sunnily as she resisted the urge to dance naked in her office and feel the suns rays tease her skin. The high rise building that towered over most of Konoha's buildings contained most of the financial institutions within the village. Now that they were all owned by the same company, it wasn't too difficult to integrate the offices together. All they needed was a new logo.

"How do things look?" she asked with some concern.

Flicking through some balance sheets, the newly made director made some flicking motions with his hand, "Well, it doesn't look too bad. Cash flow is a bit low at the moment, where we can liquidate some of the more long term assets to satisfy liquidity, if we needed it. I must say, those Kyoshi sisters did some good work deconstructing the balance sheets and finding all the non recourse debt. I think we can use them for some clever financial engineering later on. I am thinking long term shareholder notes from stapled securities."

Mikoto made a mental note to thank those two girls that helped her uncover her steward's duplicity.

_After all, a Uchiha always repays their debts._

"What is our goal oh revered leader?" she asked cheekily.

Danzo blinked at that, "I never knew that you were so irreverent Mikoto-san."

"Oh, are you shocked and scandalised?" Mikoto asked expectantly.

He expressed some mirth at that, his lips curling slightly as he nodded his head, "Pleasantly surprised actually. This will make working together so much more pleasant. I do have a few ideas for UBK in the next three years, which will be interesting to say the least. It will change the financial system of Konoha forever."

Mikoto cocked her head before looking expectantly at him, "Care to share?"

Nodding, the older man proceeded carefully, "I mean it is a sad fact that most shinobi are not financially savvy."

Mikoto's face tightened at the unsaid insinuation but she had to nod her head, making another note to thank Naruto for his serendipitous concern.

Danzo looked somewhat sheepish but continued, "The thing is that the lifestyle doesn't encourage much thinking or research into financial products or solutions."

He then made a face before making another observation, "Our occupation is really based off short term gains and active income. They get paid for every job that they do, but at least it isn't a fixed income like other occupations. But they do the things that their parents did before them. They saved money into a bank account. They earned interest, they paid fees, but they didn't really understand their opportunity cost."

"What do you mean?" asked the Uchiha with some confusion.

Twirling a pen in his hands, Danzo continued with his explanation, "Basically, the banks only really promise to repay you the money that you put into them. You in effect lend it to them and they can give it back to you. You don't really own it anymore."

She blinked at that, "Really?"

"Yes, really. It isn't your money anymore. You lend it to them and you can demand it back, but it's just a liability on their balance sheet."

"I didn't know that," confessed the Uchiha.

"Not many people do."

"What happens when I want it all back and they can't pay?"

"You get angry. And since it is in the nature of an unsecured loan, when a bank goes bankrupt, then the secured creditors get paid out first. Account holders are usually at the bottom of the ladder."

"... Right. I'm going to keep my money in the Uchiha safe from now on," she concluded warily.

Danzo chuckled at that, "Yes, but not everyone has a secure vault like that. And most people want easy access. So that's what happens. In any event most of the funds are pretty much pooled into an account and that is lent to other people."

Mikoto scratched her head and looked slightly confused, "Why would you do that? I lend to the banks, which is then lent to others?"

"Yes, that's exactly how it works. How do you think mortgages exist in the first place?" pointed out Danzo, "It's basically money from the deposit holders and given to people who had sufficient security. And in return, they pay regular payments that can be lent again, or used to provide capital liquidity when people want their money back. The banks make money by charging interest and fees. They use other peoples money but by careful screening, the can pick and choose borrowers who won't default."

She thought on that and nodded before asking, "Ok, what happens when there are shortages? When they lend too much but people want their money back?"

"They tend to borrow from other banks on a short term basis. But that is kinda irrelevant as there is only one bank left in Konoha. That is UBK. And the Reserve Bank which does its own thing. Because of that, the old models aren't really going to work anymore. But I have a plan that will be something new and beneficial for all of Konoha. Particularly for the shinobi forces."

Mikoto smiled before asking facetiously, "Will you tell me?"

He chuckled before nodding, "Yes. I call it a mutual fund. Or superannuation."

Looking confused, she wanted him to elaborated, "What does that do?"

"We pool money from people and give them a share of the fund. That share is worth at least as much as the total asset pool divided by the number of shares. The future prospects of growth and earnings will form part of the demand that will affect pricing as well. We use that asset pool to invest in other things, such as stocks, bonds, private companies, whatever it may be. Then the total value is shared amongst the unit holders. And sometimes distributions will be paid in the form of a dividend."

Mikoto blinked at that idea, "Ok, that sounds quite sensible. What's the catch? How do we make money?"

"We charge fees of course. For setting up the fund. For managing the assets that will be a percentage of their current value. For making excess profits against a benchmark. And if the fund shuts down, another fee as well."

Nodding her head, Mikoto developed a thoughtful expression on her face, "This requires that we have some investment skills, otherwise why wouldn't they take a term deposit instead? This means we need to produce in excess of what, five percent a year before people will bother to put money into the fund," she pointed out dryly.

"Yes, well, that is where our friends from the front office come in. They are salesman in a sense, going out to see what things they can invest in. Much like what you did with Ichiraku."

The Uchiha cocked her head slightly and asked with some amusement, "Not much gets by you does it?"

The older man chuckled before shaking his head, "Not really. When you reach my age and are still alive, paranoia and attention to detail are like two bedfellows. You might hate them at times, but they were by you through thick and thin. A valuable lesson to remember."

"What kind of salesmen are we talking about?" asked Mikoto.

Danzo made a face before coughing slightly, "I don't think that we should call them that. They would get quite offended. Hmmm... probably the best job description is analyst. They look at growth opportunities and buy accordingly. They all have former shinobi backgrounds so they have excellent attention to detail and are good at sniffing out bad deals."

"With other people's money?" asked Mikoto dryly.

With a laugh, Danzo agreed, "Yes. That is the power of leverage and private equity. I mean, we will try to verify all the risks before taking on any course of action. If we go bankrupt, I don't think we can expect to live with all those angry shinobi after us. We might open ourselves to the civilian market as well to tap into some funds."

_And add some industrial espionage, coercion and generally underhanded corporate dealings; I wonder what we won't be able to do._

Mikoto nodded and sat down on the chair in front of Danzo, "So, what do you need me to do?"

"First of all we need to inspire confidence before we can start it up. If we can combine the retail side of the bank along with the investment banking side, we get easy access to funds that will allow us to make some pretty abnormal profits. How would you like to be the mascot for UBK?" he asked with a smile.

"Do I have to dress up in something revealing and scandalous?" she asked dubiously.

"Could you? It would really help," Danzo responded hopefully.

She gave him a frosty look as he grinned sardonically, waiting for her response.

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Thirty Seven**

Naruto sat on the bench, waiting for his team to assemble as he wondered how to deal with Kurenai after what she had did to him along with Anko and Yuugao. They had violated his mind, felt justified in doing so but were cowardly enough to remove it from his memories.

_It, it never is enough, is it?_

_**I don't know what to say kit.**_

_I mean, I gave them everything. Yuugao with her memories, look at how well that went. I saved Kurenai-sensei's life and that didn't seem to matter to her. She still used that jutsu against me..._

_**It's amazing how two faced people can be isn't it?**_

_And Anko, kami, I don't know what the hell is going on. I never thought... _

_But I just keep on giving and giving, is it so much to ask that they just put me first, just this once? Or is Konoha like that? Am I always going to be second place? _

_**It probably is. Your father placed your life below that of everyone else. Your 'mother' was too busy being irresponsible and consumed with her own issues than to be a parent to a kid that everyone hated. This village, it breeds it.**_

_What, what do you mean?_

_**It's the culture. Of sacrifice. Of pain. Of suffering. Konoha is a shinobi village, it runs on the blood of the young, from the orders of the old. How dare you place yourself above the majority kit! Duty! Honour! How sweet and noble it is to die for your nation Naruto-kun. How dare you think about yourself, put yourself above the needs of the majority! It's so sinful, this sense of individualism that I wonder if they even realise that the collective is made from single people. **_

_Kami, that makes me sick._

_**It does, doesn't it? If they can give you up, a real person who has helped them more than the abstract idea of a village, what the hell do you owe them in the first place? When the choice comes between you and then, I wouldn't hold my breath kit... Unless you want to get blue in the face and need resuscitation. **_

_Do, do they really think that I am a monster?_

_**Hah. You're like a cute little bunny rabbit.**_

_H-Hey! Take that back Kyuu!_

_**Fu fu fu fu fu. Hey, don't get angry at me. I'm just a sentient voice in your head right now. **_

_Fe. Whatever. You'd like to chase me around and eat me wouldn't you? _

_**Maybe when you're older, kit. Then I'd take a real bite out of you and hear you scream.**_

_... Rooight. Cannibal._

_**Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu. Sure, if you want to think about it in that way I definitely will be savouring something from you in a few years. **_

_But, but why can't they see that? What do I have to do to prove it to them? _

_**What indeed... You shouldn't be second best. Not after everything that you've done for them. And probably will do for them in the future. **_

_I don't know how to feel anymore. I remember. Everything._

And things had been going on as usual, where there was a team rotation to be announced soon enough. The blond didn't know if that meant sensei or teammate, but at the moment he didn't really care either way. For some reason he was quite interested in learning some fuuton from Asuma if he could manage it, but knowing his luck Kakashi would be assigned to him, despite the whole 'shoving his fist into his chest' incident.

_Seriously, if the old man does that, what the fuck?_

Hinata appeared with a small smile and sat next to him, resting her head against his shoulder as he idly played with her hair.

"Hey. Feeling better?" asked Naruto with some concern, happy to shelf his unhappy thoughts.

"A bit," admitted the Hyuuga heiress, "things haven't been as bad as they used to be." Truthfully the nightmares were receding and those confusing voices in her head had died down. But Naruto noticed that she wasn't as open as she was before. She had become more reserved and didn't joke as much as she used to. The boy figured that it was her adjusting to the rather traumatic events in Wave.

They sat there for a while, not really speaking but there was no need to. After living together for so long and training side by side, they were so comfortable with each other that Naruto regarded the lavender eyed girl as one of his closest friends.

Who he could never tell the truth about what kind of life he had been living under her nose. It would raise too many difficult questions that he didn't want to answer. Invariably she would be hurt because he kept things from her.

It was all too complicated.

Ino soon arrived, toting her crossbow that Naruto refused to take back. He rather facetiously said that she could pay him back when she was rich and famous with a trophy husband.

Who was not Sasuke.

The blonde smirked and said that maybe she could compensate him in another way that would leave them all satisfied. Hinata coughed delicately before fixing a disproving glare on Ino that shut her up. The sight of the normally docile and placid Hyuuga being so pointed caused so much cognitive dissonance that it gave her a headache.

She took seat on the other side of Naruto before yawning loudly and mumbled something incoherent to her teammates.

"What the hell did you do last night?" asked Naruto with some amusement.

Ino shook her head before stretching her arms, "I don't know. I just woke up feeling tired and terrible."

"Have you been eating?" teased the boy with a chuckle.

"Yes, yes, mother, I have been eating. Do you think these muscles just magically appeared?" she huffed out.

"Muscles? What muscles?"

"Take that back!"

Hinata smiled at their by play before noticing that Kurenai had arrived with a small smile on her face. Naruto had noticed her presence a while ago but pretended that she wasn't there, not quite prepared to face her with an honest face.

_**Just hide your emotions kit. She still can make your life miserable if she chooses to.**_

_I hate this._

He gave her his foxy grin that waved happily at the jounin before greeting her, "Ohayo Kurenai-sensei."

"Naruto-kun," she acknowledged with a grin, "Hinata, Ino, how are you this morning?"

"Ino is tired and not paying attention. Can I spar with her?" asked Naruto innocently.

That woke up the girl as she stood up in a hurry, "Oh, hell, no. Not again. I swear, if I need to get therapy when I am older you're the one paying!"

"Bah, make me!"

"Ano, Naruto-kun, Ino-san, I think Kurenai-sensei has something to say to us," spoke Hinata, trying to play mediator between the two blondes.

She coughed lightly before giving the Hyuuga a grateful nod, "I have some important news for you guys."

Ino brightened up, "The old drunk decided to pay us?!"

Kurenai shook her head regretfully, "Wave still owes us some substantial debts that probably won't be paid in the near future. But due to your performance I believe you are more than ready to enter into the Chuunin exams."

There was silence as the three genin were surprised.

"Ano ... are you sure that we are ready sensei?" asked a slightly sceptical Hinata.

The jounin nodded decisively, "Yes, most definitely. That was an A ranked mission that you guys completed. I am confident that you can do it and make Konoha proud."

_Chuunin exams huh? Well damn._

_**Does my kit want to get promoted anytime soon? You can wear that oh so cool jacket as well.**_

Ino blinked a bit before laughing, "Man, that is so awesome. Who else is going to be there? Team Seven and Ten?"

Kurenai gave a mysterious smile before remaining silent.

"Now, now, just because I nominated you, it doesn't mean that you are obligated to actually compete. If you want to, then arrive at the location on the papers. I am not going to influence you any more than I have already. Best of luck."

With that she disappeared in a flurry of leaves that left the three genin with heavy thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Central **

"Naruto, why is there a cardboard box following us?" asked Ino with some confusion.

The swordboy resisted the urge to bash his head against a wall and merely hung his head, "Just... ignore them. Hopefully they get bored and run away. Or something."

"Roooight," drawled Ino, unconvinced.

"Naruto-kun, are they friends of yours?" asked Hinata with some interest.

"I guess you could call them that. Now... wait for it."

"Huh?"

And right on cue there was an explosion of smoke and three distressed voices started coughing. Naruto looked utterly unimpressed as the kids struggled to get out of their gutted box.

"Geez Konohamaru, I didn't think you would take me seriously with the box idea."

The boy smirked before pointing his finger at him, "Just what I expected from the person that I view as my rival!"

"Naruto, are you beating up on little kids now?" asked Ino dubiously.

"NO! They just like playing ninja with me. And stalk me. It's kinda freaky actually..." mumbled Naruto at the end.

"What do you mean stalk?! That's so cold bro! I mean, you haven't even been spending much time with us at all. Look at how sad you are making Moegi-chan!" said an indignant Konohamaru.

The girl started to tear up and gave him a broken look. She bit her lip anxiously and started to flutter her eye lids in a puppy dog like manner, making Naruto blink.

"Stop that!" he demanded.

The Sarutobi crossed his arms and smiled widely, "Oh I get it now. You don't want to spend any time with us anymore. Is it because of these two?" asked Konohamaru, pointing to his two teammates.

Naruto nodded genially at that handy explanation, "Yeah sure, let's go with that. Guys, this is Yamanaka Ino and Hyuuga Hinata. Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Konohamaru nodded eagerly and struck a pose, "I am the future Hokage, Konohamaru!"

The pig tailed girl gave a victory sign with her fingers and shouted, "As skilful as I am beautiful, I am Moegi!"

The other boy sighed before waving at the girls, "I like algebra. I am Udon," he said with exasperation.

"Together we are the Konohamaru Corps!" they shouted together, some with more enthusiasm than others.

_**... Seriously, why do you associate with them again, kit?**_

_Damned if I know. I made some promises and bam! He latches onto me like I'm his brother...._

"Come on bro, lets play ninja!" whined the younger Sarutobi as he tried to drag Naruto into a training field.

"Oh come on. We can go later or something. I was going to have lunch, dammit!" protested the blond.

The three of them stopped and their stomachs rumbled at the same time and they looked expectantly at him.

"What?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

Ino sighed, "I think they want you to feed them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Ramen Emporium**

"I. Love. This. Place," declared Naruto as he sat down and salivated over the new menus.

Hinata shook her head fondly as she hummed contentedly, deciding on some miso ramen while Ino agonised over her choice.

"What's with you and your ramen, boss?" asked Konohamaru.

"This stuff is liquid gold. Sooo. Goood. I swear that I will get married here. Believe it."

Hinata blushed slightly and gave the blond a furtive look. Ino caught it and rolled her eyes.

_Seriously, he can't be clueless to her crush, can he?_

_**Naruto-kun, Hinata is giving you googly eyes again.**_

_Oh, she is not!_

_**Yes she is. Look.**_

Naruto turned his head and saw Hinata reading her menu with a small blush.

_See. She isn't. Take that Kyuu!_

_**Bah. Why the hell is she blushing then?!**_

_What am I, a doctor?_

Soon enough they were served by Ayame who had a massive grin on her face. She looked around the establishment like it wasn't quite real. Naruto gave her a wide foxy smile which she nodded at.

"Ah, it's our best customer. So, what shall it be?" she asked enthusiastically.

The blond pretended to think about that for a few seconds before responding, "The usual."

Ayame rolled her eyes before marking their docket with Naruto's special. She looked at the rest of them, "How about the rest of you guys?"

They spoke out what they wanted, which paled in comparison to the jinchuuriki's prodigious order. The waitress then went to the back to place their order. She then sauntered back and sat next to Naruto, placing her arm over his shoulder.

"So, what's up?" asked Naruto happily.

"Ah, not much. Just planning a few things here and there," she responded vaguely.

"So what's going to happen here now? There are like five of these stores around Konoha. Will they all taste as good as the original?" he asked eagerly.

Ayame scrunched her forehead in thought before shaking her head, "Tou-san is going to manage most of them and have some of the mobile carts near the construction areas. He is pretty strict about the quality control and he will be in the main store near the Uchiha manor. But I'm afraid I won't really be working here anymore," she finished sadly.

Naruto blinked in confusion and shock, "Nani?!"

Nodding sadly, she hung her head and pretended to sob, "My evil, ungrateful father has decided that I need to go and study!"

Ino cocked her head with some interest, "Oh, what exactly?"

The brunette sighed again before placing the back of her hand across her forehead like a damsel in distress, "Med school of course."

Hinata's interest was piqued as she saw the waitress in a new light. She didn't really interact much with Ayame but she knew that Naruto was quite close to her. How close she wasn't quite sure. But still...

"Ano, will you be studying as a combat nin then Ayame-san?" asked Hinata politely.

She made a face before shaking her head, "Probably not. Apparently my chakra skills aren't that great yet. And anyway, I think I would rather be in general practice."

Naruto was still in shock, realising that his ramen experience would be forever disrupted by her absence, he looked so mournful that Ayame had to chuckle and give him a light hug.

"Now, now, don't be so sad. I will still need an allowance and all that so you will see me from time to time. Geez, it's not like I am leaving for another village or anything like that," she teased lightly.

The blond shook his head stubbornly, "But, you're the only one that knows my usual!"

Rolling her eyes, she waved off his concerns, "Woah, thanks a lot Naruto-kun. I guess that was all that I was useful for."

Realising that he had placed his foot into his mouth, he hastily tried to correct himself, "Ah, I didn't mean it in that way. Congratulations!"

With a genuine laugh, she ruffled his hair, ignoring his mock scowl and tapped her finger on the table, "This is nice. But I don't really know if I am cut out for studying. I have never really ever done it before," she confessed.

The three genin looked at each other before shrugging, "We went to the Academy. Apparently civilian school is the same. Just without the sneaking, weapons training and stuff like that," commented Ino.

Naruto leaned back before yawning, "Bah, it's just books. Are you afraid of books Ayame-chan?" he teased.

Humph'ing, she tossed back her head and gave him a haughty look, "Of course not. How dare you imply otherwise!"

"Pfft. Whatever. I know the look of fear when I see it," he goaded.

Affecting outrage, she stood up suddenly and pointed her finger at him, "How dare you be mean to me! That's it, I'm asking the chef to put a 'special' something into your ramen!"

"NOO!!" he cried out in horror as he grasped onto her arm to stop her going into the kitchen.

The Konohamaru Corp looked at their byplay with some confusion. Their leader gave Ino and Hinata a confused look, "Wha?"

The two kunoichi shrugged simultaneously, "Damned if I know. Naruto has all sorts of friends that don't really know each other," Ino said with an odd expression on her face.

_How much do we really know about you Naruto? It's like you separate parts of your life..._

"Ah," said Konohamaru knowingly.

_Bro is such a player!_

A few moments later a mollified Ayame returned with their meals.

"Holy crap Naruto. Twelve bowls?!" Ino breathed in awe and disgust.

Ayame nodded queasily as well. No matter how often she saw it, the blond's appetite still sickened her in a way.

"Can't talk. Eating."

Amused by his single minded devotion to the noodles they grabbed their chopsticks and started digging in. After a while everyone was leaning back, content with their meal and enjoying the happy post lunch daze.

_**Kit, ummm, I don't mean to like, scare you or anything. But I have a bit of a jinchuuriki warning to give you.**_

Naruto stiffened slightly before looking nonchalantly around him, _Where?_

_**At your six. Just be careful and turn around slowly.**_

The boy complied and found himself looking at a red haired teenager with a massive gourd strapped to his back. He was sitting down on a table with two others, slowly chewing on some ramen with a blank expression on his face, like he wasn't enjoying it at all.

_Well crap. That must be heavy. Is that a tattoo on his forehead as well?_

_**Sure looks like it. Ai eh? That's fairly curious. But can you feel something else?**_

_Something... dark and evil about him. He looks like he has never slept before in his life._

_**Yeah, look deeper. In fact, use that spiritual sight of yours.**_

Drawing upon his reiatsu, he focused it on his eyes and gazed at the boy and felt an uneasiness develop in his stomach as the most vile and nauseating aura sought to overwhelm him.

Back at Wave when he saw Zabuza, the man had a tainted aura that was black as charcoal. But this boy, it was beyond comprehension. It was like he drew in light and darkened everything around him. For some reason he grew increasingly horrified, an icy knot developing in his stomach as he couldn't stop staring.

_Kami... what the hell?! How can it be so dark?!_

_**That's really... disturbing. It looks like a black body. What kind of things has that kid done?**_

_Kyuu, who is he the host for?_

_**I can't really tell at this distance. But I think it is the Ichibi...**_

Oh great, it just has to be my broken and shattered brother. Why can't I have more rational relatives like the Nekomata?

Gaara felt an intense stare upon him and he looked up. He saw a blond teen eyeballing him, his cerulean eyes shining with a bizarre intensity, like they were emitting an azure light. They hardened into diamonds as he felt the animosity that the boy had for him.

_Who are you?_

The voice inside his head started going into overdrive. He tried to ignore it but it became way too much for him to bear.

_**KILL!! NO RUN AWAY!! RENDER ITS FLESH!! NO, FLEE YOU IGNORANT FOOL!! **_

Temari grew nervous as she saw Gaara grip onto the table fiercely, leaving a deep indentation with his fingertips. She looked up from her ramen bowl and saw the staring contest between the two boys.

_When did you notice him Kyuu?_

_**A few moments ago. But I want to be sure of it. Didn't you see him come in?**_

_Yeah, but eh, he didn't give off any bad vibes. We do live in a shinobi village full of weird people. I can't really judge can I? I'm a living shinigami for crying out loud..._

Naruto's face grew impassive and impossibly chiselled. A light wind caressed his blond locks that floated delicately before retaining their usual spiky locks. But it was his eyes that entranced her. They stared like a judgmental god, so clear and pure that they acted like a mirror. She gulped slightly as there was no fear or hesitance in his orbs.

And more importantly he was glaring at her homicidal brother without any panic or alarm. There was no one that she had ever seen in her life that could do that. Not even her father. Granted that he may have just been a cocky and ignorant genin that had no idea of what her brother was capable of...

But for some reason there was something about Naruto that she recognised. The confidence. The way he held himself. The self assurance.

And dammit if she didn't find that attractive.

"Uhh... Naruto, why are you staring so hard? It's not really polite you know," said Ino sarcastically.

Without a word he stood up and walked towards the Sand Siblings. Puzzled, his teammates followed him.

"Naruto-kun, what's the matter?" asked Hinata with concern. She had never seen the swordsman act like that ever before.

As he got closer, he could see the trio looking at him warily and getting into defensive positions. But the red haired jinchuuriki didn't waver at all. His pale inhuman eyes without pupils stared back into him, dead to the world. There was a slight curl to Gaara's lips as he stood up to greet Naruto.

The two boys were silent, gauging each other as their teammates were confused about the sudden and unprovoked conflict that sparked between the two boys. Ino and Hinata recognised the Suna hitai-ate that they wore.

"Chuunin exams huh?" asked Ino in an attempt to break the ice.

Temari nodded, grateful that someone was breaching the uncomfortable silence, "Yeah, that's us. Are you entering as well?" she asked politely and wanting some intelligence on the home teams.

The kunoichis of team eight nodded, "Yes, are you the only team from Suna this year?"

Kankuro and Temari looked at each other before shaking their head, "Nope."

Gaara stayed silent still as he looked Naruto up and down. There was this odd sense of coldness descending upon him. Curious, he tried to explore the new feeling before giving up.

_**RUNNN YOU FOOOL! WHAT ARE YOUR WAITING FOR?! GET OUT NOW!! KILL! MAKE IT RAIN BLOOD FOR YOUR MOTHER!!**_

By that time the Ichibi's ranting had given him a slight headache so he put some money on the table to settle their bill and made a move to leave.

"We go now," Gaara stated duly before slowly turning around to exit the building.

Nodding nervously, they gathered their gear and started to walk away.

"Stop," said Naruto strongly.

The siblings turned around and faced him with impassive expressions on their faces.

"Tell me your names," Naruto demanded impetuously.

The red haired shinobi considered it before answering, "Sabaku no Gaara."

Seeing that as affirmation, Temari gave him a slight smile before responding, "Sabaku no Temari."

Kankuro huffed a bit before speaking arrogantly, "Sabaku no Kankuro."

The swordsman blinked before nodding slightly, "Uzumaki Naruto. This is Yamanaka Ino and Hyuuga Hinata."

That said they turned in unison and left the Ramen Emporium.

"Geez Naruto, that was a bit rude of you," complained Ino.

Hinata was just concerned that Naruto looked so cold and shaken. She reached out to hold his hand shyly which made him smile, "I saw their hitai-ate and I just had to go see," he lied smoothly.

"Right, well, what did you think? The girl has that massive fan strapped to her back; face paint boy had that thing strapped to his back. Raccoon boy had a gourd strapped to his back. They really like things strapped to their back," observed Ino dryly.

Naruto had to chuckle at that and agreed, "Yeah, but I think that they are quite dangerous."

The two girls blinked. Naruto had taken on jounin level opponents and had massacred a mob. For something to give him some pause...

_What the fuck is he doing here? For the chuunin exams no less. I have to tell Danzo this._

_**Are you sure you want to do that?**_

_Why not?_

_**How are you going to explain it? I mean you could make up a lie how you could recognise the chakra signature of another bijuu, but that may give rise to other questions.**_

_I think you are making too much of a big deal out of this._

_**Hey, I'm just saying...**_

Konohamaru just shook his head at his boss. "Damn, I wish I could stare as cool as that."

Udon and Moegi agreed.

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

"Danzo, we need to talk."

'Mi' looked at Naruto in surprise, "You're leaving us for private practice aren't you? Whatever it is that they want, we will double it!"

The jinchuuriki looked confused and looked at Danzo for clarification. The older man sighed before rubbing his temples, "Don't mind him. He hasn't quite been the same since we made him a Vice President (VP) of UBK."

"Buy side, strong side bitches!" he crowed happily.

The blond just blinked some more, "It must be nice, living in your own world."

The 'Ne' commander laughed at that, "Quite. Is there something that you need Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, Suna have a jinchuuriki entered into the Chuunin exams."

The two men stilled at that before giving Naruto a hard look.

"Are you sure?" asked 'Mi' with an intense stare.

The boy nodded assertively, "I'd bet 'Mi's' life on it."

Intrigued, Danzo felt compelled to ask, "How does that work exactly?"

Stroking his chin, the swordsman explained himself, "Well if I am wrong, then there is no real loss. But if I'm right, then I guess he would die in a blaze of glory against Sabaku no Gaara."

The assassin growled at the boy, "I can still kick your ass, kid."

Naruto dismissed that, "Whatever. That's just because I let you."

"Why you little-"

"Enough, you two. What are you, argumentative children?!" Danzo ground out.

Naruto nodded seriously, "Hey, I'm just a kid, I don't know any better. Maybe if 'Mi' set a better example –"

"Screw this; I'm going to relax in my office than hear you bitch about me."

After the operative took his leave Danzo returned to Naruto's information, "So, you're telling me that the Kazekage's son is a jinchuuriki?"

"Yep. He sure is," confirmed Naruto with a smile.

"Ok, and you know this by?"

The blond looked a bit guarded but answered truthfully, "It's just something that I can sense. It may be a jinchuuriki thing."

The scarred man hummed for a few moments, "Does he know who you are then?"

Naruto wasn't sure of that, "No idea. I don't think so. I just think that I have a greater sensitivity because I have the Kyuubi. But I... don't really know."

_Well fuck, isn't this interesting. I wonder if we can arrange some sort of accident –_

Standing up he gave Naruto a thankful smile, "You did good, Naruto. Thanks for bringing this to my attention."

Plans had to be made.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

"So, what examinations will we be having this year?"

Koharu and Homura laughed with some distaste as they were forced to schedule games for children.

"Can't we get the ANBU to do it?" complained Koharu.

"I would normally, but they are understaffed at the moment. The intelligence and CINT operatives are flat out trying to do intel runs on our borders. We managed to get some interesting chatter that they are investigating. And it's time that you did some work," said the Sandaime meaningfully.

"We do the paper work that you send to us, when they really need your signature," commented Homura dryly.

"It's called delegation," retorted Sarutobi as he took a deep puff of his pipe, "and since the Daimyos want a show, then let's give them a proper show."

"Does it even matter? The real exhibition is the last exam where the Daimyos and the clients will be in attendance. I mean, we want to shine as we always do, but how much do we need to do beyond the stock standard tests for intelligence, leadership and orienteering?" asked Koharu with exasperation.

The Hokage shrugged slightly, "Still, we must make it challenging so that we do have some manageable numbers. There will be quite a few candidates this year, where I expect that the competition might be one sided. I do expect the other nations to send significantly stronger 'genin' to try and cripple our younger shinobi. That's a problem that we need to monitor. But what is the most inconspicuous way of doing so?"

"Have a ridiculous counter intuitive test that allows the proctors to eliminate at their discretion?" suggested Homura.

"I concur," nodded Koharu.

"I try to avoid arbitrariness, it tends to be used as precedent against us," replied Sarutobi dryly.

"Fine, make us work," grumbled his ex teammates, "Intelligence gathering test. Then some sort of do or die question at the end of it. Make those kiddies sweat it out, making a real life field decision."

"You mean give them a jounin level written examination and let them sweat it out?"

"Yeah sure, why not?" responded Koharu carelessly.

"Well, I can't really disagree with that in theory. How about the rest?"

"We cross that bridge when we need to," answered Hiruzen with a sigh.

"Who is attending at the moment?"

The Hokage looked over at the missives received from the shinobi villages that sent expressions of interest to enter their genin into the competition.

"We have... five foreign spots. And there seems to be a sizeable number as well," mused the older leader as he drew some figures on his notepad.

Homura peered at the report, trying to figure out anything suspicious in the applications, "Hmm... thirty from Sunagakure, twenty one from Ame, six from Kusa and Taki. And three from Oto..."

Koharu ran her hands over her brow before frowning, "Do the ANBU have intelligence on them at all?"

The Sandaime shook his head with discontent and took an aggrieved puff of his pipe, "Not really. They have been run haggard with raids on our northern border. But it isn't altogether that surprising because there have been no real changes with the other villages. Except Oto. We have very little on them at the moment, but they seem to be making a name for themselves as all new villages are wont to do."

Homura looked confused for a second before slowly tracing his finger over the report, "We have Ame nins as well? Didn't they like seal off their village around eight years ago?"

The female advisor blinked at that as well, "Yes. Yes they did."

"Did they ever compete as well after that? Seems awfully suspicious if not down right xenophobic of them..."

Sarutobi made a note for some of his Internal Security (IS) ANBU to keep a closer eye on the Rain contingent when they arrived at Konoha. There was some disturbing news from Jiraiya's intelligence network about Ame and it was where Itachi and Orochimaru were last sighted.

_I may be paranoid, but I don't think I am... _

Homura reached for a glass of water and swallowed slowly, doing the mathematics in his head, "That means at least sixty six enemy shinobi that are guaranteed the freedom of the village while they are here, along with their jounin senseis. I propose that we put at least one hundred Konoha genin into the examinations to compensate."

Koharu rolled her eyes at that, "That is somewhat ... excessive. And it makes it quite obvious that we are stacking the odds against them."

"How has it been different in any other Chuunin exam?" argued the other man with a smirk.

"Subtlety is the key, not this blatant show of our numbers. In any event, how many teams is that? More than we have."

The male elder was insistent on his point, "It isn't. Look at the register. There are plenty of teams that are there and can compete without becoming an embarrassment. Especially those who have yet to make chuunin but have progressed part way through their original exams."

"But ninety? That is thirty teams. Who will do the D ranked missions?" asked Sarutobi with good humour.

"I am sure we can find some unlucky fool that has the misfortune of rubbing the gods the wrong way. Or we could just get Naruto to do it but that leaves him unable to compete."

Seeing an opening in the conversation, Koharu interrupted with a grim expression on her face, "Speaking of that boy... are you sure that he is safe?"

Taking a long puff and savouring the nicotine, the Hokage cast his eyes upon his former teammate and narrowed them slightly, "Whatever do you mean?"

The two advisers looked at each other before continuing, "We all read the report by Kurenai and Anko, along with Kakashi. That boy instigated a wholesale slaughter in Wave."

"There were mitigating circumstances-"

"Nonsense! He gave into his anger and wrath and killed over thirty people by himself. And when he spoke to the psychiatrists afterwards he wasn't particularly responsive to them either."

Gritting his teeth, the aged Fire Shadow scoffed slightly, "How do you expect a boy his age to react when put to questioning? Cry? Don't we want these children to be shinobi?"

"Show some remorse at least!" argued Koharu.

Marvelling at the irony of the situation, Sarutobi couldn't help himself and laughed out loud.

The Konoha elders were shocked at the break in decorum and were unsure of how to react.

Wiping the tears from his face, Hiruzen gave them a smile that was devoid of any sort of humour, "I find it funny that I am defending Naruto's murderous acts when I am the one usually decrying them," he commented sadly.

"Are you sure that the boy is safe? You were very sketchy on the details when you made those orders in the past. Is he a threat or not?" Homura pressed intently.

_Well... he is a living, breathing death god with the power of the Kyuubi within him. I think by definition being a shinigami you are the mortal enemy of any living being here. But no one can know of that. If that got out..._

_No. They must be content that he has to be living, healthy and content._

"Yes. Do you doubt the skill of the Yondaime Hokage?" he challenged with a raised eyebrow.

Koharu was unimpressed with that line of argument, "Despite what the legends might have made him out to be, Minato was a mortal like any of us. He just happened to be lucky and skilled at the same time. But no matter how you want to spin it, he performed a dangerous and potentially life threatening jutsu on his newborn son that was highly experimental."

"Jinchuuriki have been known to exist before," pointed out Hiruzen quickly.

Nodding at that, Koharu took up the torch, "Yes. But they have been for minor bijuu."

"Can any bijuu be considered minor?" asked Sarutobi drily.

"Relatively speaking," brushed off the man, "this is the greatest one there is. The one that is feared for good reason. The Kyuubi probably has an infinite source of chakra to draw upon. It also is immortal. No matter how good Minato was, he was still a mortal poking a god in the eye with a stick. And that god will recover one day and remember."

"What do you suggest I do then? Chain him up? Break his mind and control him?" asked Sarutobi with disgust.

"Yes! You do what you must! Because if he becomes a threat, then it's all over for us, " shot back Homura heatedly.

"I won't. But even if I wanted to, I can't. His mind is shielded from all attempts," retorted the Sandaime frostily.

"What do you mean?"

A bit reluctant to show his full hand, the Sandaime tried to compromise, "The sealing changed Naruto. One of them is that genjutsus will rarely affect him at all."

"And how did you know this?" asked Koharu sceptically.

"That's classified. Sealed to the Flame. If there was something beyond that, then it would belong there," he replied guardedly.

Koharu sighed and pleaded with Hiruzen, "You know that I am not a cruel person. I am doing what I think is necessary. Can you see how Naruto slaughtering all those men makes me uneasy?"

Softening his expression, the kage nodded.

"But this must be a matter of faith. We can act rashly and ensures Naruto's defection or we can slowly win him over," the kage tried to persuade.

With a troubled look Homura shook his head slowly, "I am not so sure of that, I mean; it was a task and a half to get him to make genin. Even after all the training that you gave him in advance as well. These Chuunin exams will be interesting just to see him perform."

"Hiruzen, are you sure he won't go and kill off the genin candidates?" asked Koharu with concern.

Homura blinked before musing out loud, "Not that that would be a bad thing, on reflection. It would even out the other 'genin' sent to interfere with our new talent..."

The Sandaime gave an eloquent shrug, "No more than anyone else. You forget that he did what he did because of Haku," he pointed out.

They chuckled a bit about that, "Yes, how chivalrous. It actually is a bit refreshing to see that these days. I wonder where they are now?"

The Hokage shrugged, "Who knows? They are outside of our jurisdiction and I don't make it an issue to put kill orders on people who are no longer threats to Konoha."

"Granted. But still. These exams make me uneasy. Are you sure you cannot recall the ANBU from the DMZ?" pressed Koharu.

"Yes. Mind you, there are other countries and nations out there who may make border incursions during the examinations. We must keep up our presence on the ground," he responded firmly.

"How much longer can we hold out? There are days when I fear that we will never reach back to our full strength," lamented Homura.

Koharu shook her head in agreement, "We do what we must, I guess. Would you consider putting Naruto on ANBU watch throughout the exam? It is for his protection as well, just in case he gets kidnapped or otherwise. I don't have anything against the kid, and these precautions must be taken."

Sarutobi thought about it before nodding.

_I'm sure Yuugao will be more than happy to babysit Naruto.

* * *

  
_

**Otogakure  
Rice Fields **

"So, what does our glorious fucking leader have planned now?"

Otogakure had abundant fields where rice grew in plentiful supply. It was a major source of income for the small nation that had fallen to the despotic rule of the Snake Sannin. Sitting down was one of his rather ambivalent body guards playing on her steel battle flute before she saw Yakushi Kabuto come up and clap slowly.

Kabuto smiled with some amusement as he faced Tayuya, "You should show a bit more respect," he chided.

The volatile red head spat on the ground and shrugged impassively, "Do I give a flying fuck? That bastard isn't here so why do I give a shit? It's always beloved leader this, honourable leader that. Come on, we all know what kind of a sick freak that he is."

"He is still your leader," drawled the med nin with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, so? He may be a god damned tactical genius, but a strategic, short sighted whore."

"The plan has been fine so far. I don't see why you are so offended by it Tayuya-chan."

The flute wielding kunoichi growled at that, "Call me that again and I'll have your balls you effeminate pansy. Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Chuckling darkly, the silver haired nin just stared, "I'm a person that can report your insolence to Orochimaru-sama. I mean, do you think he will take your disrespect with good humour?"

Uneasily, she conceded his point before calming down and growling, "What did you want to see me for anyway? Don't you have work to do, like getting on your knees blowing our 'master'?"

"Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't have an interest in me in that way," Kabuto stated flatly.

"Does he enjoy buggering boys then?" Tayuya asked with curiosity.

"Not really."

"Girls then? He's a filthy fucking pedo isn't he? A lolicon? I knew it! He always gave off that kiddy fiddler vibe!"

Shaking his head Kabuto coughed discretely, "Let's just say he has some rather ... dark tastes. I mean, you came to him willingly enough. Did he touch you in any way?"

Uneasily, the kunoichi shook her head with some confusion, "Not that I can fucking remember. But that son of a bitch is a devious cunt at the best of times."

"Quite," agreed Kabuto, "but questions about Orochimaru-sama's sexuality aside, I brought you here because of a good reason."

"If you think I'm going to put out for you, the answers no you shit," stated Tayuya bluntly.

Smirking, Kabuto pushed up his glasses, "I have better taste than that –"

"What did you say you limp dicked cock sucker?!"

Ignoring her rant he continued, "I brought you because out of the Sound Five you are the only real one with any intelligence."

She snorted that, tossing her head back disdainfully, "Well fuck me, isn't that a shitty compliment. Let's see, we have Kimimaro "I worship Orochimaru's cock and testicles" Kaguya who makes most fanatics look like domesticated eunuchs. He must need that bloodline for all that stress on his knees instead of higher order thinking."

"Then we got spider boy who uses his arms for shit that should be illegal if we weren't in Oto. His solution to everything seems to be doing everything that a spider can and spam shit left, right and bloody centre."

"And who could forget that fat fucker Jirobo. By the amount that he sweats, he should be banned from all ops. He couldn't beat a damned toddler in a game of go. Hell, he would probably eat the poor kid instead."

"And don't get me started on parasitic twin freak. I've met some messed up cunts in Oto, but he takes the cake. The time that you get advice from MPD boy is when I go off to a convent and become a nun. Or some shit like that."

Kabuto's eyes were widened but he smiled in appreciation, "Ah Tayuya, this is why I sought you out. So brutally insightful, it warms my heart. It really does."

"If you call that flattery, you're doing a terrible job, cocksucker."

"The point is that Orochimaru-sama has been doing a relatively good job in uniting people disgruntled by Konoha," the medic pointed out mildly.

Laughing at that, Tayuya wiped a tear from her eyes before responding, "Like that was a real task. Who hasn't Konoha pissed off with its oh so noble douchebaggery? And at last count he only really got Suna to join up. Iwa declined. Kumo has its own shitty problems to deal with. And who the fuck really knows what's going on in Kiri, besides them gang banging each other to death..."

Conceding that, the nin scratched his head, "Granted, but that is all we really need. He has been putting up the pressure on Konoha's ANBU for the last six months, drawing them out to the borders of Hi no Kuni in preparation for the Chuunin exams."

"Yeah, I know. I helped with that. But won't they be recalled during it?" asked Tayuya dubiously.

"Not if we intensify that pressure for a good while. Sarutobi needs to make a decision, to recall and lose the gains he has made. Or he relies on international law or some other nonsense to respect the Armistice."

"Fine, so the intelligence, CINT and assault ANBU might not be there. That still leaves a good fair few of them left to screw up our plans, it's not like we have fodder to chuck around like pennies. And the five of us are going to be busy anyway, unable to help."

"It will be enough. Targeting the civilians will force the shinobi to protect them, leaving them open."

"It still isn't enough," insisted Tayuya, "we are talking about Konoha here. Sure the god damned freaky eyed Uchiha got ass raped into oblivion by one of their own, but they still have their conventional shinobi forces. And they are worth a damn, unlike the trash that call themselves shinobi in our divisions."

"Now, now, why the lack of faith?" chided Kabuto.

"They are fucking useless, like tits on a bull. An ugly waste of space, you dipshit."

"We just need them to target and kill the civilians and let the others do their job."

"Fuck, this is such a rushed job. Can't he fucking wait another year or two to do it right?" she demanded with disgust.

"Makes no real difference really. If things are going to play out as they usually do, the last task will have a month of preparation. Either the ANBU get recalled or we move in a few days before the last exam and wipe them out. Then we surround Konoha and summon some snakes to take care of those walls."

She snarled at him, "Those walls are freaking huge you blind bastard. It must be all those cum shots to your eye huh?"

"The gates will be open for clients to enter into the village. It's the only real time that Konoha is vulnerable."

Tayuya just shook her head violently, "I just don't fucking like it. Ok. Too many risks for crying out loud. Even a shitfucker like you can see how messy it can get."

Kabuto started to pace slowly, "No risk, no reward. I mean, we do have fairly good inside information into Konoha military doctrine from Orochimaru-sama when he was in the higher levels of the shinobi command. And I don't think Sarutobi could reshape it in a meaningful way."

The kunoichi laughed hollowly, "He is still trying to take out Konoha, in the heart of their fucking village. You think they will take that lying down? They're gonna fight us like animals, to kick us out like gate crashers with a kunai shoved up our asses."

Chuckling, the silver haired nin stared intently at her, "Of course not. This is where you and I come into play."

"What the hell do you want from me?" demanded the red haired kunoichi.

"I want your brain Tayuya," he said simply.

Tayuya backed away slowly from the med nin, "Oh no, I heard that before you guro freak. I don't do that kinda shit."

Kabuto sighed in frustration before explaining his plan.

* * *

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

"So, how do you like that?"

"You. Are. Evil." Groaned out Naruto as he lay on the floor after being floored by Yugito with her new repertoire of jutsu. He didn't quite know how she did it, but the new and improved Yugito was a handful in a fight where she showed him how dangerous she could be with her natural speed and agility and enhanced chakra reserves that made her something that even Naruto had to be careful around.

"I hate lightning," spat out the jinchuuriki as he glared at the smugly satisfied Yugito who had a shit eating grin on her face.

"Aww, what's wrong swordboy?" she asked with mock concern.

Naruto stood up indignantly and screamed, "Dammit! Stop calling me that!"

"Having fun kids?" asked 'Hebi' as she walked in on them bickering playfully. Well, as playfully as it would be for the two of them. Due to their enhanced healing they sparred at levels that most people would tend to shy away from unless they didn't care about debilitating injuries.

"Why did you have to teach her all those moves?" whined Naruto with a pout.

"Why, what's the problem – Wait, Yugito! Didn't you promise me not to use them against Naruto?!" she asked sternly.

The jinchuuriki laughed nervously while nodding her head, "Yeah well. I am not really using them against him. I'm, err, teaching him how to counter them! Yes, that's it!" she finished with a decisive nod.

The kunoichi shook her head sadly and gave her a disappointed look that cut into the teen girl, "That's not nice at all. I mean, how can you do that to such a cute kid? What are you, like 'Mi'?"

Naruto had his puppy eyed look, genjutsu blazing, as he looked all innocent and helpless that made the two of them want to hug him and shout out 'kawaii!'.

In any event the blond looked like something clicked in his head and cocked his head slightly to the left, "Hey 'Hebi'?"

"Yes?"

Naruto hummed for a while before deciding to broach his question, "Why is 'Mi' limping on one side of his leg? I mean, I noticed it while we were in Wave, but when we spar he tends to favour one side."

"Oh that, 'Hebi' shot him," answered Yugito casually.

"... Really?!" asked Naruto with disbelief and a tinge of awe.

Nodding her assent, 'Hebi' dusted her fingertips against her shirt, "Yep, I did it. Yugito saw it all," she confessed with a hidden grin.

"But... why?" asked Naruto in confusion.

Chuckling slightly, she gave him a smirk before giving him a measured response, "Just to settle accounts for a few things that he did to you long ago. I was never a fan of child abuse."

Naruto got all wide eyed before walking slowly to the blonde. He gulped before reaching out and glomping her, a massive bear hug which the kunoichi slyly returned in full view of Yugito.

Awestruck that one of his dreams had come true, he looked up at her and started to tear up, "I, I am so happy. I, I, I think I love you."

Smirking at the boy she laughed before kissing him on his forehead, "Aww, you're so cute Naruto-kun. Isn't he so cute Yugito-chan?"

Her eyebrows twitching, the jinchuuriki gave a curt nod before replying, "Yes. He is such a cute, _young_, innocent _boy_."

_Hands off, old hag! Bad shota! Bad!_

"Did, did he scream like a little girl?" asked Naruto hopefully.

Chuckling, she nodded serenely, "Yes, he cried out for his mother even. I was that much off from his testicles as well," admitted the blond, making a gesture with her hand that left a space of a half inch.

"'Mi' didn't cry out for his mother," corrected Yugito with a humph.

Waiving off those trivial details, 'Hebi' gave her a faux taunting leer, knowing that it would incite her later on, "Don't let the facts get in the way of making Naruto happy. How inconsiderate of you," she scolded. Her hands moved surreptitiously south, making a squeezing motion near Naruto's ass that made Yugito go all red in the face. And clench her fists ever so tightly. 'Hebi' just smiled innocently at her student, enjoying riling her up as she rested her chin on Naruto's head.

_**Ko-neko, I want you to gouge out her eyes and skull fuck her.**_

_What?!_

_**Don't you worry about the technicalities of it. I got this futanari jutsu that I have been working on -**_

"I need to get you something," Naruto stated seriously, thinking of what he could do to repay the kunoichi.

"No, no, that isn't necessary," responded 'Hebi' in false modesty.

"No. I must. That was soooo cool. Can you teach me that jutsu?" he asked hopefully.

Interjecting, Yugito butted in and placed her hand on his shoulder, "I can teach you that jutsu Naruto."

"Really?" he asked dubiously, wary of Yugito's intention as she had gleefully hurt him a mere moment ago.

There was a disgruntled cough as they turned to face 'Mi's' rather bitter face, "So, the student has become the master I see."

Naruto gave 'Mi' a foxy grin, "You squealed like a bitch!"

"I did not squeal like bitch, foxboy!" he retorted with a huff.

"What is it with people giving me nicknames?" Naruto asked quizzically.

Yugito shrugged, "It seems like the cool thing to do. But I realise that me and 'Hebi' have to talk about something, so if you will excuse us –"

In a flash she grabbed her shoulder and bolted out of the room.

'What was that about?" asked Naruto cluelessly.

"Eh, secret women's business. Don't ask kid, unless you want to get hurt real bad."

"Whatever squealer."

"Stop it with these lies. Must you make 'Ne' a house of lies?!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell was that all about?!" demanded the Nibi jinchuuriki once they were in a private room.

"Whatever are you talking about?" asked 'Hebi' innocently.

"You – You putting the moves on Naruto," Yugito growled.

"Oh, that. What about it?" the kunoichi admitted candidly.

"Why?!"

With a vulpine grin 'Hebi' just moved closer to the teen, shaking her head as she got closer, "Why shouldn't I? It's not like he will complain or anything like that."

"He's too nice and whipped by women to do anything about it!" shot back Yugito with a huff.

'Hebi' sighed sadly, "And I wonder whose fault that is."

The jinchuuriki blinked at that answer, "What?"

"Think about it. Does Naruto really have any male friends?" pressed the operative.

Thinking carefully, Yugito had to shake her head to that.

"So, is it healthy for a boy that age to be solely surrounded by girls?" she continued.

Scratching her head, Yugito thought about it before responding, "I don't see anything really wrong about it. Imagine him with all sorts of immature boys and him developing a voyeuristic complex. I mean, with Kage Bunshin, he can see everything before they dissipate."

'Hebi' blinked at that, "I never thought of that myself. But the point is that he doesn't have any sort of will power to stand up to a girl really."

Her eyes narrowing in thought, Yugito found the anomalous exception, "How about Sakura?"

"Ok, that's an outlier there. But really, it isn't healthy if he doesn't know how to act around males. And it's not like 'Mi' is the greatest person to model as a father figure."

Both women shivered at the thought of that. It was something that they didn't want to dwell on. Ever.

"I don't think that Naruto would ever want a father figure," Yugito said dubiously.

"While that might be true, I don't know. In any event, what you saw just then was me putting a claim on Naruto to see how he reacted. And to let him know of what choices are available to him. And really, 'Mi' needed to be punished for his child abuse."

Gritting her teeth, the jinchuuriki glared at the blonde.

"And he is kinda clueless. He can see there is some sort of subtext going on; he just doesn't quite take it seriously. And I think that is part of the fun," 'Hebi' admitted with a smirk.

"I saw you trying to grab his ass!" accused Yugito flatly.

Chuckling at that, 'Hebi' shrugged, "But I didn't. And could you blame me?"

Staring at her in disbelief, Yugito shook her head vigorously, "Yes! He's just fourteen for crying out loud. What are, you forty five?!"

Narrowing her eyes dangerously, the kunoichi flipped her hair back before responding frostily, "Let's not say things that we will regret. Or blatant lies for that matter as well. I am only twenty eight. You know, if I wait another two years then you never know..."

"What?!"

"Boy toy, Yugito. It's called a boy toy. It makes perfect biological sense as well," 'Hebi' finished with a satisfied grin.

"What do you mean?" asked Yugito warily.

"Why, I will be in my sexual prime at that age. So will Naruto. It is only right that two people like us to seek the other and give into our baser, carnal needs. Oh, can you imagine it?" she asked dreamily.

Narrowing her eyes dangerously, Yugito growled and shook her head, "Forget about it. What is this nonsense about sexual prime?!"

Looking pityingly at her student, 'Hebi' shook her finger and adopted a lecturing tone, "Hey, Tsunade said it was true, and who are you to doubt that? It's a fact that women age like a fine wine, while boys peak early and slowly die down in their... _potency_," rolling the last word.

Yugito was not convinced by that explanation, "You mean that fifty year old hag that wears a genjutsu to look like she is thirty?!"

"Yes. That's exactly right," 'Hebi' nodded decisively.

"That doesn't make any sense at all! She probably made that up to satisfy some sort of shota complex that she has!"

Unwilling to concede the point 'Hebi' plowed onwards, "Whatever, it's not like you know what to do with him. Naruto would benefit from a mature, experienced woman. Not a flighty, insecure little girl."

_**... Can we kill her or something?**_

_Too. Many. Witnesses. And. Questions. _

"Or maybe I am just riling you up so that you do make a move. I mean, it's not like you are the only girl vying for his affection," she suggested sweetly.

Yugito stopped at that.

"And I mean, he does spend a lot of time with that Hinata girl, plus her sister Hanabi. While you two act like brother and sister, I think that he might not see you in the way that you want him to."

"So all of that was for my benefit?" Yugito asked warily.

With a wide smirk, 'Hebi' shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe. Or maybe I really do want to wrap my legs around Naruto's waist when he gets a bit older. And see his whiskered face blush as we will climax together. I mean, can you imagine how much... stamina he would have. And all those clones as well... He just might fuck me unconscious."

Yugito did not like how her eyes glazed at the thought of a shadow clone gang bang.

_**Yeah, who the hell does she think she is? Only jinchuuriki are allowed to fuck together! Don't worry about 'experience', I can teach you everything that you need to know about uniting Naruto's cock with your-**_

"So yeah, what are you going to do?"

"Just you wait 'Hebi'," she purred oddly, "just you wait."

* * *

**Konoha  
Shinobi Academy**

"So, are we doing this or not?"

The sun had risen and the three genin that formed team eight were gathered outside the Academy with their entrance slips in their hands.

"Man, do you even need to ask?" demanded Ino.

Shrugging, the blond just stared at the doors with an inscrutable expression on his face, "Well, eh. I had to ask."

Truthfully, he didn't know how to feel about the current exams. While he did not want to go up any further on the shinobi hierarchy, he did have an interest in how powerful the foreign nin actually were. Especially Sabaku no Gaara, the strange jinchuuriki that sparked an inexplicable hatred within him.

_Now that's weird. Why do I hate him so much?_

_**His void like soul perhaps?**_

_Well, besides that. But I didn't know about that until I soul gazed him. But even me thinking about him makes me want to kill him. What the hell?_

It looks like my chakra is doing more than I expected it to. Odd. The Ichibi could be useful but I don't think Naruto could kill him. Yet. But alive, I might just make another deal. 

"So, what do we have to do?"

They looked at their entry papers, which had their name and other details with some instructions in clear red writing:

**All chuunin candidates must make their way to the front of the Konoha Shinobi Academy and proceed up the stairs to the third level. They will wait there for further instructions. Any deviation from these orders will result in an immediate disqualification. **

"Sounds simple enough. I mean, most genin would kill for this kinda chance. Hell, we jut finished our first six months of training and they think we are good enough for promotion!" gushed Ino enthusiastically.

Hinata gave a slight nod and had a grin on her face as she beamed happily at her team.

"I guess..." said Naruto uncertainly.

"Oh come on, what's the problem, whiskers? What's the worse that can happen? We fail and do it again next time?"

The blond looked at her with exasperation before shrugging, "We could die."

"What are the odds of that?" scoffed the kunoichi.

_Like that can happen. Me and Hinata are pretty good. And Naruto fought off a fucking ANBU jounin for crying out loud. There is no way that we can't pass this as a team._

Naruto looked thoughtful before thinking of a response.

**Flashback**

"So yeah, how dangerous are these exams?"

Danzo gave a slight smirk before coughing, "Well, that depends. In Konoha, not so much so. It has happened, but we try not to damage foreign relations by killing the nin of other nations. But yeah, you should have seen when the exams were held in Kiri."

Naruto winced at that thought.

The man nodded with a grimace, remembering times that were not as civilised as they were now, "It wasn't pretty and everyone pretty much cheated the hell out of it before it became a farce and the whole civil war became an excuse for us not to host it there. It still is a warzone where they are happily killing each other. Their Daimyo is strangely indifferent to the whole thing, but that isn't so surprising."

"That's weird. I mean, it's their country that's getting fucked up isn't it?" asked a curious Naruto.

"Well, yeah. Kinda. Not really. Unless you have an entire day I can't really get into the political structure of the Elemental Nations with you."

Nodding at that, Naruto had to ask "Is it worth becoming a chuunin at all?"

"Well, you get some kind of independence I guess. But you didn't want to become a genin in the first place so I don't know. Do you like giving out orders and being responsible for your own cell?"

"No...not really," admitted the blond candidly.

"Then yeah. It kinda puts you up on the ladder as well, increasing exposure etc."

The jinchuuriki contemplated the idea before asking, "How's the pay?"

Danzo laughed at that, "Much better. But don't you have enough money as it is?"

Nodding, the teen patted his wallet happily before a small frown marred his face, "Well, I need a way to explain how I got it."

"Ah, yes. That reminds us. We need to have UBK set up a money laundering operation."

"Right... So yeah, do I fail this or what?"

"It's kinda up to you. You have developed quite the reputation for failing things in the past, so now won't be any different, even after the events in Wave. If you do manage to get chuunin, you would at least qualify you for ANBU. And that would be pretty useful anyway."

"Can't you give me any advice on this?"

_I could, but that would make you trust me less if I took any of the options away from you Naruto-kun. _

"Do what your head tells you to do. Not your heart. Or your stomach," he said wryly.

"Dammit, why did you have to bring ramen into this?! What did it ever do to you!?"

The scarred man just smiled as Naruto walked away in a huff.

**End flashback**

"Oh, why the hell not. I guess I would need to come along to take care of a certain careless kunoichi who thinks that she is hot shit."

Ino humph'ed at that before walking off, Hinata suppressing a giggle as the three of them made their way to the Academy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It seems like so long ago that we graduated from this place. I wonder if Iruka is still scaring kids with that demon headed genjutsu..." pondered Naruto.

"Probably. But then again, you failed like, three times. What was up with that?"

"Oh, you know me. If I'm not motivated, then I just don't care," answered the jinchuuriki smoothly.

The Hyuuga heiress wrinkled her forehead in contemplation, like she was supposed to remember something but shrugged it off for later. Her team needed her to be absolutely focused and she didn't dare let them down. Especially not Naruto.

The trio walked past the foyer and started to ascend the stairs. They reached the second floor before they saw two genin lounging around the place, doing nothing but look belligerent at them as they approached.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" asked the one on the right.

Ino sniffed at them before deigning to answer, "The Chuunin exams of course. Let us through, please."

The shinobi gave her a supercilious look before sneering, "Yeah, right. A pretty girl like you, in the Chuunin exams? Don't make me laugh."

Bristling at that insult, Ino was about to make a sharp retort before Naruto stepped in.

"Geez, what the hell is your problem? Why don't you just get out of the way and let us through?" he asked reasonably.

"I'm just doing you a favour kid. You're just a fucking rookie. You have no place in these exams, boy."

The other agreed, "Yeah. The Chuunin exam isn't a joke. Letting shits like you compete is an insult."

Naruto looked at them up and down, looking past the genjutsu behind them and sighed internally.

_Another test?_

_**Probably. Eh, humour them. Or not.**_

Hinata tried for the diplomatic solution as she politely addressed the two of them, "Ano, but our jounin-sensei said that we were ready. We have the papers to prove it. Please let us through."

Naruto was insulted that those two bullies were making Hinata beg for something that they were entitled to in the first place. The boy had always hated bullies with a passion and this was no different. Gritting his teeth, he walked forward with a determined look on his face.

"Step aside now," he ordered with a growl.

"Ohhh. So scary. So yeah, your sensei nominated you. Big fucking deal. Probably did it to make her look better or something. We have been doing this for a few times and we know that you punks aren't ready. Just give it up and try when you have some experience under your belt."

_I could pull out my sword and slice you into pieces before you could even sneeze you son of a bitch._

_**Now, now, let's not get too hasty here, kit.**_

_I know, I know..._

"So, are you going to step aside?" asked Naruto calmly.

"Why don't you make us? Show us that you have a chance in hell of-"

The swordsman dashed forward, flash stepping with his left leg leading as he smoothly pivoted on his right, swinging his entire body weight as his foot smacked right into the teen's crotch.

Yelping, he fell down and Ino was a few seconds behind Naruto as she daintily waltzed up to the other and drove her knee between his legs and walked off, whistling a tune as the two blonds of team eight pushed past with a breeze.

"Ah... ano, ano. I'm really sorry!" squeaked out Hinata, bowing in a hurry as she raced up to keep up with the power walking blonds who shared a smirk with each other.

"Dammit Hinata, don't apologise to those bastards," complained Naruto as he held the door for her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With an agitated whimper the two faux genin struggled up to their knees, glaring at the direction that the two chuunin candidates had taken

"God, who were those little bastards?" asked Kotetsu as he tried not to wince.

_Note to self. Don't piss off that boy anytime soon. _

Izumo gritted his teeth before answering, "Team Eight. God, the rumours were fucking true. Did you see how fast he moved?"

The chuunin nodded his head, "Shit yeah. And that blonde was feisty. But I think I nearly shat myself when I saw that Hyuuga glare at me when I made a crack at Naruto. Damn, that was an intense stare. It's like she's two people at once, sometimes."

"Well, she did apologise for her teammates," Izumo pointed out.

"I guess. But this just fucks up my mood. I mean sure, bullying genin isn't that fun. But no one has ever really fought back before..."

Kotetsu grimaced before a small smile appeared on his face, "Yeah, these exams will be interesting. So, time to give more shit to the next team?"

"Hell yeah. But I'm going to get a groin guard first..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Team Eight appeared in the room and where surprised to find it relativley empty. Most of the nin in the room gave them a quick look over before huddling into their teams and chatted to each other lowly. Naruto looked around and could not seen any Konoha genin that he recognised so he found a quiet corner to sit. The kunoichi followed him and they tried to make themselves comfortable.

"Boring. Why did we get here so early again?" Ino asked.

"A certain someone was creaming their pants in excitement," said Naruto sarcastically.

"Hey, I was not!" protested Ino indignantly.

"You were so acting like you had ants in your pants," continued the swordsman.

"Take that back!"

As they playfully squabbled with each other, Hinata cast her eye around the room, wondering what the other genin were like from the Elemental Nations. It was true enough that they were early and there were very few people there yet. Those that were present did not look particularly sociable, giving her and her team some guarded looks that didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in the Hyuuga heiress.

"Bah, whatever. I'm going to take a nap," declared Naruto with a yawn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

SMACK!

"Pathetic. Is that all ya got rookie?" taunted Izumo.

Ten Ten wanted nothing more than to show them how precise her aim was, but decided to stick to the plan.

"Please let us through," she pleaded before taking a backhand that she rolled with, exaggerating her injury as she looked up in mock shock.

The others around them were suitably intimidated, not the least that they were technically guests in the village hidden in leaves and didn't want to beat down one of their shinobi with so many witnesses. So they decided to see how the other Konoha nin would deal with the situation.

"Look, the Chuunin exams isn't a joke. We failed it three times straight."

_Pathetic_, _can their sour grapes attitude be any more obvious? _scorned Neji internally.

"We have seen people die, get crippled, or quit being shinobi. Seriously, you have no hope in hell for doing this at all."

"Chuunins are the military captains of the shinobi cells. Leaders. The success or failure of a mission to the death of a teammate, it's their responsible. You just can't hack it."

"Go back and play with your kunai. Come back when you all grow a pair."

The kunoichi looked somewhat confused.

"We don't have testicles, thank you very much," one of them responded dryly.

"... A pair of breasts then. Geez, imagination people. Make sure that they're bigger than a handful."

Sasuke strode up with a smug expression on his face and curled his lips at them, "That might be true, but you will let me and my team pass through. And also remove that genjutsu that you have got set up."

The disguised chuunins eyes widened before nodding in appreciation, "Observant. Then again, I guess that it isn't that surprising. But don't think that I bow down and obey just because you are a Uchiha-"

There was a blur of motion and stunned silence.

"... Fast."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where the hell is everyone? It's nearly four o'clock!"

"I don't know. Maybe they went off gallivanting into the sunset for ramen," suggested Naruto.

Hinata giggled at that before shaking her head, "I don't think so, Naruto-kun."

"Pfft, trust the other teams to be late," Ino complained.

"Yeah, well, they will get here, eventually. Who knows what the hell they are doing now?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Let us battle! It is only polite for a person to introduce themselves first. My name is Rock Lee."

The raven haired genin smiled with some amusement, deciding to respond, "Uchiha Sasuke."

"I wish to test myself and my techniques against you, the offspring of the Uchiha clan. Nothing more, nothing less."

Sakura stood back in the sidelines, wondering what was going on as the other genin looked on with some interest, wanting to spy on the two of them to see if they showed off any of their secrets.

"So, is this all about your pride? Not for the love a girl or anything like that? To impress them with your prowess?" Sasuke asked sardonically.

"No. Not at all, there are no fair, uniquely haired angels of utmost purity that have captured my affections," replied Lee truthfully.

For some reason Sakura felt a bit hurt, but if pressed she could explain why that was the case.

"You know who I am, but you challenge me anyway?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

"Yes," nodded the green clad genin with certainty, "then I can truly test my nindo."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, is Lee gay or something?" whispered Ten Ten.

Neji shook his head uncertainly, "I have no idea. There are times when I think that Lee and Gai-sensei's interactions are most unhealthy and a test from Kami to challenge our tolerance."

Nodding uneasily at the unpleasant memories Ten Ten sighed lowly "Yeah, Gai does seem like an open pederast at times. All that hugging, crying and screaming out youthfulness."

"Quite. It is best not to ponder about these kinds of things," advised the Hyuuga.

"I only hope that we don't get to see the turtle. Oh hell, please not the turtle, anything but that illogical turtle!" pleaded Ten Ten internally.

Neji shivered a bit before biting his lips subtly, "I don't think that we will be that lucky."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Violent Leaf Wind!"

A green blur dashed forwards towards the Uchiha who had an amused look on his face.

"Sharingan!" he declared portentously.

_Now I can see what jutsu you are using –_

Then Lee's kick connected solidly with his chin, sending the genin reeling backwards as Sasuke tried to roll with the blow.

Sakura winced and bit her lip with some concern as the Uchiha did not start out with a clear and overwhelming advantage that she thought he would.

Lee put up his hands in a calm 'come hither' gesture as he stared down at the raven haired genius, determined to prove himself in front of his peers.

_I'm sorry Gai-sensei, I may need to break your rules and use that move..._

With another short sprint Lee kicked out again, forcing Sasuke to pivot as the taijutsu user changed direction in the air and shot his knee towards the Uchiha's stomach.

_Shit, I can't dodge it!_

Taking the blow with his left hand the genin was surprised by another kick that slipped under his guard and slammed directly into his nose, causing it to break.

Groaning, he jumped back onto his feet and glared at the jumpsuit wearing genin, "What da hell's that?!" he slurred as his sinuses filled with blood.

Lee refused to answer as he slowly approached Sasuke, confident of his victory, "The genius that cannot be copied Uchiha!"

Sakura was getting confused at the whole scene, blinking slowly as she saw her teammate getting systematically beaten.

_But, but Sasuke has the Sharingan! He is the pride of the Uchiha! He must be able to read thickbrows moves! Yeah, Sasuke-kun can't lose to this guy!_

"Whatever, I am going to make you pay bastard!"

The boy lashed out, left foot leading as he pulled out a vicious roundhouse punch that missed entirely as Lee ducked underneath him. Steadying himself on the floor with his left hand, the martial artist pushed upwards and kicked him into the air, intending to end it all with an aerial combination.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Shit, is he going to –" asked Ten Ten with concern.

"Possibly."

"Shouldn't we like, stop him?"

Neji thought about it for a few moments.

_We could stop Lee from humbling and possibly crippling that overweening Uchiha with a highly inflated sense of his own worth, or we could-_

_Wait, why am I even thinking this? Let the Uchiha suffer his fate._

"... No. This will be therapeutic," he declared quietly.

Ten Ten blinked incredulously before looking concerned at the scene, "For who? Lee or Sasuke?"

With a slight shrug the Hyuuga refocused his attention on the duel and had a slight smirk on the edges of his lip, "Both of them of course."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Your Sharingan is useful, but also flawed at the same time," whispered Lee to the surprised Sasuke as he was caught in mid air.

"Let me show you one of them."

**Konoha Senpuu!**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That might be true, but what about that damned turtle?"

Neji cursed inwardly at that.

"Maybe it won't be around," he said hopefully.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone looking at the scene winced as Lee slammed his fists and feet into Sasuke with an unbridled fury that made them all a little unsettled at the brutality of it.

Neji was enjoying every moment of it.

_I know it's not nice of me to indulge in the whole Uchiha/Hyuuga rivalry, but I guess I can make an exception for him._

The green blur was about to loosen his final bandage when it was caught by a pin that prevented him from finishing off the Sharingan wielder.

"Wow, it finally made an appearance. It must have been on holiday or something," commented Ten Ten with surprise.

"Pity. Remember to shield your eyes," cautioned Neji with dread.

"Oh snap."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ah, it's forehead girl!"

"Shut up Ino-pig!"

Naruto and Hinata ignored the two of them as they started on their rather predictable fight. If Naruto was honest to himself he would admit to being somewhat apathetic towards the pink haired kunoichi. It was like he didn't have the energy or spend the effort in hating her anymore.

Hinata just gave Sakura an imperceptibly hard look as she saw the two girls bickering as they always seemed to do. She saw the pink haired girl shoot odd glances towards Naruto that made her cross, especially when she was joined in by Sasuke. She saw her rather pathetic attempts to ingratiated herself to the Uchiha be shut down flatly.

_Wrong choice Sakura. Wrong choice._

_Even he recognises your true nature..._

While it might have surprised her, the usually gentle girl held an odd deep seated resentment towards the girl that had spurned Naruto's kindness and have been nothing but a vicious shrew to him while in the Academy. While she could forgive many things done to herself, seeing Naruto go through something he didn't deserve at all...

And she couldn't quite understand her fascination with the reclusive Uchiha consumed with self hatred and bitterness. Like a tragic hero that would like nothing more than wail at the world from his soapbox.

Speaking of the Uchiha, Sasuke limped into the examination room with a displeased and pained expression on his face, subtly favouring one side as he shot death glares at Lee.

"What happened to Mr. Sunshine over there?" asked Naruto.

Ten Ten smirked as Lee tried to restrain his exuberance.

"He got his ass kicked by Lee," explained the bun haired kunoichi.

"Really?! Man, the Uchiha clan isn't worth much these days," Naruto commented with a smile.

"Shut up you freak!" shrieked out Sakura, unwilling to hear anything bad about her idol.

"Pfft, why don't you make me?" taunted Naruto, staring at her until she unwillingly backed down and went off into a corner to sulk.

"That's right, get back to your corner!" shouted out Ino with glee.

"G-Guys, that wasn't very nice," chided Hinata as she gave them a reproving look.

"She started it," grumbled Naruto as he looked somewhat contrite.

"Wow, we're all here. Even Ten Ten," observed Naruto with a grin.

"Did you really think you would make chuunin before me?" asked Ten Ten with a smirk.

"Of course. I even put money down on it," Naruto said with a straight face.

"Hah! Whatever. How about a little dare?"

Naruto, being a male aged from twelve to twenty five, found himself nodding along without really realising it, "Sure, what do you want to lose?"

"Well, how about three favours for the winner?"

Hinata looked concerned at the risk taking blond and spoke up, "Ano, but how do we define a winner?"

The two of them looked at her before scratching their heads.

"How about the person who makes it through the finals. And if we both do, then first to chuunin."

_**Err, kit. Do you really want to be a chuunin?**_

_Who knows? It might be fun._

_**Pick another thing. How about some more lessons, personalised ones?**_

_I don't know. She always ends up trying to kill me..._

_**Yeah, like that's going to happen. Beat her ass down Naruto-kun. You can do it!**_

"Ok, how about this. If you win, I will give you some kenjutsu lessons."

"Pftt. I don't need them –"

With that Naruto started to laugh out loud, holding the sides of his ribs as he gave her an incredulous look.

"Dammit! You don't have to be so mean about it!" she raged with a pout.

"Mwhahahah. Oh man. Hahahhahaha. Oh, oh, ok. Ummm. Yeah. If I win, then I get to eat as much ramen as I want for a day."

The kunoichi hesitated at that, aware of the swordsman's prodigious appetite for noodles, "How about two hours?"

"What, scared are you? Can't take the heat?" taunted Naruto.

She humph'ed before shaking her head stubbornly, "Fine. I'll enjoy taking your techniques and using them as my own."

"Hey! Use it as, ah, err –"

_**Inspiration.**_

"Inspiration! Don't be a Uchiha hack!"

Lee had to agree with Naruto, "Yosh! Use Naruto-kun's inspiration to form your own technique and show everyone the glory of your springtime of youth!"

Naruto had to chuckle at that, giving Lee a fond smile as he sat back down, waiting for the exam to start.

"Ah, so the dead last made it as well."

Naruto cocked his head in the direction of the comment, finding a belligerent Inuzuka Kiba facing him with a sneer.

_Oh great. It's muttboy acting all badass. What did I do to him lately?_

_**Do you remember that time when you targeted Akamaru by consistently dressing him up in that sailor suit?**_

_No. I did that?_

_**Yeah, you did. It was cute. And fun. Especially when he was trying to show off and Akamaru came wearing that. That dog got more attention from the girls than he ever can.**_

_Ah. I kinda remember that. Most of the time it's me avoiding Tsume and Hana. _

_**Your fascination with women's lingerie never fails to amuse me kit.**_

_Hey! I didn't know that it was there!_

_**Sure you didn't. Eh. You have dogboy to deal with right now.**_

"Hey, are you ignoring me, dobe?" demanded the genin.

Naruto deigned to look at him before giving an exaggerated yawn, "Yo."

"How did you make it here in the first place?" he growled out aggressively.

"What's up your ass this morning?"

"Nothing's up my ass!" shot back Kiba crossly.

Shino decided to speak up, "The question is why shouldn't Naruto-san be here after Wave."

"Yeah, I heard the rumours. They must all be a bunch of shit 'cause there is no way that a three time Academy failure could do any of that," the Inuzuka replied disdainfully.

Hinata's eyes narrowed dangerously at hearing her idol being denigrated so openly. The other boy was somewhat oblivious to this as he decided to push Naruto around and assert his authority.

"So yeah, what gives? Did you sweet talk Kurenai into setting you guys up for an invitation?" he asked suggestively.

Despite the things that Kurenai had done to him, he was still very fond of the red eyed jounin and wasn't going to take any smack from Kiba.

"She likes me as much as your mom!" shot back Naruto caustically.

"Hey!"

Naruto grinned evilly as he continued in a sotto voce tone, "Yeah, why do you think she and Hana keep dragging me behind those alleyways once a fortnight?"

_**To beat your ass down before you convince them to let you go with MY help?**_

_Whatever. I could so do it on my own._

_**Now, now. Let's not get too overconfident. Without me there is no way you could work your way around the labyrinthine ways of the female mind.**_

_I think you're right. I'm sowwy. _

_**Don't you forget it as well. **_

"That isn't true! Stop lying," demanded the boy somewhat hysterically.

Seeing that he hit a sore point, Naruto decided to push ahead, "Your sister is pretty cute as well. But your mom is a milf."

_**Really?!**_

_Well maybe, if I close my eyes or something. Kiba seems to be sensitive to those mother jokes._

Naruto really does have a complex thanks to Kushina...

"Just shut up already!" he screamed out, remember all the offhanded comments and compliments that his mother and sister gave Naruto around his household.

_**That Naruto boy is such a trouble maker, but he is soooo kawai!!**_

_**I know, look at those whisker marks on his cheeks. Why can't Kiba be as cute as him?**_

_**Yeah, he just has our clan markings, but it's just not the same. Can we keep him, mom, next time? We can even call it a punishment or a debt he has to repay!**_

_**No... the Hyuuga got to him first. Lucky bastards.**_

_**Noo! Dammit, can't we have one male Inuzuka with a sense of hygiene?!**_

"Why don't you make me dogboy!"

"Why don't you go fantasise about Sasuke's mom or something?" he asked desperately.

Sasuke fixed a glare at the two of them as he heard that, clenching his fists tightly and gritting his teeth.

Naruto smiled sunnily at the Uchiha and waved, "Heya teme. How's Mikoto doing lately? Tell her I said hi would you?"

The raven haired genin refused to answer, humph'ing instead and deciding to stare at the wall earnestly. He was trying to ignore the painful aches in his chest and hearing jokes about his mom did not help one bit.

"You guys really shouldn't be making so much of a scene. Look around you."

The blond blinked before looking at the rest of the room. The genin from the other nations were giving him evil and derisive looks. The jinchuuriki shrugged and gave all of them the finger, a cocky expression on his face as he stared them all down. The rest of the Konoha nin had to sigh at his antics before looking away.

With a puzzled look on his face, Naruto then turned around and faced the genin that addressed him.

"Hey, I've never seen you before..."

Yakushi Kabuto gave him a flawless grin as he pushed his glasses up his nose, chuckling lightly while doing so.

"Oh, I'm not a rookie. In fact, this is my seventh time trying out for the exams."

Perking up at this, Sakura went up to the silver haired nin and tried to strike up a conversation.

_Oh, but I know all about you Naruto-kun. It's funny how lose lips can sink jinchuuriki..._

"Seriously, even if you are just out of the Academy, you shouldn't squeal like schoolgirls," he chided with a sigh.

Naruto sighed with disinterest as he gazed on the genin with a faint whiff of suspicion.

Kabuto let out a fond sigh as he saw nothing more than naive kids that didn't comprehend the profession that they had entered into, "But I guess it can't be helped. I used to be like you."

"Wow, so you know a bit about this exam then?" pressed Sakura.

"That's right."

That got all the Konoha nin's attention as they gathered around him expectantly.

Kabuto sneered inside as he contemplated taking out his nin cards.

_Kids. So easy to fool. What kinda ninja do they expect to be anyway?_

"Hehe, let me share some info with you cute rookies with these nin info cards. I have collected all of this over four years and I have burnt them using my chakra."

_**That isn't a genin level move or technique Naruto-kun.**_

_No shit. Sounds like fuuinjutsu to me._

_**Yeah, I mean, how many practitioners are there left?**_

'_Ne' reckons that the only ones still active are Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Shinji Kanagi, 'Karasu' and Chiyo of Suna. There are other ones that are off the grid, but still, chakra imprinting is not something that's simple at all..._

_**Isn't this all suspicious?**_

Sasuke looked on as Kabuto explained the distribution of nin that came to participate before he went and asked the burning question on his mind.

"Do you have information with specific individual details?"

Kabuto nodded with a chuckle, "Sure, is there a person that you are worried about?"

"Rock Lee," he replied without candour or shame.

Naruto frowned and looked around the place before finding Lee's team chatting to some other Konoha hopefuls that were not rookies.

"Spying on your own village, how low can Sasuke go?" asked Naruto somewhat rhetorically.

Shooting the blond a dirty look, Sasuke proceeded to ignore him as he poured over the data that Kabuto had on the taijutsu specialist.

_That's pretty detailed. Wait..._

"Now show me Uzumaki Naruto."

With a hidden smirk Kabuto channelled his chakra into the card and revealed the information that he had on the jinchuuriki.

It had his birthday, his blood type and a descriptive narrative description of what happened in Wave.

Whistling lowly, he gave Naruto a look of faux respect before dictating the details to the rest of the group.

Naruto was particularly paranoid about his personal details and was incensed to find out some information that was not public knowledge at all.

_How the hell did he find those things out?! Blood, mission specifics?! That's like a target being painted on my forehead!_

_**That info is kinda... classified, isn't it?**_

_It should be. Shinobi wouldn't want that kinda information lying around. There are way too many implied assertions from that. And they can then get targeted as revenge for doing a mission!_

_What the fuck!? Who the hell is this guy?!_

_And why would he share out his competitive advantage?_

_**Yeah, a shinobi being openly helpful during an adversarial competition? Oh, isn't this suspicious? It must be that Konoha tradition of helping people out who aren't Naruto. **_

_Yes... do you think he is a spy?_

_**Definitely. Whatcha gonna do?**_

_Hmmm. Rat him out to 'Ne'. They will plan a snatch and grab and interrogate him. With prejudice._

_**Nice. My kit is growing up so quickly these days. **_

"Wow, how are the rest of the people here?" asked Ino with some surprise.

"Fairly accomplished. All of them are good in one way another. I mean, we have a limited selection because there are no Kumo, Kiri or Iwa genin here, but the guys from Suna, Kusa, Ame and Oto aren't too bad."

"Oto?" asked Sakura with some confusion.

"Yeah, funny that. They are a new village; they pop up every now and again. Trying to make a name for themselves by getting attention."

"Oh..."

By calculated coincidence did one of the Oto nin 'overhear' their conversation and slowly made his way to them.

"Hey. Otogakure a minor village? Your data is a bit out of date, but let me help you update it. You can add the adjective... vicious to it, as well," he whispered out sibilantly.

Kabuto was just smiling along, but if a person was to pay close attention they would notice how his eyes roved to his left and right. He caught sight of Zaku with his partner and he sighed again.

_Taking a blow to get some sympathy from these rookies. This is so... unseemly._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While Hinata and Ino tried to tend to the silver haired nin as he was affected by the sonic waves, Naruto just stared at the man and activated his spiritual sight.

_Man... it's just like Gaara's...._

That merely strengthened his resolve to report him to Danzo when he had a chance. He didn't usually like to use his sight because of the after effects and there was a nagging feeling that there was something wrong about everything that he saw.

_But how did he infiltrate Konoha and remain unseen for so long?_

Deciding that he had resolved the issue as well as he could, he turned his head left and saw the remainder of Kiba's team looking bored and disinterested. He strolled up to them and waved nonchalantly, which was returned by the two boys.

"Hey Shika, what's up with Kiba?" the Akimichi asked.

With a dismissive snort Shikamaru answered, "Tceh. Troublesome. Come on Choji, look at who he is staring at."

Taking a surreptitious look the east, he saw his teammate with another genin, "Hinata."

Nodding at that, Shika then yawned and started to rub some sleep from his eyes, "And who is Hinata staring at?"

Tracing the Hyuuga heiress's line of sight, he saw that she was focused on another person, "Naruto. Oh."

"Exactly."

Choji munched on his chips for a few moments before commenting, "He's got no chance."

"Exactly."

The two of them were silent for another moment, watching Naruto walk towards them before Choji let out a plaintive sigh, "Man, can't he like leave some for the rest of us?"

"What was that Idiot Trio?" asked a somewhat oblivious Naruto.

"Don't call us that. And don't lump us with Kiba," warned Shikamaru.

"What the hell is his problem anyway?" asked Naruto, pointing to the Inuzuka genin who was trying to make conversation with an uncomfortable Hinata.

"Eh, nothing. He's just got an inferiority complex, that's all," responded the Nara with a shrug.

"Oh, that explains everything. Hey Choji, I will give you two hundred bucks if you eat Akamaru," dared Naruto.

_**Kit?!**_

_What? I'm not serious._

Choji actually gave it some thought, peering intently at the dog resting on top of Kiba's head.

_Well, that dog does look tasty..._

"Make it five hundred. He is my teammate after all," hedged the Akimichi with a calculating look on his face.

Both boys looked at him in shock and slowly backed away.

"I was just kidding," Naruto said with horror.

"Dude, it's like I don't even know you at all," gasped out a disbelieving Shikamaru.

Luckily he was spared to explain himself by the arrival of the first proctor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hey, isn't that Anko's boss who she keeps complaining about?_

_**Probably. I never met the man in person. But then again, he gives Danzo a run for his money in the facial scar department. I wonder if he is hiding anything underneath that hitai-ate?**_

"Quiet down you worthless bastards!"

The curse got most of their attention as Morino Ibiki arrived with twenty other proctors. Each of them had a cocky grin on their faces as they stared down the chuunin hopefuls with sadistic glee.

"I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the first examination."

Everyone became silent and focused their attention onto him as he eyeballed them all.

"First of all, no fighting unless you have permission. Even then, killing is... frowned upon."

"Second, anyone that disobeys my orders will be kicked out immediately."

"Understand boys and girls?"

Seeing them all nod or give some sign of acknowledgement he directed them to their seats.

"You will all take your assigned seat. Then you will do nothing until you are told. You will not look at your examination paper. You will not even pick up your pencils. Do not ask questions. Listen carefully to the rules because I won't repeat them or write them on the board."

He held up both of his hands, fingers pointing towards the ceiling as he spoke, "You have ten points. You give me an excuse to take them off you, I will. Correct answers get a point, wrong ones lose a point. The combined score from your team will be taken."

"Hey-" interrupted a genin.

"I said no questions dipshit!" shot back the proctor harshly, a displeased looking expression on his face as he cowed the boy into silence.

"Cheaters that are caught will be thrown out immediately. And we will find you out," he promised with certainty.

Looking at them all, they found themselves a bit nervous.

"You lose all your points, then you are out. And your team is out. They probably won't be very happy with you either."

Taking a stopwatch from his coat, the nin placed his thumb over the pusher before depressing it deliberately.

"You have one hour. What are you waiting for?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto looked at his test paper with some confusion.

_Err... if I turn this the other way, then maybe –_

_**Kit, it's a cryptogram. The answer is the "Honour in service."**_

_Hehehe. Awesome. And the next one is-_

_**There are forty five combinations, and ninety permutations of attack manoeuvres. Pfft. What kind of test is this?**_

_Not everyone is a smart sexy kitsune as you, Kyuu._

_**And don't you forget it, Naruto-kun.**_

_How smart are you anyway?_

_**Oh, I don't know. It's off the charts I would reckon.**_

Naruto continued happily along until he hit the 10th question.

_Ok, so ... can I take a nap now?_

_**What did you get up to last night?**_

_Hanabi. Don't ask._

_**... Right. She does have that habit of sneaking into your bed late at night doesn't she?**_

_Yeah. Eh. It's nice._

_**Oh, I am sure it is...**_

Naruto gazed about with his head resting against the desk, watching the proctors make marks against their notebooks whenever they saw on of the genin cheat during the exam.

_Some of this is pretty obvious. I mean Ten Ten with her mirrors, Kiba with his dog barking for crying out loud. I think Shino is the only one worth a damn with those bugs of his._

_**How about Sasuke with his Copy Eyes?**_

_Oh, I'm sure there's nothing suss about doujutsu boy activating that during an exam. Pffft. _

_**Oh, look at Neji and Hinata. They got their Byakugan out as well.**_

_What a joke. Eh. I guess we all can't be lucky and have a genius in our heads._

_**Awww. You're so sweet kit. You make me feel all warm and cuddly on the inside when you use me to cheat for you! I'm so loved and wanted!**_

_Hehehe. You know it. There is no other sentient voice I would rather have, even if people think I'm schizophrenic or have an imaginary friend._

_**Hey look, Ino used that jutsu against Sakura. Oh yeah. Have I told you that I found a counter against the Shintensen?**_

_No! But I can finally stop being afraid of people wandering into my mind. _

_**Kit, keep an eye out on Gaara**__._

The blond turned his head casually until he faced the Suna genin, an expressionless mask on his face as he slowly channelled his sand around him.

_I wonder what he's doing? Hey Kyuu, how is the Ichibi?_

_**Well. Insane.**_

_Really?!_

_**Yeah. Absolutely crazy. He wasn't always like that though, which is a shame...**_

_What happened?_

_**You know, it's hard to say. He just kinda snapped one day and started doing all sorts of things that would freak you out. **_

Actually the truth kinda frightens me a bit as well. You don't need to know just yet Naruto-kun. 

_Aha._

_**I mean it's obvious. Jinchuuriki take on the aspect of their bijuu. Look at Gaara. All cold and frightening, lacking any sort of social skills at all beyond the death glare. And look at you. So dashing, talented, admired, beautiful, intelligent, skilled. I can go on and on and on about how your awesomeness is really a small reflection of myself.**_

_Woah, isn't someone a bit full of themselves._

_**It's the truth kit. Hey, who is the certified sexy genius here?**_

_... You._

_**Exactly. Why are you even questioning me at all?**_

_Hey, I'm a guy. We are handsome, not beautiful._

_**You are what I say you will be!**_

_Whatever! You're not the boss of me!_

Ah, so adorably rebellious. Reminds me of myself when I was younger...

Man I pissed my siblings off back then. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Pencils down now."

A few people were still desperately scribbling when Ibiki motioned some of the proctors to throw them out of the examination venue.

"Ok, so we have fifteen more fails. Anyone else feel like disobeying instructions?" he asked with a growl.

Most people shook their head and gulped a bit.

"Excellent. Looks like you can follow orders. A useful trait indeed."

The shinobi started strolling around the desks, peering into the exam papers with a scowl on his face. Shaking his head in disgust every so often he finally completed his circuit and made his way to the front of the room and gave them a ghostly smirk.

"Now it's time for the final question. And if you wish to progress, then you must answer this one correctly. But there are conditions on that."

"Like what?" asked a Kusa genin.

"Easy. By the consent of all the villages involved, we have decided that to reflect the gravity of this event, the last question will have long term consequences for those left."

"Which is?" asked Temari.

"If you pass this, then along with your test results will let you pass on. But if you fail, then you are forever banned from attending another Chuunin exam. Or you may forfeit and do this again next time when you prove yourself worthy."

"What, you can't do that!" shouted an examinee in outrage.

"I have the kages agreement in this. But hey, feel free to test me," Ibiki dared with a leer.

"But, but, but there are others who failed and were let back in!"

"Yeah, and look where that led us. We get people with an unfair advantage over the others, because they may have dropped out in the later stages. This is do or die kiddies. Make your choice."

"This isn't fair!" shouted the majority of the class.

"Well isn't that tough? Do you want to run back to your mother and maybe bury your head between her breasts? Welcome to the real world. You can take the question, or you can drop out now and come back next year."

"This is bullshit," grumbled Kiba.

"Then again, I could be lying to you to see your mettle in all of this," conceded Ibiki with a condescending sneer.

"What?! What kind of examiner are you?!"

"The one that you're stuck with. But I may have been given a mandate by the kages to do everything necessary to ensure that only the best make it through the exams. And as long as they agree, then they will be bound by their delegated authority. So the short of it is that pussies need not apply. I'm gonna give you two minutes to think about this. Your time starts now."

The genins were stuck with making a decision as the cracks started to form. Shinobi were tentatively raising their hands, ashamed of their cowardice as they tried to avoid the accusation in their teammates eyes.

"This is your last chance to drop out," warned Ibiki as he saw a few more candidates waiver in uncertainty.

For some reason team seven turned their heads towards Naruto, as if they were expecting him to say something.

The blond blinked quizzically at them, "Dattebayo?"

_You know, it feels like I should be doing ... something. I'm not quite sure what it is though. Strange._

_**Err... is it an urge to shout out like an idiot, attracting more attention to yourself? Probably something loud, ludicrous and so full of shit? To show that you are an awesome, inspiring leader by your recklessness and exaggerated belief in your skills?**_

_What, like how I want to be Hokage? Or that I am going to kick all of their asses?_

_**Yeah. Something like that. I mean sure, you could beat nearly anyone here. But eh. And Hokage?! Kit, I'm disappointed in you. What else is next, an accountant?**_

_Hey! Don't make fun of Ayumi and Mutsumi!_

_**Become a banker at least.**_

"Once..."

_I am not becoming like 'Mi!"_

A few more hands rose up in shame, leading to a team getting pulled from the examination.

"Twice..."

_**I am just looking after your future kit. Do you know how much IB pays? And Mikoto is in corporate finance as well.  
**_

Ibiki was milking the tension for all it was worth, playing on their insecurities as he dared them to stay on.

_I like blowing shit up too much for me to give it up so soon. _

"Three. I guess it is time for the final question."

Taking a scroll from his trench coat, he opened it up and read it. Eyes widening slightly, he coughed before writing on the board behind him.

_**How many times do you make a kunoichi continuously orgasm with the same individual before you start interrogating them?**_

"NANI?!" came the shocked outburst from the students.

_God, I knew I should have taken this thing from Sarutobi's hands when I had the chance. Leaving it in the hands of those lecherous old men was a bad idea._

"Whatever. Ignore that. You all pass. Congratulations," he said with satisfaction.

"But, why?" asked Temari with some confusion.

Ibiki gave her a scornful look before sighing, "If I had to explain it to you, then you really shouldn't have passed it in the first place would you?"

Hearing that, the Suna nin shut her mouth and tried to be inconspicuous.

"But congratulations nonetheless. Numbers are still somewhat high, but that is nothing some sadistic torture cannot fix," he promised grimly.

The genins looked a bit nervous, especially the younger shinobi.

He saw more than a few blank faces so he decided to take pity on the poor kids and explain himself, "But assuming that you are all ignorant idiots, which is not really an assumption but a given, I guess I should make a few points."

"Knowledge is important. Being prepared and training your mind is just as important as your physical abilities. Not all problems can be solved with brute force."

Seeing them digest it he continued.

"But there will be times when you just can't do it because you are too dumb, stupid or ignorant. So the only alternative is cheating. All nin are cheaters in one way or another, so there is no shame in doing so. Remember, the people that complain about cheaters are the losers."

Some of them were about to protest at that before he levelled a glare at them.

"We belong to a results driven profession, kiddies. Leave your morality and high ideas where they belong. Buried deep in your heart."

They quieted down at his words and Morino continued.

"The last question was really a gamble with chance. Because that is what it sometimes can come down to. In this case you people held your ground and stayed firm."

He stared a bit before shaking his head, "No, I was being too generous. You were all probably too cocky and damned certain of yourself to think that you could possibly fail. But no matter, that has its uses as well."

"And because this is Konoha and we like giving life lessons, even to foreign shinobi. But I had to promise that it isn't the usually life threatening one. But let me show you something."

With that he took off his head covering, waiting for their gasps and looks of horror and disgust. He wasn't disappointed as he saw the looks of revulsion on the females, and the uncomfortable unease on the males.

"Information is important. Intelligence ANBU have a saying that they love repeating. 'We trust our intel. So much that we bet your life on it.'"

He gave them a grimace before smiling horribly, "Make no mistake boys and girls. They do bet our lives on getting it right or wrong. We are the ones that suffer the consequences when things go to shit. My team was led into a trap and they wanted to interrogate me."

Pointing to his head with a cold expression, "And that is what happened. They wanted to mess me up, to make me break and spill my guts. Hot irons, blades, acid, steel screws, I felt it all as they cut me up and I tried not to scream and give them any satisfaction. "

With a hollow laugh, he smiled grimly, "They didn't get it."

Absorbing his words, Morino nodded to himself with satisfaction.

"And we shall wait for our next proctor –"

Right on cue came a tan blur from the adjacent window, a figure rolling smoothly into the room as a banner shot out into the ceiling and lodging into the concrete.

_Geez... I thought I told her no!_ thought Ibiki with a long suffering roll of his eyes.

"You guys! This is no time to be celebrating just yet kiddies!"

When Anko had told Naruto that she was a proctor for the second exam, he didn't quite expect her to make such a gaudy entrance. Though if he actually did think about it logically, he shouldn't have been that surprised.

"I am Mitarashi Anko! The examiner for your second examination!" she said out gaily.

_Man, the banner. The flowers. How did she time it all? _

_**Aren't you easily impressed?**_

_What? I'd like to see you do that. They best you could do is just wave those tails of yours in some sort of pattern._

_**I can. I choose not to bring myself to the level of a street performer.**_

...

_**Would you like to see me juggle? With my tails? Just give me a pair of balls and –**_

_Garrr! Enough already!_

Ino noted that her teammate was having a conversation in his head again and rolled her eyes.

_I guess I'm lucky to have the best functioning schizophrenic in the world as my teammate. Geez, that's kinda odd. And sad..._

Looking around Anko was surprised by the large number of candidates left in the room, "Ibiki, what the hell? Did you hold their hands for this one or what?"

"I did eliminate over half of the initial intake. There are quite a few outstanding genin as well..." he pointed out dryly.

Anko gave Naruto an admiring look before scoffing at her nominal boss, "Pff. Slacker. You call yourself the head of the T and I unit?" she goaded.

"I have no idea about what you are talking about," answered Morino disingenuously.

"Yeah, I am known to make shit up," agreed the kunoichi with a genial nod of her head.

"So... Naruto, how do you know her again?" asked Ino with interest, following the conversation with amusement.

Naruto felt like smacking his head against a wall and looked away from the snake mistress.

"What are ya talking about?"

Ino turned her head to face the boy, "You know her right?"

"No," lied Naruto glibly, "what makes you say that?"

"The fact that we did a mission with her and how she practically stayed near you for all of it," responded Ino with a tick on her forehead that was developing.

Hinata looked at him expectantly as she was also interested to how Naruto got involved with an older kunoichi of questionable sanity.

"I have no idea about what you are talking about," Naruto replied with an absolutely straight face.

Anko's ears twitched slightly as she turned her hazel eyes to face his. The jinchuuriki looked innocently at her, pulling on his overly innocent blue eyed look and Kyuu pumped his passive genjutsu to the max.

_Stupid whiskers... It's like I can't stay angry at that little bastard._

"In any event, I am sure I will decimate the numbers so they become more manageable," declared the snake mistress grandly as she ushered them out of the Academy.

**Decimate?!**

"Keep up unless you want me to kick your ass. We're off to the Forest of Death!"

_**Sounds like fun. Did you bring the picnic basket Naruto-kun?**_

_Hehe. Of course, I'm smarter than your average fox._

_**I trained you well kit.

* * *

  
**_

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

"I see you're still alive, old man."

The wizened old man stopped at the words spoken by his most faithful subordinate, slight surprise in his eyes as he took in the sight of the Toad Sannin.

"Jiraiya. My goodness, how have you been?"

The effusive man gave an airy look as he shrugged eloquently, "Here, there and everywhere. You know, doing things to protect my godson behind the scenes," he finished with an edged emphasis.

Sarutobi winced slightly at the accusation, but didn't dwell on it for too long. Guilt was a familiar emotion that he had learned to live with, as much as he hated it.

"Do you have news?"

"Oh, I do. But there is something that I will need to do first."

"What would that be?" asked Hiruzen.

"I am going to see my godson," Jiraiya declared.

"Give your report first, then I can organise a meeting-"

Interrupting him abruptly, the Toad Sannin retorted quickly, "I don't think that you heard me right. I have been a dutiful soldier. I followed orders for seven long years. I didn't like it and I wanted to get to know the son of my best and brightest student. I wanted to follow what my heart said."

"But no. I listened to you. And for seven god damned years I have been out in the field gathering intel. And remember that I am the only one left that has shown any bit of loyalty to this village, and for what?" he demanded.

"Your duty is not something that you should expect a reward for-" Sarutobi started.

"Bullshit! Then why do I even do anything for this village then?! I guess I am the only one stupid enough to obey orders when I just don't agree with them anymore," Jiraiya growled out.

Hiruzen's eyes softened as he looked at his student reprovingly, "You don't mean that."

"There are times when I just don't know anymore," admitted the man candidly.

Now aware of how serious the situation was did Sarutobi see the man in front of him clearly. There were age lines deeply imprinted on his face, making it harder and more angular. There was no hint of a belly or any fat on the man as he carried himself with the posture and strength of a young man in his prime. The markings on his cheek emphasised the feral like nature that made him feel somewhat uneasy.

"Have you been training?" he asked lightly.

Jiraiya nodded, patting his chest proudly, "Oh yeah. No fat on this body. It's all muscle."

"Why the need?"

With a dark smile the sannin smiled mysteriously, "Because in the next six years will come a shitstorm that the Elemental Nations has never seen before. It will make the last two shinobi wars seem like a storm in a teacup compared to what is going to happen."

"What have you found out?" asked Sarutobi with concern.

"You see, there is this group called Akatsuki..."

_Fin._

* * *

_**Icha Icha Shotacon: Adulterous Liaisons**_

_**A joint venture between Hakosuka and calatrava**_

**This probably requires a disclaimer of sorts. If you are offended easily, then don't read this. At all. I am serious. No really, I am. **

Naruto whistled along happily as he approached the Uchiha manor, a skip in his step as he imagined the delightful treats that he would be graced with during his break. After helping her out with the whole steward issue, Mikoto had been grateful on a level that surprised and delighted him. He let himself inside the door and waited impatiently in the living room. He tapped his feet as he leaned back onto the comfortable couch, a smile on his face as he could not think of a better way to start his day than enjoying morning tea with Mikoto.

Mikoto walked in, graceful as ever, but there was a tearful and heartbroken expression on her face that tugged at Naruto's heartstrings. He got up in a flash and eyed her with genuine concern.

"Naruto-kun. I-I need your help," sobbed out the Uchiha, her posture timid and somewhat fearful.

The blonde looked at the distraught woman with authentic concern. After everything that they have been through, what they had done for one another, Naruto and Mikoto shared a special bond. To Naruto she was like the mother he never had. He would sooner poke out his eye with a rusty fork than admitting to Kushina being his mother. In his mind she had given up that right the day she left him for dead. He always had an idealised vision of what a mother should be and Mikoto fit the bill perfectly. Kind, caring, maternal, it was like the gods had decided to be kind on him and gift him with a surrogate parent that didn't want to kill him. Mikoto found herself feeling the same way towards the jinchuuriki. To her Naruto was the funny, kind and sunny boy who shared the same quirky sense of humour that she had. He was a son that she could dote on forever, as Sasuke wasn't very fond of that mushy mother/son stuff. That boy had rather coldly and awkwardly rejected any overture of affection, as he was afraid that it would make him look weak. That had hurt Mikoto more than words could ever express, where she was denied her chance to express her love for her only son. In some ways it was only natural that two people looking for the same thing came together.

And if you can't buy that explanation, then call it omake imperative and deal with it. I mean honestly...

Inwardly Mikoto smiled deviously, crowing that the first steps of her plan were being executed. What plan, might you say? Well, it was part one of her grand initiative to get Naruto all to herself and bind him to the Uchiha clan. It took her a while to put together the intricate scheme, along with much covert observation of the boy such that it put a certain infatuated Hyuuga to shame. It also required her to go through most of the Uchiha Clan's ancient Code of Conduct. She shuddered at the memory of the dusty paperwork and the bizarre and somewhat ridiculous ceremonies that her clan had engaged in. Most of the rules and punishments were long banned due to morality and modernisation being integrated. And the fact that most people would have lost respect for their clan if they found out what they did behind closed doors, as the Hyuuga were eager to gossip about certain traditions that shall remain unnamed.

I love being so vague and mysterious about these things.

In any event after much coughing and reading in poor light away from Sasuke, she managed to find something that could potentially work. Work very well, indeed.

Naruto looked intently at her with his cerulean eyes and asked with concern, "What is it Mikoto-san? What do you need me to do? I'll do anything that can help. Believe it," he declared with utter sincerity.

Mikoto turned her face away, touched by his concern and felt somewhat bad about her plotting. That lasted for a few seconds before it reinforced her resolve in making Naruto hers. She put on her best look of insecurity and shame to bear, "Well it's just that… I-I've been having adulterous thoughts about other men," she admitted softly.

Naruto looked at her with some confusion, wondering what the problem was.

The Uchiha gazed at Naruto before continuing, "And I'm still technically married to Fugaku. That means that I am guilty of attempted adultery!" she wailed out.

Naruto blinked, feeling confused and somewhat dazed at that line of reasoning.

Seeing that Naruto was off balance, she strove to push her point in before he regained his equilibrium, "Well I need to be punished, and you're the only one who can help me!" she cried out, tearing up for effect as she held her arms around her chest.

The scene tugged on Naruto's heartstrings. He couldn't bear to see his newly found mother figure tear herself apart, "Well um… what's the penalty then?" He knew that the clans did engage in some really weird punishments that didn't make a lot of sense to him. The Hyuuga juin jutsu was a case in point.

Mikoto took a deep breath and spoke softly, "There are two options."

She lifted one finger, "The first is death by stoning."

The jinchuuriki's eyes bugged out at that and spluttered out, "A-And the second?"

"Bukkake," she answered resolutely.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and asked quizzically, "What's that?"

She coughed and grabbed a conveniently located scroll, "Ahem," the scroll unfurled and she pointed to it, "In order to be redeemed I must be punished by Bukkake. It must be by people close to me, and I must be covered from head to toe. Then my honour as the Uchiha matriarch is restored," she finished with a hopeful tone.

The blond slowly nodded his head as he started to understand the matter, "I-I see. So what do I need to cover you with?"

_Ok, here goes nothing._

"Sperm. Your sperm," replied Mikoto with a straight face.

There was a rather pregnant pause in the room and she was glad that Sasuke had decided to go off and train for the rest of the day.

"…NANI?!" shouted out Naruto in surprise and disbelief. He was doing a near perfect imitation of Hinata; the shade of red his face was could only have been previously achieved by her.

_There was no way she could be serious about this!_

Oh wait, she was.

_She wants me to do that?!_

_**Keep it in your pants kit! If there's anyone you're going to do that to, it's going to be me!**_

_What?!_

_**I mean… think of your innocence. It belongs to me and me alone!**_

…_Right. I am so confused..._

"Isn't there another way?" he asked desperately.

Mikoto shook her head sadly, "No, it's either this way or death. You –you don't want me to die, do you Naruto-kun?" she asked with trepidation.

"NO! Of course not!" shouted out Naruto before looking at his feet. Mikoto internally squealed at how cute he was like that.

He gave her a bewildered look and said shyly,"So um Mikoto-san. How do I do this?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You don't know how to-" She pumped her dainty hand up and down while Naruto shook his head in embarrassment, preferring to look at anywhere besides her.

_He's fourteen isn't he? What about rampant hormones and all that? Even Sasuke does it... At least I think he does, _she thought with uncertainty. There was something about Sasuke that screamed out asexual.

_At least it's better than him being - _

Her lips curled into a vulpine grin and she licked them subconsciously, "Don't worry Naruto-kun I'll demonstrate for you… But first you need to make a few clones."

"How many?" He asked uneasily, not quite recognising the look on Mikoto's face.

"Well…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke came home after another personalised session with Kakashi. His use of the Sharingan was moving along nicely and he had practised integrating some of his copied jutsu into his style. The Copy Nin had rather bluntly stated that having over one thousand jutsu was useless if you only really used ten. So you might as well use those ten really, really well.

He walked into the foyer and was distracted by an odd noise. It was like someone was groaning in pain.

_What the hell?_

Becoming alert, he activated his doujutsu and drew a kunai. While it was in the safety of his house, that didn't quite stop Itachi from going insane on all of them and wiping them out. He quickly drew open the door and found a sight that would scar him for life.

There was Naruto and his mother. In fact there were many Naruto's. As far as the eye could see there was the blond jinchuuriki. But that wasn't the worst part.

They were as naked as the day that they were born. And so was his mother.

_What. The. Fuck?!_

He dropped his kunai and looked in shock at the scene. The sound suddenly made the real Naruto turn around in surprise.

Unfortunately for the Uchiha heir, Naruto was right on the cusp of orgasm and the sudden movement caused him to lose control. He ejaculated in a violent rush, seminal fluid travelling in a parabolic arc. Sasuke looked in horror, his tomoe spinning as it calculated the trajectory of the liquid.

It was heading right towards his eye.

It splashed, the contact sending a searing and unbearable pain throughout his eye as he screamed in horror and disgust.

Mikoto was lying in a happy daze, idly rubbing in Naruto's semen into her skin as she smirked at how well her plan had worked. She luxuriated in the warmth that covered her and felt the satisfaction of having one of her fantasies fulfilled. She heard the scream and got up, before seeing her son on the floor screaming for water.

"Oh baby! Are you ok?" she asked with concern, rushing towards Sasuke unmindful of her current state.

"Oh kami! It burns! It burns! I need a medic!" he wailed, until he saw her mother.

The fact that she was naked freaked him out. The part where she was covered from head to toe in Naruto's ejaculate made him nauseous. But it was the fact that she was subconsciously licking her lips and fingers brought him over the edge.

"Is there something that I can do for you – "

Sasuke decided that the best way to end the awkward scene was for him to leave. Like right away. So he bolted, whimpering like a kicked dog as he went into his room and started hugging his teddy bear.

And thanks to the photographic memory of the Sharingan, he was haunted by that scene over and over again.

"Naruto must die! Naruto must DIE!" he repeated manically.

And that is the real reason why Sasuke tried to use _Raikiri_ on Naruto at the Valley of the End.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chamomile tea. One of the few luxuries Setsuna enjoyed when not on duty. Being an MP was at times an onerous task. Having to round up drunken civilians and ninja, settle civil/domestic disputes and paranoid girlfriend raging on boyfriends. The latter got amusing, but not when they were kunoichi with high powered ninjutsu up their sleeves. Domestic violence call outs became a task that she dreaded, considering that she was more sympathetic to the females and wanted to do nothing more and let nature run its course.

Not fun.

Not fun at all.

And so she enjoyed her peace and wondered how she was going to spend time with Naruto before he went off on those mysterious trips that he couldn't quite account for. In general, life as an MP or a kunoichi had taught her to be suspicious of others and their actions. So when Mikoto waltzed into her office with a shit eating grin, a bad feeling crept through her.

_Why do I feel like I lost a battle?_

"Well Setsuna-san! How are you on this fine day?" asked Mikoto with her sunny, friendly voice, her grin widening so much that a shark would have been hard pressed to beat her in the smile department.

Setsuna nodded cautiously before responding, "I am just fine, Mikoto. Enjoying some tea during my break. Is there something that you wanted?"

"Ah yes. There is. I wanted to show you this." She took out a photo and lazily pushed it across the desk to Setsuna and mouthed out one word. That word had three syllables. And Mikoto uttered it out oh so slowly.

_Buk-ka-ke_ for those who want it spelled out.

The MP gazed at the picture in dull shock, her jaw dropping. She looked back at Mikoto and the picture, then back again.

"H-H-How?! This is a fake isn't it?!" she demanded shrilly.

Mikoto chuckled sinisterly before shaking her head, "No it's not. Ah... let's just say... Naruto-kun helped me in my time of need. I was a _bad, bad girl_," She said saucily.

Setsuna looked at the picture in disbelief before Mikoto picked it up and slapped it across her face lightly, like a gauntlet. The Hyuuga tore it out of her hand and crushed the photo in rage. "I will get you for this Uchiha Mikoto! This will not go unanswered do your hear me!? He is mine! Mine and my sisters'!" she declared with outrage.

"Sure, sure." She waved off the obvious and plentiful killing intent. "Just make sure you get a picture when you do… if you can. Sayonara!" she finished with a toss of her head, walking away with a self-satisfied smirk.

"It's on you bitch!"

Naruto was eating some ramen when he suddenly stopped. He felt like the earth had moved underneath his feet and a terrible premonition of doom fell upon him.

Hanabi looked at him in concern before poking him, trying to get his attention, "Naruto-kun, what's wrong?"

The blond blinked before shaking himself, "I think I felt my heart stop for a second."

"Really?!"

"Yeah..."

Ladies and gentlemen. The war has been declared.

_Fin. _

* * *

Living a life of fear and greed isn't as good as it was cracked up to be.

And yes, Choji did contemplate eating Akamaru. Chapter Thirty Nine, page eight.

I feel very unhappy about this chapter. And I'm sure my betas would agree with me as well.

Hmm...

Read and review guys.


	19. Convergence, the second

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N

It's been a while hasn't it?

Things haven't been great for me lately with various events.

Many thanks to that person whose name I have extreme difficulty in spelling: Juopunumies

I am still looking for betas, so if you are able to assist, or if I have somehow lost contact with you, please let me know.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
_**Dialogue**_ Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 01Jan09  
Chapter completed:11Jun09

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

"_I am going to see my godson," Jiraiya declared._

"_Give your report first, then I can organise a meeting-"_

_Interrupting him abruptly, the Toad Sannin retorted quickly, "I don't think that you heard me right. I have been a dutiful soldier. I followed orders for seven long years. I didn't like it and I wanted to get to know the son of my best and brightest student. I wanted to follow what my heart said."_

"_But no. I listened to you. And for seven god damned years I have been out in the field gathering intel. And remember that I am the only one left that has shown any bit of loyalty to this village, and for what?" he demanded._

"_Your duty is not something that you should expect a reward for-" Sarutobi started._

"_Bullshit! Then why do I even do anything for this village then?! I guess I am the only one stupid enough to obey orders when I just don't agree with them anymore," Jiraiya growled out._

_Hiruzen's eyes softened as he looked at his student reprovingly, "You don't mean that."_

"_There are times when I just don't know anymore," admitted the man candidly._

_Now aware of how serious the situation was did Sarutobi see the man in front of him clearly. There were age lines deeply imprinted on his face, making it harder and more angular. There was no hint of a belly or any fat on the man as he carried himself with the posture and strength of a young man in his prime. The markings on his cheek emphasised the feral like nature that made him feel somewhat uneasy._

"_Have you been training?" he asked lightly._

_Jiraiya nodded, patting his chest proudly, "Oh yeah. No fat on this body. It's all muscle."_

"_Why the need?"_

_With a dark smile the sannin smiled mysteriously, "Because in the next six years will come a shitstorm that the Elemental Nations has never seen before. It will make the last two shinobi wars seem like a storm in a teacup compared to what is going to happen."_

"_What have you found out?" asked Sarutobi with concern._

"_You see, there is this group called Akatsuki..."_

**Chapter Nineteen  
Convergence the Second**

**Two weeks prior  
Konoha  
Hokage's Office **

"Do you understand your mission?"

Yuugao nodded her head with a slight smile as she read the instructions placed onto the piece of paper, that burst into flames after she had finished.

"Flashy," she noted drolly.

"Yes, the R&D ANBU has been up to some interesting inventions."

"Sir, am I to understand that I am to keep an eye on Naruto-kun for the duration of the exams?"

The Hokage inched his head slightly in acknowledgment, "I am sure you are the best person for this job."

Yuugao pouted a bit at that, "Have I displeased you that much that I have been regulated to a babysitter?" she grumbled out.

Hiruzen chuckled at that, "Not at all, I thought you would be the best suited since you have history together."

The kunoichi smiled and nodded, "True."

_Naruto has an unhealthy interest in my pantsu drawer._

_Or is that healthy?_

"Though if you are really that against the issue, I can always have someone like Anko take-"

She paled at that, thinking about the odd interaction that went on between the two, before shaking her head hastily, "No no, I think it's for the best if I take care of that brat."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Central **

"Hey Anko, what do you have planned for the second exam?"

The tokubetsu jounin shrugged indolently before taking another bite of her dango.

"I have some orders from above, but eh, I'm really too lazy to do much about it and would rather have the kids to a battle royale death match."

Yuugao sighed before taking a sip from her glass. The two of them were in a cafe that the two kunoichi had often frequented while they were off duty. She had ordered some chocolate pastries that she was savouring over some tea while Anko had ordered her usual special. Chatting together was an increasingly rare occurrence for the females that Yuugao had missed after fully immersing herself into the ANBU.

"What?" asked Anko as she saw the jounin stare into space.

"It all seems as bit pointless doesn't it?"

Anko nodded before stretching her shoulders, "Well, yes, but it's the way we have been doing all along. And I'm too lazy to really think about something else for those kiddies to amuse themselves with."

"Yes, kami forbid you actually use your brain while in that dungeon of yours," retorted Yuugao drily.

"Hey! I use my brain plenty. Like just last week I tricked Naruto into paying my rent for two weeks."

Yuugao could feel a sweat drop forming as she heard the pride in the kunoichi's voice, "... That isn't something to be proud of Anko."

"Hey, you're just jealous that I can play with the boy like I can," she scoffed.

Yuugao shrugged before taking another bite of her pastry. She savoured the delicate layers for a while before getting serious, "Speaking of Naruto, have you like noticed anything odd about him?"

Anko thought about that for a few seconds before shaking her head, "No, not really. Have you?"

Stroking her chin, the jounin wiped her lips before answering, "Well no, but then again, I don't have much interaction with him."

"And whose fault is that?" Anko asked with a tight grin.

"I'm busy," she defended.

"Of course you are," drawled out the snake kunoichi.

Huffing at her unsaid accusation, Yuugao crossed her arms, "I try to say hi now and again. And don't think I appreciated that damned ambush as well."

Shifting uncomfortably on her seat, Anko started to get defensive, "Shit, you weren't there at Wave country and see what he ended up doing. It frightened the crap out of me and Kurenai. I mean me! We all know that Kurenai has a bit of a weak stomach."

"What did happen?" asked Yuugao intently.

The tokubetsu jounin looked a bit reluctant to answer, "Have you read that report yet?"

"The 'official' after action one?" asked the operator with her fingers making the requisite quotation works.

"Yeah, which Kurenai and I did while Kakashi was off helping old women cross the road with an iron maiden strapped to his legs. And reading porn at the same time."

The jounin rolled her eyes at that, "The answer is still yes, Anko."

The kunoichi stared into her cup for awhile before answering, "Well that was the highly edited version of what happened. The body count was like thirty people for Naruto alone. Add Zabuza's little contribution and we have a bit under one hundred people dead."

Yuugao gulped at that, "Damn, what kinda mission was that?"

"A fucked up one where we should have left, but that's not the scary part. Has Naruto ever looked like the psychopathically violent type to you?"

"Well, he does hang around you," Yuugao observed with a wry grin.

"Pfft, I resent that. I'm nothing but a positive influence on him."

"I'd say it is the other way around," she muttered.

Ignoring her, Anko's eyes grew pensive as she swirled her drink around in her cup, "And that is why we took such drastic action. That kid is almost too pure for the shit that we get up to as shinobi. If you asked me before Wave, I would have sworn that he would never kill."

"But... that all changed. He was like a demon that toyed with their lives on that bridge. Every stroke he made there was blood. And he just ploughed his way through those men like they were nothing. I'm just wondering how much do we really know about that boy."

Yuugao tried to comprehend what was being told to her, "What do you mean?"

"You didn't teach him how to do the things that he did. Neither did Hayate. Which only leaves the explanation that he gave us."

"You mean that he really is a shinigami?"

"Yeah, that."

"I-I'm not sure that I can believe that."

Anko agreed and nodded her head, "Neither can I, but that is what Naruto believes to be true. So someone could have lied to him. But it does make a lot of sense."

"How can a person be dead and alive at the same time?" Yuugao asked plaintively.

The kunoichi rolled her eyes, "No idea. But having a demonic fox spirit shoved and sealed into your stomach sounds like a bit of fantasy to me. Fuck, you're not that naive, are you Yuugao? We know that extreme and foreign chakra exposure is not healthy for anyone, let alone a newborn kid!"

"Yes, well, I have faith in the Yondaime."

Anko gave her a pitying look before continuing, "Sure you did. Everyone did. But he's kinda dead now and we can't ask him what he really did on that night. So ... that scared me stupid. And Kurenai as well. We didn't know if it was a trigger that the Kyuubi may have put on him, so we did what we had to do."

"Why the hell did you need me there?" she demanded crossly

"Figured that you could give some insight as you're a close person to him."

"Thanks for the warning," she grated out.

"Yeah well, you probably would have raised some sort of stink about it. Even if you don't have much interaction with him."

"Ok, I get it. I don't spend the time that I should with the kid. Are you happy?" said Yuugao in frustration, flinging her arms up in the air in surrender.

Anko chuckled with a shark like grin, "Kinda. I just like rubbing things in people's faces."

"Feh. Whatever. You also owe me money," retorted the jounin gamely.

"Why?"

"Naruto doesn't have a crush on you," Yuugao said smugly.

"That's not true! He's just too shy and inexperienced to recognise his feelings!"

"Even under a compulsion jutsu?" she asked dubiously.

"Yes!"

"Sure, there's nothing inappropriate about that."

Anko held her head up high before sniffing, "Heh, you're just jealous."

"Whatever, need I remind you of the pantsu fixation?"

"... Shut up!"

"Fine fine, but I really don't understand why Kurenai was so insistent over it."

The snake kunoichi grew thoughtful before giving her answer, "She brought me in because I am an expert in it and she didn't want it official."

"I guess so, but I think there is something... deeper than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think that she's jealous of him?" Yuugao asked carefully.

"Nani?"

"Hell, even I think that I am, at times. I mean, just consider how strong that little brat actually is and how we didn't have a clue. Zabuza wasn't a pushover. So he's got at least jounin level skill, or the ability to fight a jounin to a standstill. One from Kiri, as well. Do you know how ridiculous that is? I wish I had a quarter of the talent that he has shown us at that age."

Even the tokubetsu jounin had to agree about the absurdity of the situation, "Fairly, but it's not that surprising, this is Naruto after all."

"Sure, but you know that Kurenai always had a complex about her strength. And to see her student exceed her without her even suspecting at all... I mean it must hurt. She has always... _prided_ herself on her observation skills."

Anko grew a bit uneasy over Yuugao's observations, "I think you're making something out of nothing."

"Am I really?" she challenged.

She nodded and gave an alternative reason, "There is an easier explanation for this. Kurama Yakumo."

Yuugao's eyes widened before she winced, "Ohh. Now that was a sorry episode. That changed her in ways that only Naruto and Hinata fixed up. Her stint at the Academy to redeem herself didn't quite ... hack it. What happened to Yakumo, anyway?"

"No one really knows. I think she's under constant ANBU guard in a bunker somewhere. Probably in a sealed room to prevent her ... '_gift'_ from going out of control. Sarutobi might be soft hearted but he's not stupid."

Shaking her head at it all, Yuugao grumbled a bit more before letting the issue fall, "That's true. Well, I hope we can put this behind us and a he will never, ever find out about it."

"Naruto does have trust issues. But it was for his own good."

"What would you have done if you found out that Naruto was influenced by the Kyuubi?" Yuugao asked with apprehension.

Anko gave her a blank look before scowling, "I don't know. Grab him and whisk him away to somewhere else."

Yuugao blinked slowly before narrowing her eyes, "No real loyalty to this village?"

Her hazel eyes hardening to coal, the tokubetsu jounin's face grew icy as she stared down the ANBU, "Fuck you. I made my choice; I chose this village over my 'master'. And for what? To be treated like a leper double agent? I was punished for something I had no control over. And it changed me in ways I can't explain. And I won't let that happen to Naruto. What the hell would you do?"

"I – I don't know," admitted Yuugao. Her eyes grew pensive as she slowly traced circles in her tea with her spoon, "I mean, ask me a few years ago and the answer was clear. But there is this weird feeling that I get now that makes me unsure."

"What feeling?"

"I can't explain it. But it's like I owe Naruto something."

The two women looked at each other wryly before sighing.

The door to the cafe suddenly opened and in stepped Naruto with a whistle on his lips. He looked around and found the two girls before walking over with a smile.

"Yo-"

"You! Get out! Get out now!"

Naruto looked confused as Anko stormed up to him and started to push him out of the cafe.

"Hey- Hey! What's going on?!"

"Anko! What's the matter with you?" shouted out Yuugao in confusion.

The boy had the door slammed on his face as he scowled at her. Anko smirked again when the blond stuck out his tongue and huffed away.

"I can't have one of the Chuunin exam contestants," she shouted loudly with a smirk, "overhear the preparation for the second test."

Naruto's sensitive hearing perked at that so he surreptitiously hung back and craned his ear towards the open window where the two of them were sitting.

Satisfied that her attempts at subtlety were not lost on the boy, she sat down and continued to sample her dango.

Yuugao rolled her eyes at the unnecessary and rather public display before rolling her shoulders, "Anyways, what were you going to say now that Naruto is plainly not in our sight? Or hearing?"

Twirling her empty skewer, Anko used it as a toothpick before answering, "Well, since that cute blond boy isn't here to cheat his way through the exams, I would imagine that the second examination would probably, just probably, be a trip to our favourite training ground."

"Forest of death?"

"Bingo. And there would probably be some sort of scavenger hunt where those little shits can try to beat the crap out of each other. Maybe even steal something from each other."

A rock sailed from outside and unerringly found itself hitting Anko on the cheek.

"And then I might have them strip naked and do some sort of wrestling match while we look on."

The kunoichi leaned to the side as she avoided an overripe tomato that burst when it landed on the floor.

"Where the hell did he get that from?" Yuugao asked in surprise.

"He's a resourceful boy, that Uzumaki."

Anko reached in front of her as she caught a skewer of dango that sailed through the air.

"Hey, where's my aerial chocolate?" whined out the ANBU petulantly.

A single gold wrapped piece landed on the desk, with a message addressed to the both of them.

"He really does have a large set of pockets doesn't he?"

Yuugao placed the sweet into her mouth and let it dissolve while she read the message. She burst out with laughter before placing the note into her pouch.

"What did it say?" Anko asked with interest.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" teased Yuugao.

"Yes! Yes I would!"

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
'Forest of Death'  
Entrance **

"Geez, never been here before."

"I have. It's kinda overrated."

Anko had led the remainder of the Chuunin candidates towards the training ground colloquially known as the 'Forest of Death'. She had rather gaily ushered them towards the entrance, playing on the dark and mysterious nature of the enclosure and did not appreciate Naruto ruining the atmosphere. A simple chain wire fence was all that separated them from the rather gloomy darkness within.

"Welcome to the stage for the second test, training ground forty four."

She gave them all a condescending smirk before continuing, "Otherwise known as the Forest of Death!"

Naruto shook his head over her dramatics, muttering loud enough so that Anko could hear his words.

Fighting off some irritation, the tokubetsu jounin shelfed a few ideas to humble the boy for later.

"This is kinda creepy," whispered out Sakura as the eerie atmosphere got to her.

"You will soon find out ... why it's called the Forest of Death!"

_Because Orochimaru did his funky experiments there?_

_**Probably. Also your ridiculously oversized hidden training ground is there as well.**_

_Oh yeah. Lucky I don't pay rent for that._

_**Want to show that to your girls?**_

_Hell no. I don't know why I even had my clones dig that up in the first place. Seems like such a waste._

_**You got caught up in Kisuke's enthusiasm for it.**_

_I guess..._

_**I'm sure it's not overcompensation for anything as well, having something so wide and long, deep and penetrating into the moist earth.**_

_... What are you trying to say?_

"Anko! Stop trying to scare the kiddies!"

Most of the genin gave Naruto a baleful look which made him blink, "What?! I'm trying to help you guys out. Geez. Ungrateful aren't cha?"

"Yeah, ignore that loud mouthed idiot," Anko encouraged.

"Hey!"

"Shut up, you brat!" With that she drew a kunai in a smooth single motion and threw it towards the boy. The blond didn't even blink as he felt the steel graze his cheek before Anko shunshin'd behind him.

"You owe me for standing still dammit!" he whispered out angrily.

"Hey, I need to intimidate these kids somehow. And you're the most convenient genin that I can abuse," she whispered back.

"You still owe me," Naruto ground out petulantly, using the excuse to take out some of his anger on her.

"Feh, fine." With that she took Naruto's face in her hand and lovingly drew her tongue across his cheek, lapping up the blood with a look in her eye that scared the boy. The bystanders felt distinctly uncomfortable, especially Ino and Hinata as they saw the proctor all over the boy.

The jinchuuriki shuddered a bit before looking incredulously at her, "What. The. Fuck?"

"What? Never had a girl lick blood off your face before?" she asked innocently.

"No!" he shouted out angrily.

"Well, how about this then."

She slyly gripped onto his hair before mashing her lips on his.

_Garrr...._

With an aggressive motion she parted his meagre defences before slipping her tongue within his mouth. This got even more reactions from the genins that stared incredulously at the kunoichi abusing poor Naruto.

_**You better not be enjoying this kit.**_

_She's trying to choke me dammit! Tongue. Too. Long. For. Human! _

Hinata found herself compelled to do some violence and slowly started to walk behind Anko. The two were engaged in a lip lock for over three minutes before the tokubetsu jounin surfaced for air.

Naruto started to heave, drawing deep breathes into his oxygen deprived lungs as he stared at the smirking kunoichi with surprise.

"What the hell was that for?!" he shouted out.

The kunoichi gave him a look that sent shivers down his spine, "Consider us even. Kid's like you are quickly killed, in one way or another."

Everyone quickly concluded that Anko was irredeemably crazy and had some pity for Naruto as he tried to wipe his mouth from the sudden assault. Hinata held onto his shoulder as he smiled gratefully at her.

"Maybe this explains why Naruto is so odd at times," Choji whispered to Shikamaru.

The Nara nodded apprehensively, "That is one hell of a troublesome woman."

Gaara stared at Naruto's cheek for a moment before looking away in apparent disinterest. Temari and Kankuro shared an uneasy glance and hoped that nothing would come of it.

"Ok, now that the fun and games are over, I think it's time for some explanations!"

"As you have all entered the test, you have consented to many things. One is an indemnity for any deaths caused while the examination begins. Simply put Konoha is not responsible for any death or property damage that may occur. Period."

Most genins looked a bit uneasy, but there wasn't much that they could do about it now.

"Anyway, back to the test. This is a survival mission. Here is a basic mud map of the surroundings."

Anko took out a stick and poured some water to the ground, creating some mud before making some drawings onto the earth.

"There are forty four gates, a river, a central tower and a forest for those who are blind and stupid. There are animals ranging from tigers to a bear. We are still unsure about how it got here from Iwa, but there you go. Your mission is to reach the tower, which is about eleven kilometres from this gate."

"Is that it?" asked Sasuke.

"No funky duck haired genin, there's more!"

"She could really sideline for a game show host," muttered out Naruto.

Ino nodded her head in agreement while Hinata surreptitiously sized up the competition around her.

"You have to survive from the animals in the forest. But also from the people around you. Using anything that you like, this will be a no rules scroll battle!"

"What's a scroll battle?" Sakura asked loudly.

"I'm glad the pink haired banshee opened her mouth for something constructive," Anko replied smugly.

Said girl scowled a bit over that before crossing her arms angrily.

Seeing that her jibes were having the desired effect the proctor continued, "Teams get one scroll each. That is a Heaven, or an Earth. You will be split up into your teams and you need one of the other to pass. Get your opposite scroll and reach the tower. That is pretty much it."

Ino raised her hand for a question, "Is there a time limit?"

"Good question, blondie, we are being generous this time and give you three days to complete it. Remember that over half of you will fail. This isn't a summer camp anymore. I will not hold your hands like Ibiki did."

"But, but what about food!?" asked Choji.

"Feh. Food is for the weak. Sleep is for the weak. Now hurry up and get in there so I can get some dango and a nap."

"Crap, did any of you guys bring any food or camp gear?" Ino asked.

Naruto smiled at them, "I sure did."

"... Besides instant ramen?"

"Oh, relax; I got some canned fruits, bread and stuff like that. Did you bring anything?"

The Yamanaka shook her head, "No, not really. Did you Hinata?"

The Hyuuga shook her head as well before levelling her lavender eyes upon Naruto, "You will share with us, won't you?"

Naruto had his foxy smile on his face, "How can I say no to you?"

Hinata blushed prettily at that while Ino rolled her eyes, "And me?"

"Actually, I can say no to you. No."

"Hey!"

Anko raised her voice as the genin were whispering amongst themselves over their inventory, "So yeah, some will fail. Some will die. But you will fail if you lose a teammate, or one dies. There is no quitting once you start. The last rule is that you can't look inside your scroll."

"What happens if we do?" asked a Kusa nin.

"Then I come over and spank you," Anko drawled out.

"Anyway, you have ten minutes to get ready and make your way to a gate. One last word of advice."

"Succeed or die trying!"

"Geez, this is why she isn't a motivational speaker," groused out Naruto.

He tilted his head to avoid the kunai that whizzed past his hair.

"You're supposed to let me hit you again dammit!" Anko whined out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**So, how did you like Anko's little stunt back there?**_

Kyuu's voice was deceptively soft but even Naruto knew that, unless he wanted an irate presence in his head for the foreseeable future, he had to reply carefully.

_It felt ...weird._

_**Like the good weird when I give you a massage, or the bad weird that happens when you have that dream where Haku really was a guy.**_

_Urgh. Do you have to remind me of that?!_

_**Hey, it's your dream not mine.**_

_But, aren't you in my mind anyway? What the hell happens to you when I dream?_

_**You know, I never figured that out myself. Sometimes we see each other, sometimes I just spend my time rolling around – I mean, reading books.**_

_... You dream about frolicking in a forest, don't you!?_

_**I do not kit. You take that back! Right now!**_

_You know, admitting that you are a fox is the first step in getting over a problem. I'll still love you. _

Her voice grew amused and slightly coy as she whispered out her answer.

_**Do you really think that I'm a fox?**_

_Explains the tails doesn't it?_

_**No kit, the tails are there to make me look cute.**_

_Really?_

_**Yeah, pretty much. What, do you think they make me look ugly? **_

He internally laughed nervously at the loaded question and tried to sidestep it.

_Oh, it's pretty awesome. You know, how they flail everywhere like they are tentacles, you can use them to like.... uhhh.... hold things?_

Her silence became oppressive as he knew he was going to pay of his words later on.

_You're going to beat me up, aren't you?_

_**Do you even need to ask that question, kit?**_

"So guys, how are we going to do this?" Ino asked her teammates.

"Ah, it's gonna be a piece of cake. We just nab a scroll, leg it to the Tower just in time for dinner."

"Are you sure Naruto-kun?"

"Well, it is just eleven kilometres, which isn't that much. I made Ino do way more when she was a pathetic shell of what she is today."

The blonde shot him a dirty look, "I hate you sometimes, you know that?"

"Can't argue with results. Do you really want to go back to those bad 'ol days, where I was able to beat the crap out of you by shadow clones alone?"

"I guess, but more importantly, what the hell was that about with Anko?!" Ino demanded to know.

The boy scratched the back of his head before answering, "No. Idea."

Naruto watched the teams get assigned their scrolls behind the curtains before nudging Hinata gently, "Hey, do you think that you can use the Byakugan?"

The Hyuuga raised her head and nodded. She bent over like she was packing something before activating her doujutsu. Ino and Naruto flanked her from bystanders as she saw through them and into the booth where the scrolls were. She scribbled the information onto some paper before she was satisfied.

"Hehehe. Excellent," crowed the blond happily.

"You're a sneaky bastard, aren't you?" Ino remarked with a smirk.

"Neji is doing exactly the same thing," protested the swordsman.

Hinata looked around for her cousin with his teammates and gave a small smile.

They finished off their preparations before some other Konoha nins joined them.

"Hey guys, wanna team up?" asked Shikamaru.

"Kami, how lazy are you?"

"It's just logical sense, Ino; you might want to apply it one day."

"What?! I dare you to say that again, Shika!"

"Tceh. Troublesome. Anyway, think about it. Konoha is the biggest target just by sheer size alone. Around about a half of the teams are from this village. Which means that we are most likely going to be targeted."

"Bring it."

"Well, the thing is that, for the other teams, the incentive to cheat is even higher. It's just basic game theory. They would rather have someone from their nation win, so they will try to take out one of us or another nation. If we worked together, then their chances decrease."

_**I like the idea. In theory, but in theory, eating twelve bowls of ramen a day would make Naruto an obese boy. Since it hasn't, I am not confident about applying what I know anymore.**_

_Isn't this just basic teamwork?_

_**Sure, but that depends on everyone getting along. Just look at the seething Team Seven.**_

"We don't need to work in a mass team. For one, who will be the leader?"

_Oh boy, here it comes._

"I vote that Sasuke is the leader," said Sakura enthusiastically.

Everyone looked at each other before sighing.

"Looks like we will be doing it solo then," muttered out Shikamaru before grabbing his pack.

_**Ouch. That was one helluva vote of no confidence.**_

_Sure was._

Anko raised her voice when she saw that everyone had received their scrolls, "Everyone follow an instructor and head off to a gate. We will start in thirty minutes!"

Naruto gave a tight grin before letting the adrenaline wash over him, "Let's do this."

* * *

**Hi no Kuni  
Capitol**

_In the beginning there was the eternal Dark, heralded by the Mother. In her loneliness she created her children and she was pleased._

_But in time she knew the pain of loneliness again. So desperate were her feelings did another being come into existence._

_Light coupled with Dark. The forbidden union gave rise to Shadow._

_Wounded by her betrayal, the Children of Darkness forsook their Mother, cursing them with their immortal breaths as they abandoned her._

_Light left her as well, consumed by his new responsibilities and his own Children._

_Throughout all of this Chaos laughed, amused by the pettiness of immortals as it wove its webs and sought to undo everything it had created. It chased the warren of Darkness, stopped by the denizens of the blade in their unending march._

_From this sprung betrayals between siblings. _

_Brother fought against brother. Sister against sister. Cousin against cousin. _

_Immortal blood spilt amongst the mortal realm, staining and consecrating at the same time. _

_Burn cried out in rage and pain, all overseen by the indifferent Mother as she lay trapped by chains not of her making._

_Kinslaying knew no bounds as impetuous actions lay the seed for vengeance._

_Pain that was never forgotten. _

_Creating memories of ice. _

The Daimyo of Hi no Kuni rubbed his temples as he tried to decipher the codex in front of him. He leaned back into his gilded chair and gave a light yawn. Dawn had broken a few hours ago before he had engaged in his morning service. He cast a weary expression over the vast expanses of Hi no Kuni that he ruled in name and gave a gentle smile before sipping from his glass.

"Those hoary old bastards knew how to be cryptic," he grumbled out as he savoured the cool water quenching his thirst.

"What did you say dear?"

Yukino was splayed all over Kensuke Nomura, a sly smile on her face as the two of them were conjoined at the hips while fully clothed. She gave a throaty laugh before rocking herself backwards and forwards, maximising the contact between the two of them as Nomura closed his eyes and concentrated on the pleasurable sensations flowing through his body.

"Have I ever told you how nice this is?" he asked with a satisfied smirk.

The brunette put a finger to her mouth in mock thought before shaking her head, "No, not really."

He gave a playful laugh before running his fingers across her back and lifted her up in the air. She wrapped her legs around his torso as he moved to his desk and cleared it with a negligent wave of his hand. Depositing her gently on the surface he looked into her eyes as he started to thrust languidly into Yukino.

This continued for untold moments as she whimpered under this sensual assault and tempo. Both of them smiled wickedly at each other before the door to the study opened.

Kita Keiichi was used to seeing odd things while in service to the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni, but even he could not get used to the casual sex that he and his household engaged in. He blushed and quickly turned around.

"Errr, maybe I should come back?" Keiichi said uncomfortable as he saw the Daimyo with his consort.

Nomura turned to face the man before turning his attention back to his consort, "Do you mind Yukino?"

She merely moaned an answer before gyrating her hips some more and shook her head, "No, not really."

With an amused smirk he continued, lifting her legs to lock over his neck as he deepened his strokes, bottoming out to the hilt as he lost himself in his pleasure, "My dear captain, what is the problem?"

_You're fucking a girl in front of me like it's the most natural thing in the world; you're the one with the problem._

"I have received a missive from Sarutobi Hiruzen this morning," he began carefully.

That perked a bit of his interest, but not enough to stop, "And?"

Keiichi forced himself to tune out the ecstatic noises coming from Yukino and coughed loudly, "The first stages of the Chuunin Exams have begun, sir. He was wondering if you wished to attend the preliminaries or any event before the finals."

"I think not, those things really do bore me," Nomura grunted out as he buried his face and latched onto Yukino's neck, lavishing it with forceful kisses as she started to convulse.

"Ah kami, you're sooo good," she mewled out, enjoying Keiichi's frustration as she ground into her lover.

"Is that a yes or a no sir?"

"Ah Keiichi, I'm getting close so could you please hold your thoughts?" asked the Daimyo nonchalantly.

Not really knowing how he was supposed to do in the situation, he remained silent and tried to think about anything else but sex.

Yukino's voice grew increasingly loud and lewd as she started to orgasm, clutching onto Nomura's arms as her legs tightened around his waist. He gasped as he felt her gripping onto him, her sex clamping like a vice as she skilfully milked him as he climaxed into her. His thrusts became frenzied before he finally finished and delicately extracted himself from his exhausted companion.

He turned over and walked to a nearby table, poured some wine into a glass and drank all of it in a gulp. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he gave an amused chuckle at watching Yukino in her afterglow, her fingers tracing her sex before they furtively entered again.

"Didn't I satisfy you?" he asked in mock offence.

She looked at him before smiling dangerously, "I am insatiable."

She languidly got off the desk and reached for a peach on the fruit bowl near Keiichi. She shook her head and walked past him, naked from the waist down and felt his eyes trace her ass as she swayed her hips.

_Maybe I should 'accidentally' bend over..._

Fighting her naughty thoughts, she reached for her skirt and put it on, knowing that her teasing could continue later on.

Nomura watched her byplay with glee before getting back to business, "So, you were saying, taichou?"

Kita snapped to attention and faced his sworn lord who took a great deal of amusement from his discomfort, "Well, we have been liaising with the ANBU to organise your protection during the exams, so if you wish to attend at an earlier time than the others, the Hokage would like to know."

Nomura nodded absentmindedly as he decided to change to something harder, reaching for a dark red alcohol while mulling over the problem.

"I hope that isn't liquor," chided Yukino.

"What are you, my mother?"

"My my, aren't you the kinky one?" she observed saucily.

He gave a dry cough at that insinuation, "I think your deviance far outweighs my own, but still. Keiichi, is anyone stupid enough to try anything when all five of us are there?"

"The stupidity of mankind is infinite, sir," he answered with a straight face.

The Daimyo chuckled at that before taking a shot, "Quite a depressing observation; valid, insightful even, but immeasurably depressing."

The guardsman looked unrepentant as he answered back, "It's my job to keep you safe."

He gave a clipped smile before making some markings on his notebook, "Your adherence to duty is quite admirable. Have I ever mentioned that to you?"

"Every time that we speak sir."

Nomura blinked in surprise before chuckling, "Ah, forgive me. Memory seems to be such a treacherous thing at times."

"We all have our foibles, I guess."

"Be nice," he murmured distractedly as he felt a slight calling on the edge of his periphery. He narrowed his eyes in anger when he felt something stir within himself that did not feel unnatural.

Keichi swallowed when he saw his lord's eyes harden and reminded himself why he was one of the most respected men in the world.

"Excuse me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Kensuke walked down into the deeper caverns of his estate he walked past the bas reliefs that adorned the walls.

_There is so much history from these walls and beyond, it humbles me._

Strange scenes were painted onto the canvas, full of tales that were full of triumph and heartbreak, captured by the historians and artists that had trailed along the legions of the First Empire.

Cities that had defied the First Throne that were quickly conquered without mercy and flew the new flags of loyalty. Past leaders slaughtered and betrayed by ambitious underlings that declared a new sovereign. Armies that had stretched towards the horizon that were sent out with a single command to explore and bring tribute from the new colonies.

Massive ships that were built from tireless slave labour that had voyaged across the seas with one imperial mandate to bind all of them to vows of loyalty to one man. One single man.

Nomura had to stop as he looked at the portrait of a figure sitting on a throne made of flint and granite, a hardened expression on his face, as the artist had captured the mien of the First Emperor so accurately. A man of incredible cunning and cruelty who somehow threw off nine individual shadows. The only man strong enough to subdue an entire continent to his will, to create the first empire known to humanity.

The haunting feeling nearly overwhelmed him as he reached Tsuchiya Gan in his research centre, deep within the bowels of the earth.

_I wonder why he likes his seclusion so much?_

He eventually reached the sealed door before he strode in imperiously and found his reader sitting in front of a red iron box with a look of fear on his face.

_That, is, not, a good sign._

Gan looked at the intruder with some annoyance before recognising the Daimyo. His features schooled themself into indifference as he tried to calm his accelerated heartbeat.

"Did you feel it?" asked Nomura bluntly as he dragged a seat over to Tsuchiya.

"It was ... surprisingly strong. This is usually a very bad indication of things to come."

The Daimyo rolled his eyes slowly as he tried to reach his centre and focus on his unique gift of sensitivity. Something had happened, or was about to happen, that would shake the world again. The more he tried to concentrate, the less clear things were to his mind.

He cursed and opened his eyes slowly and gave Gan a puzzled look, "Isn't this room warded and sealed to amplify my gift?"

"Yes, yes it is. But there is a power in play that shouldn't be here at all."

Nomura cursed softly as he scratched his chin, "What does the Deck have to say?"

Gan sighed before shuffling the esoteric iron cards in his hands. With a delicate sense of care, the man slowly put the cards on the oak board riven with wards. They glowed softly, an eldritch surrounding them as his practiced hands moved in a pattern that he did not understand himself.

After a while a basic picture appeared on the Deck that made him deeply uneasy, "There is a movement within the nations. There is also a dire portent on the winds."

Nomura scoffed at that before standing up in disgust, "Thank you for being so ominous and vague. Has there even been a portent that hasn't been dire or bad news coming from you?"

Gan looked hurt before shrugging lightly, "The Deck says what the Deck says."

Sighing at the truth of his statement, he glared at the cards before asking, "What else can you see?"

Sweat appeared on Tsuchiya's forehead as he saw brief connections appear, "There will be a ... convergence of forces."

"FUCK!"

Gan was surprised by the vehemence in his lord's voice as his slate grey eyes grew stormy.

"Last time that this happened was when the Kyuubi breached Konoha, was it not?" asked the reader timidly.

Both men grimaced at that terrible time when they had to intervene behind the scenes.

Nomura gritted his teeth at the unpleasant memory, "That was ...messy. And we still don't know why it decided to do what it did. Frankly, it had to be put down. Then again it couldn't quite be killed so we did the next best thing."

The reader looked at his ceiling, tracing the patterns etched into the invested granite as he mulled over this thoughts, "I'm not sure that the solution that we gave Namikaze was the best. I'm surprised that it even worked in the first place, considering the ... lapse."

The Daimyo laughed softly before sitting down again, "Hope and faith has a currency that your cynicism shouldn't discount. But we always had a standby plan just in case things collapsed."

"But nonetheless, the game has changed. Minato's success has far more consequences than one little unremarkable jinchuuriki experiment. This is the Kyuubi we are talking about. And the forces that were put in play to ... contain it are still a mystery."

Gan nodded at that and continued placing the cards that whispered into his ear onto the Deck, "How about those in Kumo with the Hachimata?"

"The Raikage's brother is an amusing man. His penchant for 'rapping' is catchy."

"Infuriating, more like it. But still. They all do have a part to play. Even if it is not clear to them at the time."

Both men stared at the cards, disturbed by one in particular that had not been in action since two hundred years ago.

"What does our agent have to say on Naruto?" asked the Daimyo as he traced his finger over the wooden surface of the table, hoping that it would shift into a favourable pattern.

"He is alive and well. Covert surveillance has resulted in very interesting findings. He would be a very valuable ally in the future."

He gave a genuine smile before grimacing, "My wife and consort gush over the whiskers. I feel slightly threatened, which is why I haven't invited him to the capitol yet. Or told them about his entry into the Exams."

"Best decision made in a while. They would scar the boy for life, though I'm not sure that any man could ask for a better first experience."

Gan continued to move the gilded cards across the Deck until they formed an entire field.

"Kami..." whispered out the reader as he saw the pattern finally emerge.

Needless to say it wasn't pretty.

The Daimyo blinked his eyes before spitting out in disgust, "They're involved as well? Those two faced bastards. That's three unknowns."

The two men were silent, wondering what it all meant before Gan stood up and grabbed a notepad. He took his pencil and started to sketch the scene onto the paper, cursing as he did so.

"Well, this will be the most interesting exam in a long time," he observed sardonically, admiring his artwork even as he felt the convergence ahead of them.

Nomura snorted with disgust before sighing, "I prefer not to live in interesting times."

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
'Forest of Death'  
Gate Eleven **

"How are we to proceed?"

Yakushi Kabuto gave a cocky grin before pointing towards the south west. Akadou Yoroi nodded his head and Tsurugi Misumi adjusted his glasses.

"Did you guys copy me?" Kabuto asked with interest.

"What do you mean?"

"The whole glasses thing," he deadpanned.

Yoroi and Misumi looked at each other guiltily before shaking their heads, "Of course not."

Kabuto gave them a flat look, which unnerved both of them before giving them his patented smirk that downright scared them.

"Umm, we need protection for our eyes?" hedged Misumi.

"Sure you do," Kabuto drawled out before taking out a map from his pocket. He glanced at his watch before shrugging off his darker musings.

"We have a meeting that should not be delayed."

Yoroi nodded in agreement before asking eagerly, "Which one, though? Naruto or Sasuke?"

"Good point. At this time it looks like the Uchiha is the main prize, so I will hitch up with Sasuke and Team Seven. Our master can take care of the rest."

"How are you going to find them?"

He gave a lopsided smirk before pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, "I have my ways. Don't you worry."

"What do you want us to do then?" asked Misumi with annoyance.

"Oh, I'm sure you can find some way to amuse yourself. There are quite a few wannabe genin that could do with a crash course in what it means to be a shinobi. They shouldn't give you too much trouble."

The two men grinned darkly before consulting their map for the best ambush point.

Misumi traced a hidden defile that had some potential with a marker, "This is a good enough spot as –"

"There are many people that don't make it through to the next stage. You're merely one of them."

The mysterious voice had barely ended before there was a slight hiss moving towards the infiltrators. There was a fast metallic blur flying through the air, giving no one any chance to do anything as twin blades punched their way through Misumi's chest. The carbon hardened steel penetrated right through the genin and pinned him against a tree as he looked around in shock. The rest of his genin team started to instinctively react to the assault.

"What the fuck-"

Yoroi's voice was cut short when a burst of lightning shot forward into his throat. Kabuto cursed and threw some smoke bombs, grabbing Akadou and Tsurugi with surprising strength and took them to an undercover dip in the ground.

'Mi' and 'Hebi' stepped out from the darkness with grim smiles on their faces.

"Did you have to give away our presence by speaking?" 'Hebi' asked with exasperation.

"Well no, not really. But style does count for something," he shot back with mock hurt.

"Right," responded the kunoichi condescendingly, "You know, Naruto really does add value to our organisation. Even to Konoha."

'Hebi' nodded her head in agreement as she quickly scanned the area for their victims, "I have always seen great things within that boy."

"Yes, I'm sure that's all you see, nothing remotely inappropriate going on there," 'Mi' replied dryly.

The blonde's lips turned up in a smirk as she started to pick up her pace, finding Kabuto's trail of blood easily as she mentally prepared herself for the fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Fuck, Misumi's kicked it."

Kabuto cursed as he sealed away his teammate, another addition to the stockpile within his scroll. His eyes were constantly roving the surrounding environment as he tried to figure out who the hell the two were. His cover wasn't blown, as far as he knew, and they didn't dress like the ANBU that he had dealt with.

_Fucking ANBU; not worth the name these days. That throw must have been over seventy five meters and it still hit Misumi in the lung and kidney. This guy is a pro. He threw it first then shunshin'd close enough to get our attention before he started speaking, distracting us. _

"Who the hell were they?" croaked out Akadou as he gulped down blood replenishing pills, his neck hastily bandaged.

"Not genins," observed the medic dryly, his eyes scanning the canopy for an aerial attack.

He quickly noticed two explosive tagged kunai flying towards them before he bolted from his foxhole. They detonated and sent them scrambling for cover as Kabuto hurled a handful of senbon into the general area of the attack.

More knives came from the bush while 'Mi' approached confidently, twirling his twin blades as he engaged the medic in hand to hand combat. 'Hebi' appeared on their flank, whistling nonchalantly as she started to jog intently.

"You're the fucking bitch that shot me!" screamed out Akadou when he saw a petite blonde in digital camouflage approach him.

"Yep, that's me," she said as she threw a kick towards his head.

_Let's see what this genin has to offer._

The boy dodged it before grabbing onto her leg and grinned darkly at her.

"Take this," he growled out before drawing deep onto her chakra reserves. His uncanny ability to drain chakra from his enemies had saved his life on more than one occasion. 'Hebi' found herself weakening before forming some seals with her hands.

_Raiton: Tentai no Saji! (Surge of the Heavenly Body)_

Lightning coursed through 'Hebi's' body, which caused Yoroi's hands to lock onto her leg involuntarily, keeping the contact between them as the current transferred over into his body.

He felt his body convulse in violent motions as he desperately tried to let go. Sadly for the boy his hands seized up and he could do nothing about the exquisite cocktail of pain that was pushed into his body.

"Leech this!" spat out the 'Ne' operative before pivoting on one foot and giving a wicked kick towards his throat. Her enhanced speed and strength nearly took his head from his shoulders, reopening the wound on his neck and making him cough and sputter uncontrollably. The blonde punched him in the sternum before placing the genin into a headlock.

He gargled and tried to do something. Anything. But the electricity played havoc upon his central nervous system and his limbs just flailed everywhere, not under his control anymore. 'Hebi' slowly cut off the flow of oxygen to his brain, making the genin lose consciousness before she slapped a chakra inhibitor to his head. She dumped him onto the ground and went over to assist 'Mi'.

Kabuto grunted as he deftly dodged 'Mi's' strikes, looking for an opening or an escape that was starting to frustrate him. Most people were not aware of his true skills and gave him the element of surprise that usually took him over the line. But the man in front of him fought like a seasoned veteran that was unpredictable and more than competent.

His hands flashed out, forming chakra scalpels sharp enough to slice through armour for emergency battlefield surgery. The 'Ne' operative grunted in slight surprise as he dodged a stab to his femoral artery and gave a hard kick to the faux genin's ribs.

Kabuto staggered back a few meters before taking a slash below his elbow that would have taken off his arm if he hadn't reacted faster. For the first time in a while he felt the stirring of fear within his gut.

"Who the hell are you?!" he spat out in disgust, his hand rummaging for more smoke bombs to make a get away. It didn't happen the way he wanted when a bolt of lightning was fired from his blind spot. He felt the chakra burst and desperately tried to angle his body to present less of a target.

Sadly for him 'Hebi' was aiming for his munitions pouch instead of his body. The raiton jutsu neatly clipped the canvas container and managed to ignite everything within it.

_Oh shit!_

An explosion pushed him to the ground while he was twisting in midair. He gritted his teeth as he fought through the pain and tried to get up on his feet. He spared a brief glance to his hip and found that the blast had ripped though his clothing and left third degree burns.

_Lucky it was only smoke bombs._

'Mi' took that opportunity to impale his blade into him, driving one sword into his shoulder and pinning him to the floor. The other was pushed roughly against his throat while 'Hebi' approached cautiously.

_Fuck, I have to get out of here._

He intentionally took a cut against his throat, relying on his advanced healing and the unexpected move to get him out of his tight spot. 'Mi' looked surprised and withdrew his blade slightly, enough for the silver haired medic to drive a chakra scalpel into his knee.

The operative crumpled slightly before he shifted his balance and made another move to attack the genin. Kabuto didn't waste any time and hurriedly ripped upwards from the original wound on the knee, leaving a gaping gash that ended at 'Mi's' hipbone.

This caused the older man to release his hold on the blade in Kabuto's shoulder and to pull off cursing loudly, a profound look of hate in his eyes that made Kabuto smirk before 'Hebi's foot impacted against his head. His vision blurred as his glasses were broken and he found himself kissing the forest dirt.

His consciousness was threatening to fade when he received another blow to his head, nearly caving in his skull as the force rocked him to the side. 'Hebi' dashed forward and landed blows that messed up his equilibrium, his own chakra working overtime to reconnect the nerves shot from her raiton jutsu.

While he was doing that, 'Mi' stalked forward and began to slice away, finding out that the medic had a healing factor much like Naruto. He had hurriedly slapped on a field compress that stopped the bleeding and was intending to repay the favour.

Against two of 'Ne's' best, Kabuto didn't really stand a chance. The operatives were hardened by years of solo operations and when they worked together it was poetry in motion.

_Ah. Time to bring out the tactics._

While he considered himself to be a good guy, 'Mi' suffered from a permanent and some would say debilitative case of paranoia. It didn't really help when it had helped him survive when many others died, but most agreed that he took it too far.

The case in point was that he was convinced that Naruto would come after him one day. He was probably right because the blond did scream it out on many occasions, which he shrugged off. But the assassin did realise that one day he would get old and Naruto would kick his ass.

Or Naruto would just get stronger and kick his ass when he was middle aged. The level of development that the jinchuuriki showed was just incredible and one day he might be on the receiving end of the boy's anger. It wasn't something he was looking forward to at all so he had contingencies planned in case he had to fight something that could heal wounds quicker than was normal.

With 'Hebi' by his side, it was quite easy. Unfortunately Kabuto wasn't kind enough to let them beat him, preferring to shunshin and kawarimi himself out of the battleground as he had nearly exhausted himself.

_Fuck it; it's time to get serious._

The two of them went after him and didn't need to go very far. Gasping, Kabuto quickly tried to get up as his leg folded underneath him. He desperately tried to form some hand seals before 'Hebi' slapped a sealed note onto his head. The medic's eyes opened in surprise as he felt an intense electric shock course through his body that paralysed him momentarily.

'Mi' looked in satisfaction as he took out another sealing tag and punched it viciously to Kabuto's forehead. For the first time in his life the genin felt his chakra control just suddenly disappear. That frightened him more than he could know before a syringe was plunged into his neck. Gasping, he tried to move his arms but could not move any part of his body as his limbs locked up.

"Sweet dreams bitch," drawled out the 'Ne' operative before slamming his boot into the man's temple, knocking him out cold.

"He was a tricky bastard to deal with," spat out 'Hebi', wiping the blood off her face as she probed her teeth for damage.

"He wasn't just a genin, that's for sure. How the hell did he stay hidden for so long?"

The blonde reached for some ninja wire in her pouches and trussed them around Kabuto's wrists, pulling them extra tight for assurance, "Same way that Naruto stayed under Sarutobi's watch for so long I guess. You have to wonder what that old man is doing at times."

"And isn't that kid the best value add we have ever had for the last six years? He even has his fingers in the snitch business."

'Hebi' grinned, securing the traitor and preparing to take him away, "Feeling threatened?"

"Pftt. He's just a kid," scoffed the older man.

"I know. Imagine what he will be like when he is in his prime, he'd have his own funky sneaking suit and shoot death lasers from his eyes," she teased dreamily.

With a distasteful look she hoisted the man over her shoulders, "Man, I wish we could seal people away instead of carrying them."

"Well we can, but those things are just pockets of extra-dimensional space with no oxygen. 'Karusu' hasn't quite figured it out yet and he won't admit that he can't."

'Mi' went off and retrieved Akadou, slinging him across his shoulder before the two of them moved off into the darkness of the forest, leaving no indication that they were there but for the devastated woodland that they left behind.

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
'Forest of Death'  
Gate Five **

"So what do we do now?"

Naruto and the rest of Team Eight had spent the first few hours sprinting off into the distance, unconcerned about direction as they were guided by the blond and his close familiarity with the forest. They finally called a break and hunched closely in a thicket as Hinata kept a lookout for them.

"Hey Hina-chan, can I have a look at that paper?"

The Hyuuga took the document from her pouch and tossed it lightly to Naruto who stared at it intently. Ino went over to him and looked across his shoulder, resting her chin on his arm as she tried to think of a plan.

"Ok, since we have a Heaven scroll, we need the Earth. And it seems that Hinata saw quite a few of them anyway. Time for something sneaky."

The girls watched the blond form his cross shaped seal and rolled their eyes at the number of kage bunshin that he summoned.

"Guys, go and find these clowns."

"Yes boss!"

"Naruto, why didn't you do that earlier when they had less of a head start on all of us?" Ino asked curiously.

"Eh, didn't want them to see what I could do."

"Woah. Restraint! What next? Shikamaru being industrious?" she teased.

Naruto growled at her before sniffing, "I hear the sound of jealousy talking."

"Dammit! Stop saying that every time you do something that I can't."

The two other genins looked at her before she flushed and started to sulk.

"Anyway, we could do that or we could camp around the tower," suggested Hinata.

The blond started to blink before scratching his chin, "That could work as well."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuugao kept her distance, looking at Naruto with a great deal of fondness as he took a firm leadership role with his team without any hesitation or self consciousness. She reflected on her genin years and found that it was incredibly dysfunctional compared to what Ino, Hinata and Naruto shared.

_There was no massive bitching and disagreements between the three of them like in my teama. That really must be nice._

She gave slight sigh as she wondered if her skills would even be needed for the rest of the exam.

_I mean, Sarutobi isn't wrong about it. I'm sure that there are a few villages that would be more than happy to kidnap Naruto during the exams. They might even kill him to examine the damned body and figure out the jinchuuriki sealing process. _

Then another and far colder implication came to her.

_Or they would try to kill him to see if it would release the Kyuubi. It would be like setting off a massive bomb in the heart of Konoha._

She shuddered slightly at that thought before maintaining her vigil within the treetops.

_I wonder if he knows that I'm watching over him?_

It was oddly appropriate that Yuugao started to reminisce over the relationship that she had with the blond. In many ways he was the start of a new beginning of her life. Her entry into the ANBU was probably assisted by her mission with Naruto when he was a kid, even if Sarutobi would deny that with that smile of his.

While she didn't mind the favour unlike Hayate, she realised that there was a disconnect that had formed between the two of them that she didn't quite understand.

_Things didn't really change between us, did they? I mean, he only started to act up when it was after Anko's birthday party a while ago. That was when I told him that I broke up with Hayate._

_... Oh. _

She cursed her inattentiveness when Naruto's face fell at that. His blues eyes seemed to have lost a bit of their brightness and gave her a silent accusation that she did not realise at the time.

_But these things happen all the time. We do not always find the right people that we start dating._

With that new insight she had to try to see if that had any real influence on the way that Naruto acted towards her. Some uncertainty gripped her as he did seem to act a bit more coolly towards her.

_But why?_

Deep in her heart Yuugao knew why, but she didn't really to explore that too deeply. She remembered the time that Hayate had come to her and tried to convince her to talk to Naruto. He said it was about their relationship and that it was important.

The kunoichi was not convinced at the time, thinking it was some kind of stunt that he was pulling to guilt trip her into getting back together. So she had demurred and made an insincere promise to do it. Hayate hadn't looked too convinced and had looked conflicted at her dismissal

**Flashback**

"Yuugao, the boy thinks that you abandoned me. He saw all the good things that we shared and none of us really explained why things broke down. It was like there was no real reason and, to be honest, there wasn't."

"Don't you make me the bad guy here!" she spat out icily.

Hayate looked unrepentant and moved on, "Whatever, the point is that Naruto doesn't see it. He just sees another female figure in his life that abandoned a person that they were close to. With no reason or explanation whatsoever. It just reminds him of his mother all over again."

"Just because things changed between me and you doesn't mean that I feel any different about Naruto," she declared.

"Really?" Hayate asked doubtfully.

"Of course not."

"Come one, you barely see the kid as it is. He cares for you, he really does. Surrogate sister and all that. But you're so busy with being an ANBU and all that it wouldn't be too hard to see that it's just history repeating itself."

"I think that you're making too much of a big deal over this," she said sceptically.

"Well, talk to Naruto-kun and then tell me that I'm overreacting," he challenged.

"Fine then, I will."

**End Flashback**

_Why am I such a stubborn fool at times?_

She shook her head regretfully, as the next time that she had really spoken to the boy was when he was invited into Kurenai's apartment.

The look of shock and betrayal on his face was something that had made her feel bad since that day, which she brought up with Anko during their afternoon tea.

And while she had a perfect chance to ask him about it when he was in his interrogation state, she didn't.

_Was it because I was too embarrassed to ask it in front of Kurenai? Or that I just didn't want to know?_

_What do you really mean to me?_

The spot that Naruto took in her heart was a difficult thing for Yuugao to explain to people. He was a most curious mix of levity and seriousness, a compassionate boy that could be pushed to unbelievable extremes.

_I guess I shouldn't have been kidding around when I said he was like a little brother to me..._

But he had become something more than that, something that defied her understanding. She saw it on the brief times that she got together with the blond.

_Dammit, is this what my life has come down to? Mission after mission, being exhausted and collapsing in bed. Looking forward to nothing more than the next mission order?_

_I'm sorry, kid, it isn't that I don't want to see you. I really do and maybe even scold Anko when she does some outrageous shit. _

_But there is a mountain on our shoulders, for everyone that takes up the mask and the tattoo._

_But when I think back to the days that we shared together with Hayate...._

_I miss it. _

_I really do._

_But we grow up. Get responsibilities. Things greater than any one person... _

_But ... is it selfish of me to think like this when Konoha needs me?_

_When the Hokage needs me?_

_When did this become so damned hard?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, what are we going to do then?" asked Hinata as Naruto and Ino started to bicker amongst themselves again.

The blond boy crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, "Well, both plans make sense. If we go and hunt them it would be good training for the future. Waiting around the tower is smart, but how many people will be doing that as well?"

Hinata looked thoughtful before nodding, "It does seem to be the logical thing to do. That would mean that there would be a collective action problem."

Naruto blinked at that, "A what?"

"A collective action problem. It's one of those things that happen when the best thing to do is the do the obvious, but since everyone is going to do it, there is no advantage to it. So no one ends up doing it."

Ino absorbed that before scratching her forehead, "That does make sense, but what do we do then?"

The two blondes looked at Hinata expectantly which caused her to blush slightly. She fought off the urge to push her fingertips together at the respect present within Naruto's eyes.

"Well, we eventually have to reach the tower right?"

"Yep."

"There probably is a good chance that a lot of the teams will camp around the site. Why don't we just do a circuit of it and clear out everyone, then go into it."

The Yamanaka didn't find an issue with that and smiled brightly at her, "Great idea Hinata. Whatdya reckon?"

Naruto just gave the Hyuuga a foxy smile before grabbing his backpack, "Hell yeah. What are we waiting for?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
'Forest of Death'  
Gate Twenty Two **

The Sand Trio started off at Gate Six, where the three Suna nins confidently approached the Forest of Death with a little sense of apprehension for the other competitors.

Kankuro grew slightly uneasy about having to be with Gaara over the second test.

_I don't think that we can lose this one, but who the hell knows what will set off Gaara over the next few days._

Temari had the same thought on her mind as her smallest brother looked ahead of himself, giving a thousand yard stare that even made the proctors feel uncomfortable.

"Mother needs to be fed," he whispered softly. And in his mind came up a few candidates. A blue eyed blond came up on the top of the list.

**FOOL! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING AFTER HIM!**

_What, are you afraid mother?_

**INSOLENCE! I AM AFRAID OF NOTHING!**

Temari felt a familiar migraine develop as Gaara started talking to himself.

_Shit, this can't lead to anything good._

She turned her eyes to look at Kankuro, once again pleading with him to help her deal with Gaara. The other nin just looked slightly helpless before shuffling his feet and pointedly avoided her gaze.

She scowled at that before feeling her shoulders drop again, another burden placed upon her shoulders since she could remember.

_This is just fucking great. Kankuro, you coward. You were always like this so why did I expect you to help me now?_

She had to hide in her anger and sorrow as the flag went up for them to enter into the next stage of the Chuunin exams.

_Please let us get through this. _

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
'Forest of Death'  
Gate Thirty One **

"Shino, did you manage to tag the competitors?"

The taciturn Aburame nodded slightly, while he didn't quite like the Uchiha, he respected competency when he saw it.

Of course that led to the rather sorry case next to him and his eyes tightened.

_She treats this as if it was some kind of game._

His distaste for Haruno Sakura was well hidden, but Sasuke and Kakashi were well aware of his feelings. In fact they often shared it though none were cruel enough to voice their concerns.

Watching them was a team from Grass country, slouching behind some trees as their leader made up his mind to confront Team Seven.

"You guys play over there, I am going to meet Sasuke-kun."

His teammates nodded and left him alone. The strange pale faced Kusa nin stood up into the open and approached them with a predatory smile on his face. His long hair whipped freely around him as he took off his bamboo straw hat.

Shino shivered slightly as his bugs around him grew increasingly antsy. He surreptitiously sent some towards the Grass nin but they all recoiled from the man.

"Hello there. I think you have something that I need."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows before giving him an insufferable smirk and drawled out, "I think it's the other way around. Aren't you missing a few people?"

"Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu. You should be more concerned with me right now.... Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha-san, I think we should leave," Shino whispered softly.

"Why's that?"

Sasuke more felt the unease in the Aburame's voice than actually hear it, "He is beyond us."

"Aw, you shouldn't say that quite so soon," said the man cheerfully.

"Let's have some fun."

Sakura looked at the genin with some confusion and wondered why her two teammates were so apprehensive.

"You want my Earth scroll, right?" he asked suddenly, taking it from his robes. He waved it in front of them extending his tongue and wrapped it around the scroll before swallowing it into his body.

"Now let's begin this little fight of ours, with our lives."

Team Seven made the mistake of looking too deeply in his eyes as he spoke. They were suddenly consumed with a sense of fear that none of them could handle. An oppressive air was brought upon them, weighing on their souls as their heartbeats started to race and then he seemingly blurred in front of them.

Kunai started to fly and the three were unable to move, despite their sure deaths if they didn't. But the fear, the ungodly distillation of man's instinctive fear of a predator greater than them kept them stuck to the ground.

All they were able to do was to look in shock as the steel blades impacted upon their foreheads, driving deep into their craniums –

_Genjutsu?!_

Sasuke sank to his knees and couldn't help but retch. Shino and Sakura didn't fare much better, writhing on the ground as they desperately tried to keep their eyes on the enemy. The pink haired genin was shivering uncontrollably through her most traumatic experience yet as a kunoichi.

Unfortunately, there was more to come.

The Kusa nin looked disappointed and shook his head in frustration.

_That kind of killing intent, it's like nothing I have ever experienced or heard of before. Who is this guy?_

"This is pretty pathetic. I heard that Team Seven were something, the flower of Konoha's graduates. But you guy's can't even move. This makes it too easy."

With a languid draw he took out three real kunai and threw them towards the trio. Sakura could do nothing, causing Shino and Sasuke to swear internally.

_Fucking hell!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Orochimaru smiled as Team Seven made a hasty get away from him.

_Impressive. The both of them injured themselves to get out of that genjutsu._

"Maybe you are worthy, worthy for what I can give you," he whispered.

A sadistic smirk appeared on his face as he began to hunt.

"Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura looked at her teammates in concern as they tore out the blades that they had stabbed themselves with to counteract the jutsu.

"That is no ordinary genin," Shino spat out darkly, reaching for some bandages as he placed pressure on his wounds.

Sasuke grimaced as he removed the kunai from his thigh, gritting his teeth while trying to put a dressing on.

The kunoichi looked somewhat ashamed for being rescued by the two boys at their expense, offering nothing to them and hung her head slightly.

"What do we do?" Shino whispered as he was done.

Speaking softly, Sasuke looked around him carefully, "We run. We get out of here. Team up with another Konoha team if we have to."

"Naruto?"

The Uchiha nodded his head uneasily, realising that he would be the best person to help them if it came down to it.

_I just hope he won't be an ass about it. _

The pink haired kunoichi watched them talk, seemingly excluding her from their planning as she realised the gravity of the situation.

_For Sasuke-kun and Shino-san to worry this much, I've never seen them like this._

"You're not intending to run away like craven cowards are you?"

All of them stiffened at that voice and got into defensive positions.

Out of the trees came three snakes that circled around the genin with uncanny intelligence. They opened up their maws and tried to bite the Konoha nins.

Shino and Sasuke kicked themselves off the trees and tried to get some distance between them and the serpents. Both of them had the same idea, drawing on a fistful of steel kunai and shuriken and enhanced their muscles with chakra. With a curse in his mouth, the Uchiha belted a cluster of hardened iron into the mouth of the snake, puncturing its mouth and into its brain.

Shino was slightly more restrained but managed to send enough ordinance to do the same job. With cool precision he aimed for the eyes first, blinding the oversized serpent and finished with an explosive tagged kunai to the roof its mouth.

The two boys sighed in relief but remembered that they had another teammate that was in no way as skilled as they were.

_Oh fuck._

Sakura shrieked at the charging snake going towards her and started to roll. With unbelievable dexterity the serpent followed her, until she started to retaliate with kunai. Unfortunately her aim was marred by her fear and did nothing more than annoy the beast.

In her haste she tripped over a hidden tree root and rolled her ankle. She looked up with a gulp and saw the cavernous abyss that was the snake's mouth, graced with fangs that were impossibly white.

That was before two tagged kunai hit it on the opposite sides of its head, detonating within seconds of each other. The fine mist of blood, skin and muscle descended onto the ground, covering Sakura who shielded her eyes and began scrubbing it away from her skin in disgust.

"Not a bad performance, barring one conspicuous disappointment."

The deranged Kusa nin appeared from the corpse of the snake that had been decapitated by Shino and Sasuke, gracefully jumping into the air and landing next to Sakura. The girl made a move to run away before he negligently kicked her in the ribs, breaking a few of them as the kunoichi had her breath taken away from her.

He sneered at the genin before giving her a savage blow with the heel of his foot, driving it into her abdomen until she was barely conscious. He ambled next to her and picked her up by her hair, examining her facial features with a critical eye.

"No talent, no sense, no skills. Is this what the quality of Konoha nins has come to?" he asked rhetorically.

"Let her go!" Sasuke said darkly, his hands tightening by his sides as his teammate was held hostage by the unbelievably skilled Grass shinobi.

"I don't think so, until I get to have some fun."

With that said, he extended his tongue and started to lick Sakura's cheeks, causing the terrified girl to shriek loudly and flail her limbs ineffectually.

_Why the hell does that remind me of Anko?_

"So, what will you do?"

His creepy eyes centered on the Uchiha and the Aburame, daring them to take action against him.

"Will you run away and leave this rather pathetic excuse for a kunoichi in my .... 'tender' mercies, or will you be willing to put your lives on the table? It's your move."

The choice was given to the boys, indecision waring on Sasuke's face as he struggled with the most important decision of his life.

_There is no way that we can win, or can we?_

_Dammit Sakura, why did you have to make it so easy for him?_

_What would Kakashi-sensei have me do?_

_Will I be one of those people that abandon my teammates?_

_What the hell does that make me?_

Shino's impassive mien struggled to remain objective as he ran the projections in his head.

_We should abandon her; the odds of us beating this person are not good._

_Is, is it right to sacrifice one third, to save the whole?_

As much as he regretted it, he was more than inclined to leave Sakura and get help for her later. He didn't believe that there was any value in the Kusa nin to kill Sakura.

_Unless he wants us to fail by killing one of our teammates..._

_Dammit._

Orochimaru was enjoying the agony of the decision making process that he picked up with his perceptive senses. He could literally feel the accelerated heartbeats of the boys, the sweat accumulating on the back of their necks, the sheer angst that was radiating from the genins.

_Ah, this is what it is to be alive!_

"If you don't think that I'm serious, maybe this will change your mind."

With a careless gesture he drew a kunai and jabbed it into Sakura's shoulder. It pierced through muscle and into the socket, causing the girl to scream in pain and shock. Orochimaru grimaced at the sound and his ringing eardrums before he cruelly twisted the blade, maximising the damage to the muscles and savouring her shouts as she grew hoarse. She looked at him spitefully, deciding to spit on his face.

That merely caused him to grin even wider and bitch slap her violently, rattling her teeth as she continued to vainly struggle against his grasp.

Shino and Sasuke just looked at each other before deciding on a course of action. An assault against one of them was an assault on them all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Not bad, not bad at all."

Sakura lay on the forest ground, trying to stay awake while desperately trying to staunch the bleeding in her shoulder before she passed out in shock.

Shino was pinned against a tree, a blade neatly severing into his thigh and his body burnt severely by a katon jutsu catching him and his bugs by surprise. With a sinuous and lazy grace, their opponent had whipped out a sword that appeared to extend with no limitations.

He bit his lip as he tried to find a way to get out of his position and help Sasuke with the damnable foe that had played with them for over an hour. No matter what they threw at him, they were unable to injure him at all.

Orochimaru deftly retracted his blade, giving a controlled twist of his wrist that nearly cut off Shino's leg as he crumpled to the floor in further agony. He realised that there was a poison running through his body, which made him curse and struggle to find something in his first aid kit to help him. His leg lay unresponsive and he hoped to Kami that it wasn't amputated.

The female genin of Team Seven could only look in horror as her teammate, the strong and taciturn Shino, looked like he was about to meet his maker. She scrabbled to him, her wounds forgotten as Orochimaru dismissed them.

"Your eyes aren't as well developed as I was hoping. Kami, what have you been doing with yourself?" asked Orochimaru with interest.

"Fuck you," gritted out Sasuke as he catalogued the remaining weapons that he had on him. He looked at Shino, who was desperately trying to apply a field splint to his leg.

"Oh, no need for that language Sasuke-kun, what would your mother think?" he chided.

With a sinister laugh he started to approach the duck haired genin, smirking as he saw the pure desperation on his face.

"In fact, what would your brother think, with his precious otou-tou being so powerless? You are like a candle to his sun."

The Uchiha stiffened at that, a rage building within his body that he could not quite control.

"Who the hell are you? How do you know my brother?" he demanded angrily.

Seeing that his words had the desired effect, Orochimaru continued goading the boy, "Wouldn't you like to know? I mean, honestly, the Uchiha name isn't worth much these days. It's a pity that those eyes of yours are so rare. Inelastic supply means that beggars can't be choosy," he lamented with a sigh.

"What the hell do you want from us?" shouted the genin in anger, sick of the sadistic game that had seen his entire team be demolished by one single person.

"Do you want our scroll? Here, have it!"

He threw it at his feet, seeing if he would be content with it. Orochimaru gave a pleased smile before kicking it away to the surrounding bushland.

"What do I want?" he pirouetted back, pointing to himself.

"I am here to ... gauge ... your ... potential," he stressed out the words with a satisfied smile.

"And?"

"Well to be honest Sasuke-kun, there's a lot left to be desired."

Sasuke didn't know to be insulted at that or not. With an infuriating shark like grin, the man continued to walk closer and closer to him, a madness in his eyes that scared the boy.

"Form isn't bad."

"You are no Itachi however."

"He was strong. He wasn't weak. He was everything that a shinobi should have been. You're just a pissant kid playing with plastic knives in comparison."

_Didn't your family mean anything to you?_

_Will you let them lie there? Disgraced, murdered to a man._

_Isn't it your duty to avenge them?_

_How dare you be so lax!_

_How dare you find happiness when they are languishing in hell!_

"Is that it? Aren't you going to fight to the very bitter end, or what? Show me that power that lies within yourself Sasuke. How much do I have to take away from you before you show me it?"

Sasuke merely closed his eyes and channelled his chakra. He opened them suddenly, revealing his Sharingan for all the world to see.

_Ah, there it is. The anger. The darkness. The pain. The hurt. The fires of vengeance. Show me the fire that burns your soul Sasuke-kun!_

The Uchiha darted off and began looping his available weaponry to each other, running ninja wire through them and estimated what the Grass nin was going to do next.

_I'll kill you! Just like I will kill my brother! _

Orochimaru cocked his head before dodging the blades sent in his direction, moving with speed that most genin could not hope to replicate, wanting to see what the boy could do when it came down to it.

_Ah yes those eyes! The ones that can see oh so much. Reading my movements for that sweet critical hit. _

_Fu fu fu fu fu fu. _

While he missed, Sasuke wasn't too concerned, his fingers moving constantly to keep his weapons aloft and positioned them where he need them be.

_Stupid tawdry Uchiha tricks. _

_String?!_

_Feh. _

Orochimaru didn't do anything once he saw the fireball fly towards him, following the ninja wire like it was accelerant. He just smiled as it washed over him, engulfing his body like a jealous lover.

"Well, this wasn't an entire waste of an afternoon then."

Sakura gasped as the nin shrugged off a katon jutsu to the face without any seeming damage. Shino narrowed his eyes even further and burnt the man's face into his memory.

"Just as I thought, blood does run true."

His face melting like it was molten wax, Sasuke shivered as it was ripped off to reveal an albino madman with disturbing yellow eyes.

"Since you were such a good boy to ... play with me, let me give you a gift."

Once again he found himself caught in a vicious wave of killer intent that he had no response to. All of his kunai and shuriken were exhausted against him. He could do nothing as Orochimaru waltzed over with malevolent intent.

Finding that his vocal cords worked at least, the Uchiha only had one question on his mind, "Who the fuck are you?!"

"My name is Orochimaru," he said with a florid and mocking bow to the three. He spat out his part of the scroll and tucked it into Sasuke's pocket, patting it for good measure.

As much as the boy wanted to do anything, the paralysis going through his body made him utterly immobile.

"Now now, if you want to see me again, then survive this test. Make something of yourselves. Defeat the people along the way. You know, simple things like that."

Sakura couldn't help but sneer at that, "What do you mean?! Why don't you rot in hell and die!?"

The Snake Sannin sighed, "Such a foul mouthed girl. We can add uncouth to your list of failures. But seriously, we are playing my game now."

_Time to scare these ... children into respecting their betters._

That said he loomed over Sasuke before extending his neck. All of Team Seven gulped as another physical impossibility was demonstrated by Orochimaru. His smile grew cruel and fangs extended from his mouth.

"Now, this may... tickle a bit."

With a perversely loving gesture he angled his head towards Sasuke's neck and bit into it gently. He allowed his elongated canines to gently pierce the flesh before closing his jaws slowly. He felt the blood flow into his mouth, pooling as he channelled his chakra and flicked his tongue over his fangs. He slathered his own blood onto Sasuke's wound, sealing it and leaving an intricate fuuinjutsu seal.

_What the fuck?!_

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"You sick fuck –"

The Uchiha collapsed suddenly as his body was wracked by tremors that he couldn't control.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Remember my gift, little Uchiha," he whispered out sibilantly, "power comes in all forms and shapes. This is just a taste of what is possible under heaven's gaze."

"AHHHHH!"

Orochimaru shrugged his shoulders in mock sympathy, "Yes, it tends to do that as well. Oh, toughen up Uchiha."

The boy couldn't stop screaming and started to roll on the floor in abject agony.

"Oh for kami's sake... this is so unseemly Sasuke-kun."

That said, the nin walked over and kicked the boy in the head, making him lose consciousness. Rolling his eyes in disgust, he put his hands on his hips and observed his handiwork. He smiled at a job well done and started to make his exit.

Sakura and Shino ran up to him, Shino limping but both of them were glaring at the departing nin as he dared them to make a move against him. Shino had to swallow the bile in this throat and take a different route this time around. The more important thing was to help Sasuke with whatever that stranger did to him.

But he swore that their next encounter would have a different outcome.

"Fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu. Brave thoughts Aburame. I will look forward to it next time. Maybe you will learn to stop advertising your intent so clearly."

_What the hell?!_

Sakura gazed at her only teammate that was in any shape to help with a lost look in her eyes.

"What do we do now?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
'Forest of Death'  
Five kilometres from Gate Twenty Two **

"What the hell is with that stupid gourd? Like to be reminded that you live in a stupid desert?"

Gaara looked impassively at the Rain nins that were taunting him. They were dressed oddly to him, wearing long flowing coats with bamboo limbs on their back. Gauntlets covered their hands, along with goggles that completed their outfit.

"How stupid, the sand brats challenging us head on like this. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Temari sighed internally, unimpressed by the bravado that the shinobi in front of her displayed. She wondered if she was ever like that. Cocky, arrogant and self assured. Just because they were older than her and her brothers.

_I don't know. I don't think so. This can't end well for these guys._

_They are not the ones...  
_

Her eyes flickered towards Gaara, an uneasy feeling descending upon her as she felt the silent animosity building up within him.

Gaara's eyes were closed, like he was engaged in an inner monologue before they opened with a start. His odd pupil-less eyes gazed upon them oddly.

"Shut up, old man. It's time to die," he whispered out softly.

Kankuro gave his enemies a shrewd look before whispering to his brother, "Gaara, let's not waste time if we don't have to. If we both have the same scrolls, then it doesn't matter."

"I don't give a damn."

The Rain nins looked at him oddly before he gave them a cruel smile, "Those that meet my eyes... must die."

Temari's heart broke at those words, her eyes tightening up as she prepared herself for the worst.

Kankuro just looked uneasy as he shook his head slightly.

_I hate being alone with him..._

Wasting no time after hearing those words, the shinobi grabbed the bamboo limbs from their backs. They revealed them to be umbrellas that spun up into the air. Collecting moisture, they condensed it into water molecules before chakra was channelled through them.

_Suiton: Jourou Senban (Raining Needles)_

The water droplets coalesced into thin needles that swirled around Gaara, being pulled towards him like he was the centre of gravity. All along the boy crossed his arms, looking bored at the whole affair as the needles converged towards him.

The smirk on the Rain genin's face disappeared when he saw his jutsu fail upon some sort of sand barrier that covered the short genin from head to toe in a cocoon.

"... Is that it?" Gaara asked with a bored tone.

_Holy shit! They all missed?!_

His hands tried to form a new seal before the jinchuuriki decided to end it.

"You made it rain needles, right? Then I guess I have to do one better."

_**Make it rain blood son!**_

_Yes mother._

**_Feed me blood!_**

The Rain nin's two other teammates dashed forward, intending to flank the red haired boy and engage in hand to hand combat. With a lazy gesture Gaara extended his hand and made a gripping motion towards them.

_Sabaku Kyu! (Desert Coffin)_

Sand rushed from his gourd, extending towards them from above and from the ground. The construct formed hands which surrounded them all and prevented them from using shunshin or kawarimi.

"Waa!... I-I-I can't move," choked out the leader.

Temari gave them a pitying look before trying to intercede, "Kill them now so we can get their scrolls."

The trapped ninja looked at her incredulously before Gaara shook his head.

"No. Not yet. Mother needs to be fed."

Her stomach lurched at that, her face unable to hide the revulsion as he slowly manipulated his sand outwards.

"Wh-what are you doing?!?"

The hands formed again, but this time they started to pull on their arms. They all gasped out as they felt a vicious force rip their bones from the socket. But Gaara was nowhere near done as he kept up the pressure until the muscles tore.

"AAARRRGGHHH."

Blood started to fountain out as he juggled their limbs in the air, sending blood up in crimson waves before they dangled in front of the red haired genin's face.

"The blood mixes with the one that takes it, and grants more power to its killer..."

Kankuro and Temari knew what was coming next but they couldn't bring themselves to look away. It was a terrible secret that they had to keep, one that haunted them in their dreams.

With a sense of delicacy that was out of place with his earlier actions, he brought the bloody arms to his mouth and started to suck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hinata, are you ok?"

The Hyuuga had an ill look on her face as she felt the urge to vomit. Her Byakugan was activated and she could see the events a few hundred meters in front of her.

"Hinata! What's going on?" Naruto asked with concern.

The girl just pointed in a northerly direction.

The blond gave her a concerned look before he decided to check it out, "Ino, stay with Hinata. I'll be right back."

"Hey! Wait a –"

Before she could finish, Naruto flash stepped away. He had thoughtfully left some kage bunshin around them to stand guard in his absence.

"I hate it when he does that. Hinata, what did you see?"

The heiress blinked slowly before responding softly, "Blood. Lots of blood."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The genins caught within Gaara's trap were still screaming, their throats sore as shock started to sink in through their blood loss. They were stuck staring at the most ridiculous scene. A kid probably half their age was eating their arms.

His incisors were ripping through the flesh delicately, sending the raw meat into his throat as he felt the salty blood run from his throat to his stomach. His mouth slowly chewed into the muscle, the metallic taste singing to his taste buds as the slivers slid easily through his oesophagus.

Temari fought the urge to gag while Kankuro looked away.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The new voice brought their attention towards the blond boy that had accosted them at the Ramen Emporium a few days earlier. Temari remembered him clearly, his cerulean eyes hardening with disgust that made her flinch in a way.

_Shit!_

Naruto's mouth was open in shock as he saw the quasi-ritualistic cannibalism happening in front of him. He saw the mass of senbon needles glinting in the sun, where three genin were trapped in a peculiar cocoon of sand.

Though his attention was focused on the manic and malevolent eyes of Sabaku no Gaara. His hardened stomach started to squeeze uneasily as the red haired genin methodology chewed his way through the raw flesh.

_Holy. Shit. What. The. Fuck. Kyuu..._

_**Hell, I knew my brother was nuts, but this ...**_

Even if Naruto knew it would have been a better idea to do nothing and walk away, he found himself unable to do so.

"Stop that now!" he yelled out, cold command in his voice.

Gaara stopped for a moment before tossing the arms over his shoulder. He raised his arms to fire sand at the interloper before Naruto disappeared in a flash step and appeared behind him, swinging his blade with all his might.

Surprised, the san nin relied on his automatic defences to spring up, the sand forming a protective layer on his skin as the zanpakuto hammered against it.

Temari and Kankuro just blinked at the unbelievable speed that had helped Naruto survive and thrive as a 'Ne' operative for the last six years.

_Looks like that sand is a mixture of earth and wind. Let's see how well it holds against this!_

_Futon: Atsugai! (Pressure Damage)_

The air around them was driven and sucked into the swordsman's hand, pooling in a never ending convection current. He purified the futon element from his normal chakra that whipped the currents into a shrieking column that he fired at Gaara.

The Ichibi jinchuuriki barely had time to raise his hand and instinctively form twelve sand walls in face of Naruto's attack. He also felt the immense pressure and decided to use the time to form the seals for kawarimi. His eyes widened in surprise as Naruto's attack crashed into his defences like they were nothing. He barely got away as all of his walls crumpled before the jutsu struck his left side. He got away, but felt a bizarre abrasive feeling on his ribs. He looked in surprise to see that he was bleeding.

His sense flared for a moment, to see Naruto slash at his head which was intercepted by his sand. The blond gritted his teeth before pulling away and was about to unleash his zanpakuto when he felt his clones around his team get dispelled.

With a sharp sigh he left the battle scene, hoping that Hinata and Ino were ok.

Gaara just looked at his stomach dumbly, unable to comprehend how he got injured. The bijuu's chakra started to heal him, regenerating the flesh before a feeling of absolute rage came over him.

Robbed of his opponent, he looked around for a new target for his rage and undeniable desire to kill, finally gazing at his siblings with murder in his eyes. Temari gulped and felt the familiar sense of fear and helplessness overcome her.

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh fuck!_

He started to walk towards them, his bloodlust unrestrained as Kankuro looked at the Rain nins slowly trying to crawl away.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked loudly, pointing to them.

Caught in surprise, the wounded shinobi cursed and used their remaining hands to throw explosive tagged kunai at Gaara. They exploded harmlessly against his shield, only serving to redirect his anger towards them.

Both Temari and Kankuro internally sighed with relief as he started to stalk them.

_That was too close… _

Hands of sand gathered again and grabbed onto them with impunity. They struggled vainly and tried to plead for mercy before Gaara tightened his fist silencing them for good. The sand cocoon tightened around all of them, pulverising flesh and bone into nothing. The blood seemingly exploded from all areas, sending it splattering across the forest.

Gaara closed his eyes as the crimson fluid rained all over him, sanctifying his sand like he had done many times before.

"They suffered and it made mother happy," he whispered.

"That blond bastard is next," Gaara promised.

"G-Gaara, let's go. We got what we wanted," urged Kankuro nervously.

"Are you afraid of him, Kankuro? You coward..."

_Damn right. He could have killed you if he didn't run off. Killed you…_

Temari felt compelled to step in and defuse the situation, "Gaara! You might be right, but this is going too far. We have what we need."

Steeling herself, she tried to pull a card that she never had before, "Come on Gaara-kun, why don't you listen to your nee-chan?"

With his seemingly dead eyes, he looked at Temari before a brief sneer appeared on his face, "I've never once thought of you guys like my siblings."

To hear the words coming from his mouth made something twist in Temari's gut. It was another thing to add to the pile of hurt that she kept deep inside of her since Gaara was born. She looked at him hopefully, desperately praying that she could appeal to his better nature.

_What better nature_? she thought cynically, _He eats people for fucks sake!_

Gaara cocked his head before continuing," If you get in my way, I'll kill you as easily as I killed them."

But she had to try. Temari held her hands out in supplication and forced a smile on her face, "Gaara-kun, don't say such cold things, ok? Would you please listen to your sister? Please?"

The sincerity in her words stirred something inside of him that bothered the boy. Nevertheless, he gave them both a baleful look before sealing the gourd on his back.

Both of them sighed in abject relief as they tentatively retried the scroll from the bloody mess that used to be a human body. While the killing intent had decreased somewhat, it still existed on the periphery of everyone's consciousness.

But Temari's thoughts were consumed by the blond boy that had stood down her brother with no fear. More importantly he did so with such skill and expertise that she allowed a previously forbidden thought into her mind.

_Will, will you finally be the one?_

_Will you finally be the one to kill Gaara?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto's mind was a blur as he rushed back to his teammates, but his thoughts were centred on the crazed jinchuuriki that he had just faced.

_Crap. 'Ne' needs to know this. He has power and is crazy. And he probably isn't just here for an exam..._

_I'm not going to turn out like that, am I?_

_**Of course not! Do I look crazy and stupid with no sense of style?! Do you think that I would ever let you degrade into some kind of animal?!**_

_But, then how did he end up –_

_**Like I said, the Ichibi has problems. We are all reflections of something or another. That poor bastard took a wrong turn early and hard. Hell, you could try to save him.**_

_Is, is he worth saving?_

_**I don't know, kit, you tell me. You're the compassionate one here. I'm just the foxgirl stuck in your head. Or is that stomach?  
**_

_Thanks a lot._

_**No charge, kit.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Stay still you bastard!"

Ino shouted out angrily as she tried to aim her crossbow at the genin that had single handedly ambushed them without any pretense of stealth at all. Two snakes had suddenly burst from the ground below them, taking out Naruto's shadow clones before turning and attacking them.

Luckily, Hinata reacted on instinct, grabbing a kunai and throwing it at her assailant's head. She was uncertain if her Jyuuken would work against animal anatomy and did not want to risk it. Ino smoothly drew out her bow and aimed it point blank range at the other serpent's head and pressed the trigger. The quarrel punched straight into its cranium and killed it straight away.

They were met with a peculiar laugh and saw a creepy Kusa nin in front of them. The Yamanaka tried to take the shot, but could never get a decent sight picture when he rushed towards her, contorting like an acrobat as he did so.

Swearing even more, she started to backpedal to get Hinata some room to fight the man. She desperately fired a bolt that missed the shinobi as the Hyuuga got into her Jyuuken stance and attempted to take him alive.

The enemy shinobi gracefully avoided all of her thrusts. Normally Ino was secretly impressed by how graceful and elegant the Gentle Fist was, but the pale faced ninja made a mockery of her movements with his own.

Hinata was shocked to see someone counter her technique like it was the easiest thing in the world. She tried to bet on her finishing move.

_Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!_

She was about to start off the first strikes before she was struck with a deadly sense of déjà vu. The man appeared behind her and struck her ruthlessly on the neck. She choked and started to lose consciousness as she hit the floor.

"Not bad if she could learn that at such a young age," he muttered before giving Ino an appraising look.

"So what can you do?" he asked with interest.

He was met with another shot from her crossbow which he avoided with ease. Cursing to every god in existence and hoping that Naruto would haul some ass, she hoped to stall him long enough for the blond to arrive. She had no illusions of her hand to hand ability and saw how pathetically easy it was for Hinata to be dispatched.

_Come on Naruto, don't leave us hanging-_

Her thought was barely finished before the wind was knocked out of her, a fist burying into her abdomen. She glared at the man, seeing the contempt in his eyes before she raised her hands out and formed a seal.

_Shintenshin_!

The Kusa nin's eyes widened slightly as he felt the chakra heading towards his head which he started to move using his preternatural speed. But Ino had long practiced this move with Naruto who had beaten and berated her for its inefficiencies.

She had gritted her teeth at his blunt comments before she had lashed out at him. That didn't end up so well for her as the blond threw her onto her stomach and sat on her back. He happily chided her from his new seat until she admitted that she had a problem.

**Flashback**

"Your clan technique sucks, Ino."

"Dammit, can't you even say you mean no offense?!"

Naruto grew thoughtful, rubbing his chin before shaking his head, "Nah, not really. I mean, come on, a jutsu that's only effective against stationary people? What are we, idiots?"

She huffed at that and tried to get enough leverage to throw Naruto off her back, "It's just really, really specialized okay? Get off me you bastard!"

The swordsman just chuckled before ruffling her hair. Hinata sighed before walking up to the boy to chide him, "N-Naruto, do you have to sit on Ino?"

Giving her a foxy smile he nodded, "Yes, yes I do. She won't admit that her one single move is gonna get her killed if she misses, takes a long time to perform and only works against statues."

"It doesn't just work on statues," she sulked out.

"Whatever, but meh. I mean, I never have even seen you use it on anyone, to be honest. Have you, Hinata?"

The heiress had to think on that before shrugging her head uncertainly, "I'm not sure if Ino-san had ever did it. But then again, we never really had the chance-"

"But nothing! Let's make this useful!" Naruto declared.

"How?" Ino asked, gritting her teeth and plotting for revenge once she was free from her embarrassing position.

"First of all, let's make it faster."

**End Flashback**

By managing to cut the time by half was a testament to how dedicated Ino was to proving Naruto wrong. And at such a distance there was no way that she could miss.

She felt her consciousness float towards the other person, the lock between them before she entered a mindscape of pure darkness.

_What the?_

**Oh get out you rank amateur!**

With that her mind was forcibly ejected from the shinobi's making her gasp with surprise. Her terror increased as she felt cold fingers run over her temples with malignant purpose.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded with disdain, "If you want to mind rape someone, this is how you mind rape someone!"

She felt an intrusive presence enter her head. The eerie yellow eyes consumed her entire vision before she was placed into a bizarre contraption that she couldn't escape from in her mind.

And then she was assaulted by every insecurity that she ever had in her life.

How she was a failure as a kunoichi.

Every slight look of disappointment coming from Kurenai when she trained, to the jealousy that blossomed in her heart when Naruto subconsciously showed her up with his casual competence.

How she suffered from poor self image that wasn't helped whenever she saw Hinata's blossoming figure.

How she saw the deeply hidden skill that resided in Sakura that would blossom like her name when she had the right teacher come along.

Of her embarrassing crush over Naruto that she felt would never be returned.

How she could never enjoy the closeness and companionship that existed between Naruto and Hinata and the other females in his life.

Of regret from feeling like a third wheel. How, of all the members of Team Eight, she was the weakest, the link most likely to cause the entire chain to fail.

**Is that it?! Is that the level of angst that a teenage girl has?! You think that those are problems? Kunoichi these days. Those are the regrets that you have to wallow over? Let me show you the meaning of fear.**

And so he did.

**Well Ino, have you ever wondered why your parents told you never to speak to strangers?**

**It was because of me. **

**Ku ku ku ku ku ku ku. **

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino dropped to the floor, comatose with an expression of horror on her face.

Naruto finished his flash step, slightly winded as he found himself facing his entire team on the floor. A few enemy clones stood guard over them as the boy formed a tight fist. His knuckles started to crack as he bitterly berated himself for leaving his team defenceless while he rushed off to satisfy his curiosity.

_Well... shit._

_Fuck. FUCK!_

_Baka Naruto! Baka Naruto! _

_Oh kami. Guys, please be alright. _

_Please.  
_

"Oh, you decided to turn up?"

He turned his head to the nin that walked out of the shade of a tree. Naruto's eyes narrowed and darted to the extremes of his peripheral vision, trying to find any other enemies.

"Ku ku ku ku ku ku. No one's here besides me. Are you Naruto-kun?"

The blond refused to answer and edged closer.

"You're not a genin," he said rhetorically.

"I'm as much a genin as you are," the unknown nin responded dryly.

"Are you here to cripple the future ninja of Konoha?" Naruto demanded slyly.

The shinobi's yellow eyes widened marginally before nodding appreciatively, "Not a bad guess. But I'm more of a collector. And it's not my fault that Konoha has such interesting... specimens."

"Go screw with other people. Leave my teammates alone," Naruto demanded, fully intending to ambush the other man as soon as his back was turned.

"That's a nice blade; do you know how to use it? It's almost as big as you are," he remarked out of the blue, running an appreciative eye over the zanpakuto suddenly in the blond's hands.

"Why don't you come a bit closer and I can show you what I know?" Naruto asked with a fierce smile.

"I don't think so. Why don't we settle this like men, with our knives," he said suggestively, grasping onto his kunai with a flourish and manic grin.

Naruto shuddered a bit, recognising the bizarre homoerotic connotations as he held his sword uncertainly in front of him.

_Err.... Kyu, what are my chances here?_

_**RUN KIT RUN!**_

_Geez, that's confidence._

_**No seriously, run the hell out of here. Get some attention like the ANBU. You're good, but that man feels wrong –**_

_Hell yeah he feels wrong, it's like he's raping me with his eyes!_

_**All the more reason to get away.**_

The enemy guessed the thoughts going on in the jinchuuriki's mind and moved to cover his hostages, "Oh, no you don't. You think you can run when I have your teammates?"

"Hmm, they are pretty cute, why don't I-"

A sword swipe at the head made him shelf his words.

"Ah, so that blade just isn't for show then brat?"

Naruto just gave him a grim smile before grinning madly, "Why don't you find out, you pale faced motherfucker?"

The taller man merely extended his tongue and seemingly regurgitated a blade from his throat. He grasped onto the hilt delicately and withdrew the entire blade, giving Naruto a florid bow before assuming an odd fighting position.

_**I hope you're not getting ideas kit.**_

_About what? Sword swallowing and joining a circus?_

_**Yeah sure. Let's go with that. No sword swallowing. Ever. me. Promise me!  
**_

"I'm really looking forward to this, you remind me so much of him," Orochimaru said ominously.

_So, should I go all out or not?_

_**Well, he doesn't feel like an ordinary genin, but neither are you. Why don't we –**_

The blond had to hastily parry a blow to his head before throwing himself into the fight. Steel met steel, sending coruscating sparks across the field as the reiatsu based zanpakuto met the mystical Grasscutter.

Naruto flipped up into the air and formed five clones and started to juggle between them, trying to find an opening. The pale faced not-genin smiled madly as he bit onto his thumb and rubbed his sealing tattoo.

**Kuchiyose no jutsu!**

_Snakes?! Pale faced?! Oh fuck, its Oro-_

Before he could finish the thought, the man gutted all of his clones with a whirlwind twirl of his sword.

"Such massive chakra reserves that you have," he drawled.

The boy ignored the jib and saw that the iwa bunshin were destroyed by some of the clones he had left behind.

_Take them to safety, guys!_

He felt their mental responses before snakes burst from the ground to fight them. Naruto swore and felt a blade nick him on the arm. Hissing slightly, the blond felt his healing factor kick in and seal the wound in a moment.

"Who the hell are you?" he yelled out in mock ignorance.

"Ku ku ku ku ku ku ku. All in good time, Naruto-kun."

Yuugao cursed the fact that Naruto could travel at speeds that rivalled the shunshin and barely got back in time to see Naruto confront the man that had taken down his teammates. Her orders to protect Naruto didn't quite extend to his team and she breathed easier once she saw that they were merely incapacitated and made a move to help them. But then she saw Naruto actually fight and started to wonder if he needed any help at all. As time went on, though, she felt that his opponent was something special.

_Those snakes are odd, but he is a Kusa nin. They do have many contracts for those, but genin don't get them unless they are really special. _

_Time to make a difference. _

The blond locked blades with his enemy and tried to out-glare the other. His opponent merely grinned before using his entire body as leverage against the smaller boy.

"Who the fuck are you?" Naruto asked, biding his time for a jutsu that would level a great part of the forest along with the traitor if he could.

"They call me –"

Yuugao saw the opening and took it, jumping from her concealed location with her ninjatou fully drawn. She felt the blade sink into the mans back, angled downwards into the heart. She gave a disbelieving stare at how easy it was, not feeling any resistance at all.

_Shit, did it work?_

"Yuugao, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working?" Naruto asked stupidly, seeing his enemy caught unawares and dead from his penchant with playing with his prey.

"Saving your ass, kid. Can't leave you alone for a second without attracting the weird ones, can I?" she asked dryly.

They faced each other, Naruto's eyes darting all over the place as his chakra sensing abilities were strangely silent.

"So, kid, when this is all over, you're going to tell me how you got so good so quick. Right?"

He grunted before his foxy smile graced his lips, "What can I say; Kurenai-sensei is a hell of teacher. Much better than you."

"Oh, you just did not say that-"

Naruto's senses flared intensely as the supposedly dead ninja leaped into the air and stood on a branch, his eyes calculating with a green glow on his hands. He gave them a queer look before stretching his body in an exaggerated manner.

"Yuugao-chan, did you miss his heart?" Naruto deadpanned.

"Gaki, I'm an ANBU. I don't miss things like that."

"Then why the fuck is he still alive?" he demanded.

"I...don't...know..." she answered uncertainty.

The man pushed his palms outwards and spat out a jutsu.

_Katon: Haisekisho (Burning Ash Release) _

Black ash covered the battlefield which exploded, separating the two shinobi as they felt their skin burning through their clothing. The ash travelled everywhere and Yuugao cursed softly, determined to take off the head next time instead of a precision strike to the heart.

_I'd like to see you survive_ _that_, she thought viciously.

She couldn't see very well but she could feel the ground shake underneath her. Both of them jumped into the air and were about to grab onto a tree for support. Naruto channelled some chakra to his feet so he could stand upside down on the branch. But as soon as his legs hit the wood it started to shimmer.

His eyes widened slightly as the entire tree was a genjutsu of a twisting column of snakes that shot forward and sunk their fangs into his body.

With a speed that rivalled a flash step, Orochimaru slipped in between them after the explosion and started his thrust towards Naruto's abdomen. Yuugao saw this and cursed with real fear in her eyes. Snakes had pinned Naruto's arms and legs and he strained desperately against them. The operator had always prepared herself for the time that she might have to take a fatal wound for her Kage. That was out of respect and loyalty. But as she felt imminent death coming towards Naruto, she knew that she could also do it out of love.

She threw an explosive tagged kunai at the man, hoping to divert his aim before she kawarimi'd with Naruto. She failed to execute the move properly since she wasn't the same mass as the smaller boy, merely pushing herself in front of the blond.

The kunai detonated, sending shrapnel down Orochimaru's face that did nothing to the man. The blade continued forward until it hit the ANBU's vest and continued to penetrate.

Yuugao gasped as the cold steel punched through her breast, slicing through her muscle and exiting through her back. It would have continued further had Naruto not grabbed the blade in front of her with his bare hands. The blond's zanpakuto was suddenly buried into Orochimaru's throat, a snarl on his face as he sought to twist the blade and decapitate the man.

The Snake Sannin's face was caught in twisted surprise and replicated Naruto's move, grasping onto the soulcutter to prevent him from taking off his head.

_That fucking bastard?!_

He cursed internally, knowing that he had underestimated the boy and had come perilously close to dying. He channelled his chakra into the Kusanagi for a final deal breaker.

His sword extended, nearly slicing off Naruto's fingers as it passed cleanly through Yuugao's torso and into his stomach.

"Oh come on, that's cheating!" he said in disbelief before Orochimaru darted backwards. His throat was badly damaged but he would still live. Malice was present in his eyes as Naruto held onto Yuugao from behind and tried to heal her.

_Dammit, why can't I have a sword that can cut through anything and extend like stupid?_

_**Kit, can't you be happy with what you have? I try my best you know, but sometimes I feel a bit underappreciated by you-**  
_

The man didn't give him any chance to do anything but go on the defensive. Using an elegant jump into the air, he extended the Grasscutter to lengths that had Naruto swearing. He was forced to drop Yuugao and decided to finish it.

_**Kaze no wameki koe -**_

Before he could unseal his zanpakuto, Orochimaru was right in his face and punched him in the head.

_How fast is he?!_

Even Naruto's phenomenal reflexes were rivalled by the Sannin, whose body contorted in ways that were physically impossible. His flash steps were always thwarted as the man met his strikes before they could connect, an impressed look on his face that gave him goosebumps.

Naruto realised that he was fighting on an entirely new level. One that he wasn't prepared for and he couldn't quite win.

_Can I unseal you quietly?_

_**You better Naruto-kun or –**_

Yuugao grabbed onto her pack, desperate to staunch the bleeding so she could help Naruto. Seeing him fight was inspiring as it was frightening. The older man was setting the tempo, pushing things to higher and higher levels to see if Naruto could keep up. And surprisingly he could, despite the terrible blade wounds that he was taking.

She winced as he was nearly dismembered and an indigo covered light covered Orochimaru's hands which he pushed into Naruto's stomach.

With a seemingly bored look he saw Yuugao about to get up before he pointed the Kusanagi towards her. It extended again, propelling the steel into her kidney and out again.

Naruto cried out and was about to flash step his way to her, but he found himself unable to do so as a weird feeling overcame his body. He looked surprised before he felt something drain away all the energy in his body. He turned to face Orochimaru, only to feel the Grasscutter go through the back of his knee and tear through his kneecap.

Orochimaru handily repeated the move to his other leg before kicking the boy to the ground.

"This is going to hurt," promised the older man

His incisors glistened a pearly white before his entire neck extended towards the boy.

_What the f-_

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise just as the fangs dug deep into his carotid artery.

_**Kit!**_

He lay there on the floor, pain receptors going into overdrive as he fought to compartmentalise the agony that he was going through. Yuugao reached into her vest and fired off a distress flare into the sky. She tried to stand up again before Orochimaru appeared besides her and ran his blade through her vest again.

"Yuugao-" Naruto croaked out.

His eyes widened in horror as he saw the steel coming from her chest, making him rush towards her before his legs gave way.

"Isn't this sweet? It's like you're brother and sister, looking out for each other..."

The Snake Sannin looked pensive as he walked around them, an inquisitive look in his eyes before he sighed sadly, "I never had a family.

He casually stomped on Naruto's shoulder, stopping the boy in his tracks as he vainly struggled to get him off.

"Now, now, it's rude of you to ignore me when I'm trying to have a conversation with you," he chided with mock disappointment.

The jinchuuriki spat weakly at the Snake Sannin, his eyes burning with a hate that nearly stopped the man in his tracks.

"My, oh my. You really do look like him you know."

"Wh-who?" Naruto whispered out.

"Your father, that thrice damned bastard who thought messing with time and space was a good idea."

Naruto laughed hysterically before giving him a bitter look, "I am nothing like him."

Orochimaru cocked his head before giving a sinister smile, "Ku ku ku ku ku ku. You're very interesting kid. Much more than that Uchiha kid that was screaming and crying once I gave him the seal."

The boy was losing his consciousness and was desperately trying to get closer to Yuugao, but he heard enough to play along, "Sasuke?"

"Yes, you young people would say that he 'squealed like a little bitch'. I had to knock him unconscious to stop him from embarrassing himself in public. Atrocious behaviour, for an Uchiha."

The man casually placed his foot over Naruto's throat before pushing down. It was one of the few times that Naruto felt a sense of overwhelming helplessness wash over him. He grabbed onto Orochimaru's ankle and tried to flip him over, but he lacked the strength to do so.

"Well, enough banter. I gave you something. You're pretty special already with that spirit stuck into your stomach with some amateurish sealing, which is why I chose you."

"Take it back, you bastard, I don't want it," Naruto retorted weakly.

"You shouldn't say no to gifts. Didn't your mother tell you to be thankful?"

"I have no mother," the blond shouted out hoarsely.

A slightly surprised look came over the Sannin's pale features before they were schooled into depraved indifference, "Fascinating. I have been trying to find Kushina for a while, if only to ... _comfort_ her over Minato's loss. But she has been very elusive. Do you know where she is at the moment?"

The blond glared at the man and shook his head. Somehow Orochimaru knew that the genin was telling the truth.

"Pity, but I have digressed long enough. You have talent, but obviously one that isn't appreciated around here. You see, despite Konoha having a plethora of bloodlines, they don't really like people that are very different to them."

He nudged his foot so that Naruto was looking directly into his eyes, "Yes, my pale skin, yellow eyes, prodigious talent, unbelievably good looks. They were oh so jealous. And they ran me out."

Naruto made a move to retort before he applied pressure to his windpipe, making him choke.

"I'm telling the story here. Just be a good boy and listen."

Futilely trying to pry his leg off his throat, Naruto gave up when he felt the Kusanagi stab into his left arm, pinning it to the ground. The blade was casually twisted, tearing into the muscle and made the boy gasp.

"Hmm. Where was I? Yes, the thing is that you will never really be happy or accepted here. Trained to your potential. That little thing I gave you is a ... litmus test of sorts. If you survive it, then seek me out. I'm sure a resourceful boy like you can find me if you really wanted to."

With that he jumped into the trees, giving him a mocking salute as he vaulted from branch to branch.

Coughing madly, the blond rolled onto his stomach and tried to get up. His entire kneecap was seemingly destroyed, the Grasscutter punching through the small of his knee like it was butter. He looked over to see Yuugao bleeding out, her hands putting pressure to the wounds but he could see that she needed help.

_Fuck, I need help._

He focused on his reiatsu to make a shunpo but felt his body nearly implode at the effort. He spasmed on the floor, his chakra pathways going out of control as his body was assaulted on levels that he could not comprehend. He looked forlornly at his foster sister before reaching out his hand towards her.

**Flashback**

"You call that a throw?"

Naruto huffed at Yuugao's criticism, crossing his arms as he scowled at the man sized target twenty paces in front of him.

"Maybe if someone was a better teacher, I would be able to do it better," he grumbled out.

The kunoichi tsked before walking up to the kid and stood behind him pointedly.

She closed the distance between them and arched her body over his back, her hands subtly shifting him into position.

"Keep your balance," she chided as she nudged at his legs to evenly distribute his weight.

"Look at the target," she whispered, her cheek grazing on his as she felt his concentration narrowing.

"Remember that the shuriken will spin a bit when you throw it," Yuugao lectured intently.

"Yes mother," he replied sarcastically.

Her eyes narrowed before the corner of her mouth quirked into a feral snarl. She quickly dipped into his neck and bit into his flesh, leaving a slight mark that made Naruto shriek. She held in her chuckles as he stared at her in horror, his finger rubbing the side of his neck to confirm that she did try to eat him.

"You-you- you bit me?"

She affected an innocent demeanour and inspected her nails casually, "Of course not, what kind of professional shinobi do you take me for?"

"You bit me," he repeated dumbly.

"Oh, really? Where's your proof?" she asked sweetly.

The blond scowled heavily, his skin having healed over by this time and he huffed, taking on his corrected position before imagining Yuugao's head on the target.

Her attentive eyes caught on his proper form, her head nodding in approval as the boy flicked his wrist, sending the spiralling piece of steel into a shallow arc.

THUD!

The jinchuuriki gave a whoop before jumping up in the air, pumping his fist high as he celebrated an achievement.

_You got talent kid, can't deny that._

"Nice, but can you –"

Her words were interrupted by thirty kilograms of aerial kid, who glomped onto her mercilessly.

"Owww."

She was greeted with his smiling face, his foxy smirk taking away any thoughts of punishing him for the flying tackle that sent her into the ground. For now.

"You're an awesome teacher, ya know that?"

"Better than Hayate?" she asked mischievously.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," he hedged.

Cocking her head, her eyes started to water and the puppy dog eyes came into play.

"Stop that!"

**End Flashback**

_Yuugao-nee-chan.... _

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
'Forest of Death'  
Entrance **

Anko sipped her juice happily as she continued to munch on her dango. She leaned against a tree and let a genuine smile reach her lips as she remembered what had happened a few hours ago.

_Heh, what a cute kid._

She felt the delicious shudder that had taken hold of Naruto's spine as she had locked her lips around his. How he had struggled for a bit before his body betrayed him and she felt the resistance fade to nothing.

The blushing and sheer astonishment on his face made her wish she had taken a photo of it. It was nice for her to see the boy that still lingered under the sometimes too serious facade that he presented to the world.

_Still, it's just a taste. I can't go too far with the boy..._

_Can I?_

Not for the first time did the violet haired kunoichi reflect on the unconventional relationship that she had with the blond boy. One of seemingly mutual need and recognition had warped into something more.

_Dammit, gaki, how did you remain so pure when your family willingly turned their back on you?_

She liked to think herself as the cool aunt that Naruto could go to for anything. However, Kurenai and Yuugao would be horrified at that thought and dry responded that Naruto was more like her older brother. Her smirk at that didn't make them feel any more comfortable as she rolled the words 'onii-chan' in a rather perverted way at a girls' night out.

The pained looks on their faces was golden, worth the choking laugh that she had at their expense.

But lately she had been sensing a coolness in his behaviour that bothered her.

_I mean, he went through that whole Wave thing, but is that the only reason why he is a bit distant now?_

Thanks to Sarutobi Team Eight had been sidelined from any mission beyond a D ranking. She had in her own manner tried to see if the boy needed any help, which she had confirmed via her interrogation jutsu. She didn't feel proud of what she had done to Naruto but she just had to know.

_I know what I did was wrong, and I know that you will never forget it if you did remember it, but I will look out for you._

_Even against yourself. _

_It's the least that I can do._

Despite the semi classified status of their mission, the rumours had slowly been making the rounds. The reactions were mixed and the truth began to degrade as it was passed down the chain. But she could feel something deep within her that a change was coming, one heralded by one Uzumaki Naruto.

_Heh. It's about time as well._

Not for the first time did Anko sadly reflect on the legendary heroes of her youth.

_Hatake Sakumo_

_Salamander Hanzou _

_Chiyo of Suna_

_The legendary Sannin_

_The Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure _

_Namikaze Minato_

They were pretty much getting obsolete, dead or memories lying dormant and were consigned to mere recollections of the older generation. Anko wondered when the next generation of shinobi were going to take their mantle. Fresh blood to bring new stories, new tales of courage, skill and honour to their bloody profession. A changing of the guard to bring everything in line again.

_Fuck, I wanted to be like that once. That Mitarashi Anko would be name that people would respect and be awed by. Give me free stuff. Have people wanting to become my apprentice...._

_Feh. _

She had no doubt that Naruto would one day take his rightful place as one of Konoha's greatest.

_Though, I'm not sure they really deserve him. _

But the whispers had begun, vicious rumours that sought to distort the truth and turn Naruto into the mindless monster that people feared him to be. Team Seven had preferred that the details kept silent due to their relative poor performance, Team Eight didn't feel the need to advertise the fact that they had a higher confirmed kill rating than any other genin team in peacetime. As a result no one really knew the details beyond those that were sent to Wave, but she could see the damage that was being done to the jinchuuriki's reputation. His growing legend would be marred by a savage blind intolerance that would make people scorn his name instead of understanding what he represented.

_They will turn him into a pariah and then he will leave us..._

It was a fear that she had harboured for a while. A shinobi of Naruto's calibre would be welcomed anywhere and there was only so much a person could take. And at the rate that he was growing, or was actually hiding from them, the mortal shinigami incarnate could change his allegiance to anyone if he became a missing nin.

_Though he would probably only owe loyalty to himself. And those that he loves. _

_And is that really so bad?_

She idly considered the prospect while throwing her dango skewers against an adjacent tree branch, forming Konoha's leaf before getting up and stretching.

_Oh well, time to get to the tower. Its only eleven kilometres, the fastest should reach that in around twelve hours. _

With a whistle she was going to head off before she saw something in the sky.

A burst of red and green sparks from an ANBU issue distress flare. They hung up in the air and floated, blocks of magnesium compound on parachutes that floated gently back to earth.

Her blood ran cold at what that could mean, being aware that the only operative in the Forest of Death was Yuugao.

_Oh fuck. If it's bad enough for her to break cover..._

_Shit!_

A proctor approached her in a hurry, not recognising the signal for what it was.

"Anko-san, what –"

"Go get any fucking available ANBU taichous that are available to secure the forest right now. Tell them that the raven shield has been breached."

"But-"

"Do it now chuunin! Tell the Hokage as well. What the fuck are you waiting for!?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We haven't seen each other for so long, yet you're so cold to me Anko."

The tokubetsu jounin could not believe that her old mentor was within the Forest of Death with her. And was the cause of the distress flare sent by Yuugao. She had rushed towards the site before a man stood in front of her with the most peculiar white skin and yellow eyes.

She would have recognised him from anywhere.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh you know, seeing my old home, beating up on some kids. You know, the usual. Filling my quota of evil deeds for the day. I might even end it by drowning some puppies. Would you care to join me Anko-chan? For old times sake?"

"It makes no fucking difference," she spat out, "this ends now."

"Do you really think that you can beat me?" he asked with some amusement.

"I don't care if I have to die to bring you down," she promised grimly.

He sighed unhappily before tsk'ing at her, "Oh my little viper, such a sad life that you lead. So willing to die for a cause, yet you still haven't found a thing to live for. Truly tragic."

Her blood boiled at that and she screamed out in outrage, "You hypocritical fucker! You're the one that ruined my life!"

Orochimaru had the gall to look affronted and sniffed in mock hurt, "How can you say that? You're like a daughter to me. A disobedient, wilful and shameless child, yet I suppose I must take some responsibility for that. Just a bit mind you. It wouldn't do for me to be so arrogant as to take all the blame for how you turned out. "

Her eyes started to mist over in a red haze, a murderous rage set upon her and she wanted nothing more than to rub that smug grin from his face.

"Oh, Anko-chan, think about this logically. I taught you everything that you know. How can you stop me? How can any of the ANBU stop me? Especially these new generation of operatives that don't seem to deserve the name."

"What do you mean?" she asked warily.

"Oh I had an encounter with one of them, had a neko mask. Looked like she was guarding a cute blond kid. And you know me; I like to see things... moving."

He chuckled sinisterly as he smirked at her, "She didn't do a very good job to tell you the truth. Please tell Sarutobi that he is doing a pretty poor job of training and retaining the best. I mean, he had to end up saving her. She wasn't even worthy of a final blow. How pathetic is that?" he lamented.

"Naruto-kun?" she whispered out in horror.

"Oh, was that his name? What a pathetic name, who in their right mind would name their child after a ramen ingredient?"

"It means maelstrom," she gritted out.

"Of course it does," he said condescendingly, "then again we are talking about Minato here. That fraud couldn't do anything original to save his life. I'm going to guess that Jiraiya was eating some noodles and suggested it to his precious student. But there you go. Tell me, how did he survive for this long in Konoha, anyway? I would have thought that some well meaning civilian would have slipped a blade into his ribs a long time ago..."

Anko refused to answer his question, her mind going into overdrive as she tried to process what this all meant.

He saw her reticence and blinked, "Oh come on Anko-chan, don't be like that. I made sure to take real good care of them. In fact 'Naruto' and you share an even stronger bond than you did before."

Her heartbeat stopped for a moment as she heard it.

_Oh kami, no! No! NO!_

"You... _bastard_," she whispered out.

His yellow eyes gleaming, Orochimaru laughed with content as he saw the pain he was causing her, "Now, now, you can thank me later. I mean, guess who gets to comfort the poor child once he wakes up with that seal on his neck? Or is that if he wakes up? Either way, the bonding that can happen between you two... You should be thanking me, Anko-chan."

The kunoichi didn't think it was possible for her to hate the Snake Sannin anymore than she did before, but that was proven false by the utter fury in her voice as she charged towards him.

_Sen'eijashu!_

_Ah, she still has her spirit in her. _

The vipers latched onto Orochimaru's arm and refused to let go. The kunoichi shifted her feet and threw her former master over her shoulder. As he sailed past her, he grinned and reached out to mark her with a kunai. Deftly avoiding the strike, she was again reminded of his inhuman flexibility as he weaved in the air to give her a vicious kick to the head.

She rolled with the blow and growled angrily at him, hands blurring in seals as she needed to end it quickly. Anko knew that she should have used her element of surprise to overcome the Snake Sannin, but a burning part of her demanded that she confront him. It didn't help that he regarded her in a bizarrely fond way, like an indulgent father to a prodigal daughter screaming for his blood.

It confused her.

It enraged her.

It gave her more purpose as she realised what the monster had taken from her and Naruto.

But her desires had greatly decreased her chances of finishing off the Sannin. Every moment that she held him off gave the ANBU more time to come and assist. A large part of her wanted the kill to be done by her hand and her hand alone. She could see that he was wounded and tiring, though, it wasn't much considering just how deadly the older man actually was.

_Why the fuck does he look like he hasn't aged at all? Did he really find immortality?_

_Screw it, I'll think of it later when I bury the son of a bitch._

"At least your skills haven't rusted while I was gone. To think that I'm even getting a decent workout," he commented conversationally as he summoned larger snakes from his tattoo.

_Funny, they have been dying at a much quicker rate that before. I hope Manda doesn't care too deeply._

_Though I doubt he would._

"Is that all you got? Spamming snakes at me!" cried out Anko angrily.

"Hardly, my dear," he whispered behind her, using his phenomenal speed that people usually forgot about to get around her.

But unfortunately for him Anko had trained long and hard to reverse her position should she ever get surprised from behind. She pivoted smoothly on the balls of her feet, and lashed out with her feet. She felt the contact with Orochimaru's knee that sent him stumbling back. Taking the slight reprieve she grabbed onto his left hand and started to shape it into a seal.

"This seal..." he whispered out.

"I'm going to end this once and for all," she said darkly.

"I don't think so."

Suddenly the cursed mark on the side of her neck flared out, lancing and paralysing her.

"You cheap bastard!" she shouted out in rage.

"What ever works, Anko-chan."

The real Snake Sannin appeared from the ground below, his chakra masked from her sense with the expert of a professional.

"Hmmm... you really sure that you could get me with the moves that I taught you?" he asked with exasperation.

The tokubetsu jounin fell to the ground, her limbs locking up as her balance was lost. She was about to land with a sickening crunch before her ex-master caught her bridal style.

Despite her pain, she started to struggle so he dumped her unceremoniously onto the soil, dusting his hands off. The kunoichi tried to stand up before she was slammed against a tree. A punch to her gut left her winded before she was bound by ninja wire.

"Let me go, you faggot!"

The Oto nin shook his head and faced his would be assassin, "Ah my little viper, such a ... vicious tongue that you have. Ku ku ku ku ku."

"Let go of me!" demanded Anko, restrained by the snakes, ninja wire and sheer debilitating presence of her ex mentor.

The Snake Sannin clucked his tongue before asking, "Now, now, is that anyway to talk to the person that raised like you like their own?"

"Rot in hell and die, you monster!"

Orochimaru looked offended and sighed, "Monster? Hmm... sometimes I wonder if I wasn't too ... _compassionate_ with you."

"Compassionate?!" asked Anko incredulously.

The shinobi nodded matter of factly, "You obviously don't appreciate all those memory blocks that I placed on you, Anko. Here, let me show you what we did together."

And he did. Images surfaced, of her holding down victims as her master conducted his twisted experiments. Her watching over patients as they screamed in agony, begging her to end it for them. Of Orochimaru guiding her hand as she made incisions into –

"NO! That wasn't me! That wasn't me!" she screamed, repeating the words like a comforting mantra.

The Snake Sannin chuckled before smirking, "It was all you, my little serpent. We did it together. Tell me, do you enjoy living your life right now?"

Anko glared at the bastard, wishing that he would die.

His peculiar yellow orbs penetrated into her as he spoke, "I gave you the world. I took you on under my wing. I showed you the world. I, made, you, great."

The kunoichi laughed hysterically without humour, "You branded me like an animal!"

"Hey, let's not get careless with our words. I wanted to make you stronger. Like any parent should," he shook his head in disappointment.

"By taking my will power?! By cursing me?!"

Orochimaru rolled his eyes, "It is just a tool. Your ... seal is a special one. One that was made especially for you. But tell me, did the villagers thank you when you betrayed me?" he asked softly.

Anko refused to answer.

"They hated you, right? You left me, Anko. When I devoted my life to you. I saw the talent, the ambition, the power, the thirst for knowledge in you and I honed it into a blade. I even thought of you as my daughter at times. I wanted you to be by my side, to share in our glories. And what did you do? You abandoned me like a piece of trash," he finished scornfully.

"No," she denied desperately, "I only left when I knew –"

"Knew what? That you were making glorious sacrifices in the name of science? That we were pushing the envelope, breaking the boundaries? Tell me, did they blame you for everything that I did. Well, more correctly, what we did?"

"Did they love you for it? Repay you in kindness for choosing them over me?"

The kunoichi was silent.

Orochimaru sighed, "Yes, I always lose. Minato become Hokage instead of me. That... I might have accepted. No, I lie. But there was one thing that I thought that I could count on. One person to stand by me no matter what. But you didn't. You left me like they all did."

"You're a monster, how many lives did you ruin, damn you?!" she spat out desperately.

"If I am such a monster, why did I block those memories of yours?" he asked reasonably.

"Look at you!" he snarled in disgust, "Hiding your potential! Dressing like a whore! Do you think that they will ever like you with their eyes blinded by hatred? I thought I taught you better than that!"

His peculiar yellow eyes hardened as he saw her struggling, denying everything that he had given her. He sighed and went up to her, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand, "Things were so much better when you were by my side. You were such a good girl then, my little viper. Tell me, are you still one now?"

With that the pale faced man reached into Anko's shorts and started probing. She stiffened and tried to fight him off, but she was so utterly restrained the best she could do was to spit on him. He cocked his head sideways before looking vaguely amused, his fingers making circular motions as he observed the mixed looks of disgust, arousal and horror on her face.

"Ah, you are no longer a virgin. What a pity... Who did you end up giving it to? Was it voluntary? Or did some bigoted villager or ninja decided to take what they wanted? Still, such a shame. Looks like you are not so little anymore," he commented with disappointment.

Anko felt like she had been violated in the worst possible way, the cold fingers exploring and questing without her consent. She screamed in outrage and tried to murder the renegade. He finally stopped his penetration and pulled out, observing his fingers with a peculiar interest as he licked them clean.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

"That isn't a nice thing to say," chided Orochimaru as he fondly stroked her cheeks with a sadistic smile.

"I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!" she shrieked.

"Ku ku ku ku ku ku. You can try, but I am afraid that I have to cut this meeting a bit short. It was lovely chatting with you, but next time, when we have the chance, I will be sure to be better... _reacquainted_ with you, Anko-chan."

He left her sobbing and pinned to the tree, knowing that his day was nearly done.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"One, this is three, approaching ground zero now."

The ANBU commander nodded his head tersely before directing his operatives across the Forest of Death

_Who the hell could have done this?_

"One! We have casualties on the eastern quadrant! Looks like Team Seven is down, sir!"

Tenzo raised his eyebrow before he felt a migraine descend, making his temples throb even more than usual.

"Grab them and bag them. Escort them back to the tower and get a medic on them. How do they look?"

There was a brief silence over the radio net before there was a measured reply, "They are pretty messed up. Especially the Uchiha. Sir, we need backup."

"Say again three."

"Sir, we have a condition omega."

_Can this day get any worse?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuugao lay on the ground, her lung pierced as she weakly coughed up blood

_Some guardian I turned out to be..._

Her vision started to fade as she heard the laboured efforts of someone crawling to her. Centimetre by centimetre she could feel the vibrations made in the earth as Naruto clawed his way to her, his body on fire due to the cursed seal pulsing on his neck.

_Just, a little, bit, closer..._

The kunoichi managed to crane her neck towards him, her eyes dulling in surprise as she saw the wounds that the boy carried.

His face was a bloody mess, his prodigious healing halted as he continued to drag his battered body towards her. Yuugao's heart broke at the utter determination on his face as Naruto focused all his attention onto a single goal.

She reached out feebly towards him, her arms lacking the strength and control that she normally had.

_Why, why am I not healing?_

_**Whatever that bastard did to you it really messed up your internal pathways. I'm trying to fix it now but it's not easy.**_

Kyuu's tone was panicked and fearful. Naruto felt cold in feeling the desperation in her voice, which he had never heard before.

_Come on, come on...._

The blond just gritted his teeth and tried to blank out the pain. His hard won resistance assisted him, but the boy learned that sometimes mind could not win over matter. His vision became clouded, a darkness covering his sight as he relied on his memory to get closer.

_Naruto-kun..._

_**Kit! Don't strain yourself!**_

Naruto ignored Kyuu, ignored everything as he finally reached his destination.

He rested his head against her shoulder, his body wracked by shakes induced by the cursed seal on his neck. He held in his sobs and concentrated deep inside of him. The ANBU felt helpless as she only had the heat from his body to ward away the shivers she was getting. Entering into shock from the massive blood loss, she felt Naruto's hand push against her wound. Grunting at the pain, the boy shot her an apologetic look before straining deep within himself.

He could feel the warm blood run over his hands, staining his own flesh as it seeped through his clothes. There was nothing else on his mind but the need to make Yuugao better. The usual black presence of his reiatsu seemed to be in a state of flux, eluding his grasp as he tried to focus it onto one of the few people that he really cared about.

Despite everything that happened between them, he didn't wish for the violet haired shinobi to die. And right now he was the only person that could help.

_Work, damn you, work!_

As if it needed an outlet, his power rushed out in a torrent that left him dizzy.

_**Kit!**_

Knowing that he barely had a few moments before he could kiss his consciousness goodbye, he made last ditch effort in repairing the damage done by the Snake Sannin.

Yuugao gasped as she felt coldness coming from Naruto's hand that made her skin shiver. She tried to get away, but was too weak to do so. She noticed that her flesh was slowly knitting up and the bleeding started to stop. Her eyes widened in surprise as her pierced lung started to feel better. The bones crunched from the inside, her rib popping out of the organ and began to mend.

_What, what? When did he become a medic?_

Naruto held on for as long as possible, but fighting the three battles wore at him until his eyes were closed and he was half dead himself. He had a victorious grin before collapsing on top of the operator, utterly spent with nothing left to give.

"Naruto-kun!"

Desperately, Yuugao rolled over and was hit by vertigo. She looked dazed until she saw the sheer amount of blood that she had lost on the forest soil. Blanching at that, she suddenly found herself on the floor again. Her lungs were still on fire and she felt a numbing cold run down her spine.

_Oh kami..._

**Flashback**

"Who's paying?"

The two males exchanged a look before staring at her with grins on their faces as she felt the noose of a conspiracy fall upon her neck.

"Well, Yuugao-chan, I only think it's fair that you pay after you tried to kill me."

"Brat, if I wanted you dead, you would be," she replied cockily.

"Hmph, whatever. You owe me for introducing me to Anko."

Hayate started at that before coughing, "You did what?"

"I thought they would get along, and they do," she defended vigorously.

Naruto stared at her until she had the good grace to blush. Slightly.

"Ok, she grows on you. But why do I have to pay for you?" she asked Hayate pointedly.

"Well, obviously for all the mental harm that I'm suffering from when you put Naruto through hell, all those sleepless nights worrying about the kid in her clutches, it was horrible!" he said with a straight face.

"Yeah, what he said!" chimed in Naruto cheekily.

Her eyebrows started twitching and the two guys wondered if they went a bit too far with their nonsense.

Hayate gave her a sly wink before he stood up, "I have to go, there's some family dinner that I have to go to for tonight."

"Wait, didn't you just eat?" pointed out Yuugao.

The swordsman made a face before sighing, "Yeah, there was a reason for that. My mother's cooking is a form of torture that we all have to grin and bear in my house."

Naruto snickered at that before he looked pensive and started to play with his ramen.

"Anyway, I'll see you all tomorrow."

They acknowledged his exit with a wave and focused back on their bowls.

"Naruto, what's it like living with the Hyuuga?" she asked curiously.

The boy cocked his head at that before finishing his noodles carefully, "What do you mean?"

"Do you like being there?"

"The people are nice," he replied amiably.

"Really?" Yuugao asked sceptically.

"Well, most of them are," he allowed. "I mean, I don't get to see Hiashi-sama and all them very often but I don't really mind."

"Don't you ever eat meals together?"

Naruto scratched his head before shaking it, "Funny, no. Never."

"Then who do you get along with when you're in their manor?" she asked.

"Oh, Setsuna and the other Branch Members. There's Hinata but I don't think she likes me."

"What makes you say that?"

"She never seems to look at me and avoids me. It's like she doesn't want to be around me, which is a bit weird 'cause I kinda saved her and everything, but whatever. She's so different from Hanabi that I don't think they are related at times."

"Hanabi? She's the youngest daughter, right?"

The blond nodded before twirling his chopsticks in his ramen bowl, "Yeah, she's really cool, if a bit funny. Keeps wanting to ride on my shoulder and go for my whisk-"

He caught himself and started to eat his noodles intently, ignoring the kunoichi's snickers.

"You little devil you," she teased.

Naruto preferred to ignore her as he finished his meal, leaning backwards into his seat as his bloated stomach groaned. Yuugao felt the same way as she had indulged in the rich soup that made Ichiraku ramen special. Soon enough the two of them went back to Training Ground Twenty Seven to retrieve their gear they had left behind. The boy leaned against a tree and yawned slightly, feeling mellow and incredibly content. Seeing that Naruto wasn't going to move anytime soon, Yuugao sat next to him and started to feel lethargic.

"This is nice," Naruto said drowsily.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"I just hope that we can always do this."

"What, me pay for your meals, you cheapskate?" Yuugao shot back sarcastically.

"That would be cool as well," he agreed with a smirk.

"Feh, get a real job you lazy brat."

Both of them fell silent, laying on their sides as they saw the sunset on the horizon. They stayed there for a little while, watching the sky turn a brilliant red before the stars became visible.

"Do," Naruto started hesitantly," do you think that we can stay like this?"

"Whatdya mean?"

"Us; me, you, Hayate. Being like this?"

"What makes you ask that, kid?"

"Nothing's going to change between us, right?" he asked oddly.

The kunoichi raised her head and felt the underlying question underneath his words. She carefully stood up and propped herself against the boy and idly ran her fingers through his hair.

Naruto wouldn't admit it, but he quite enjoyed the familiarity behind her ministrations and fought the urge to fall asleep.

"Kid, nothing's going to change if I can help it. You're still going to be that annoying little brother that I never had, and I'll be the beautiful, wise and smart sister that will outclass you in every way."

"Heh. I can live with that. Promise?" he asked insistently. There was something in his voice, a note of pleading that she had never heard before and it made her concerned. His bright blue eyes rested on hers, begging her for something she was not sure that she could give.

She gave him a tight hug, her fondness for the blond blossoming before she lightly placed her lips on his forehead, giving him a chaste kiss that chased his worries away.

"Promise."

**End Flashback**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Fuck."

The scene in front of him was of such devastation that he knew that there wasn't going to be any good news coming from it.

_This was not a genin battle._

His heart started to beat faster when he saw one of his better operatives lying on the ground. He could tell by the slight movement in her chest that she was still breathing, but what concerned him was the boy underneath her.

_Uzumaki... _

He carefully went forward, eyes out for an ambush as his hand gestures flickered quickly to send his team into a screening position.

Seeing her charge lying there wounded didn't inspire a lot of confidence, but he had to wonder who could have defeated Uzuki Yuugao and the jinchuuriki.

_This is not good._

"One, area is secure."

He rushed over to the fallen kunoichi, his fingers searching for a pulse. He frowned when he found only a slight beat and saw how pale the woman was. He gently lifted her off Naruto before his eyes widened at the injuries on the boy's body. His arm was fractured in several places, his bone sticking out of his body. His eye was bruised and completely sealed up. He looked at his black shirt before realising that it was nearly slashed to bits and that he was still bleeding.

But the blood over him wasn't solely his. He could see that Yuugao's ANBU vest was torn to shreds and tinged with crimson.

_Is it his blood or hers?_

_Did Yuugao bleed all over Naruto?_

He cursed before taking out a field kit and applied bandages quickly. The blond didn't even stir as he did so, which bothered him deeply. He lifted him up carefully before his breath caught.

_Fuck, not another one._

A bizarre tomoe tattoo was imprinted on the jinchuuriki's neck that seemed to pulse angrily. Swearing softly, he took the boy in his arms and watched his subordinates secure Yuugao.

"How is she?"

"Sir, she's still critical. Looks like she has some of her wounds healed, but her tendons are still severed at the leg and her kneecap seems smashed in. She's still in shock."

Gritting his teeth, Yamato turned to see the rest of Team Eight being secured.

"How are the girls?"

"Unconscious but not bad compared to these two. One is stabbed in the shoulder and all of them are knocked out."

Seeing that everybody was accounted for, he gave a signal for the cell to form a harbour, "Let's get these guys out of here," he commanded.

"Where to sir?"

"Bring them to the central tower and get DP onto them to stand guard. Get the IS forensics team in now. We got work to do."

They nodded before gently grabbing onto the injured genins and shunsin'd away.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

"Hokage-sama, we have a report from Anko."

The wizened Fire Shadow raised his troubled eyes from a field report before giving the ANBU messenger a curt nod.

"What is it?"

"The raven shield has been broken," the operator reported gravely.

Sarutobi blinked for a moment before stepping up into action.

"Get me all the ANBU captains to me for a meeting right now. Lock down Konoha until I say otherwise."

"Yes sir!"

_This is not going to be pretty... A missing nin penetrates our security during the exams..._

_How... predictable, I guess._

_This has gone on for too long. _

_Never again.  
_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
Central Tower**

"What the hell happened to my godson?"

Jiraiya's words carried a deadly edge that made most of the ANBU uneasy. Though he had been absent from Konoha proper for nearly a decade, his legend still lived on in the corp. And it seemed like the shinobi didn't let himself go as some of the older ones did. His torso was heavily built for a ninja, with a strong neck that belied the strength that his body contained.

But it was his eyes that bothered them; they contained fury in them like a controlled tempest. They changed to concern as he concentrated on Naruto's form lying on a stretcher.

A mass of tubes covered Naruto as medics desperately tried to set his wounds and replace the blood that he had lost. Despite everything that Jiraiya knew about jinchuurikis, the fact that the blond wasn't healing at all concerned him deeply. His eyes caught onto a female kunoichi lying next to him, her vitals fluctuating as the doctors rushed to seal up the internal injuries that she had.

"Kami, it's like someone healed the skin and muscle over, but forgot about the organs inside," muttered a medic as he quickly made an incision into Yuugao's abdomen. Jiraiya looked away, uncomfortable about seeing the open surgery and walked up to his godson.

"What happened, Yamato?"

The brown haired shinobi gave a respectful nod to the Toad Sannin before handing him a preliminary report that he had compiled.

The older man flicked through it, his features darkening as he processed the information with a grimace.

"We have a condition omega for two people? Who's the other?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

_Kami damn it. What game are you playing here?_

"What does intel have to say about this breach?"

Yamato resisted the urge to roll his eyes before making a noncommittal sound with his throat, "They are examining the records of all shinobi that made their way into Konoha. They are probably one of the contestants for the Chuunin exam."

"Did you screen the Sound nins like I told you to?" Jiraiya asked sharply.

"We did and we found nothing odd with them, in fact there was nothing weird with them besides being a bit more bloodthirsty than the average genin. An ANBU observer followed them around and had nothing to report."

"How about Sabaku no Gaara?"

"He made it through the exam. It wouldn't really do for the Kazekage's sons and daughter to suddenly die in the Forest. We are allies with them, after all. But you can add another thing to the dossier."

"What is that?" Jiraiya asked absentmindedly, his attention focused upon Naruto.

"He's a cannibal."

"That's nice... what?!"

Yamato looked deadly serious as he handed him another report by the operative conducting surveillance on the Sound Trio, "His abilities with sand is amazing, almost the same as his ancestor with that bloodline. But he has the propensity to eat people as well. There was an altercation with Naruto as well, but our operator didn't get a close enough look before Uzumaki ran away."

Jiraiya shook his head with disbelief before rubbing his temples, "I have no idea how my network missed that bit out, but that's just messed up. Some shinobi have odd diets but this..."

He shelfed that away for further analysis as the doctor tending to Naruto made some notations on his medical file and moved away from the boy. The Sannin walked purposefully towards the man and stopped him in his tracks.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked

"Besides the massive blunt force trauma to nearly every part of his body and severe wounding, there is also the cursed seal upon his neck. And you know the survival rates for them. He's even worse off than the Uchiha who's at deaths gate right now."

"Dammit!" he growled out in anger, slamming his fist into a nearby wall.

"What else can go wrong?"

Jiraiya should have known better than to tempt fate.

_**Fin.**_

* * *

**Omake**

**Icha Icha Shotacon: Careers Day**

Light hearted nonsense brought to you from calatrava and a few other parties who wish to remain anonymous.

Naruto sat back with a sigh as he stared into his campfire. He looked around him, basking in the golden silence as he slowly chewed on some mochi, savouring the sweet tasting treat on his tongue. The quiet was broken when two cloaked figures walked into the clearing, clad in straw hats which hid the majority of their facial figures as they surrounded him.

"... Yo," greeted Naruto with a friendly wave of his hand.

The two partners raised their eyebrows at his perfunctory greeting before flanking him. Simultaneously, they both took off their headgear and looked at him.

_Well damn. It's them._

"We have been searching for you for some time, Naruto-kun," whispered out Uchiha Itachi.

"Yeah, but you went off the grid nearly entirely. That really did make things a pain in the ass," grunted out Kisame.

Naruto shrugged before finishing off his food, "Well, I have been busy with other things."

"We heard that you have left Konoha years ago. That none of the hunter-nin divisions were able to locate you at all. That is very impressive for someone your age."

The jinchuuriki chuckled before scratching the back of his head, "Well, thanks, I guess. But you managed to do the same, so it wasn't that special."

The blue skinned nukenin grinned at the impudent boy in front of them, "I am sure ya got an interesting story to how the Hyuuga MP's golden boy left Konoha to become a criminal. Care to share before I take off your legs?"

The blond pondered that for a few moments before nodding, "Yeah sure, why not."

**Flashback**

There is always a peculiar need in some people to be the best of their group. Be that team, class or generation, the competitive edge burns brightly in some people that makes for great recruitment. After all, you would want a reputation for working with excellent people. None of this is more relevant to the ANBU corps.

The ANBU originally started off as high risk assassins who were the silent blades of the Hokage. Over time, the need for specialist units had developed so their mandate extended into other divisions essential to the service of Konoha. This was an incremental process that required a diverse pool of personnel.

So, every year there would be a rather curious exhibition run by the ANBU. It was known as the ANBU Careers Fair. One representative from each department would head up a stall to seduce the best and brightest into applying for their division. Competition was tight as there were often poaching wars for talent that grew particularly violent and bizarre as inducements of all sorts were thrown at the potential graduates.

Naruto wandered into the Hokage Tower with Setsuna by his side. Normally a parent or guardian came along with their children, but since Naruto was effectively an orphan, the first option was Hyuuga Hiashi. Even the thought of that made the usually fearless jinchuuriki balk, so he decided to go for the next best thing. The lavender eyed MP was one of the closest people to Naruto, who he considered to be a sister/aunt that took great delight in teasing him. At times he chafed under her over-protectiveness, but that didn't mean that he wasn't extremely fond of the girl.

Setsuna was flattered that Naruto considered her when he needed some advice while ignoring any slight on her age that may or may not have been present when he made the request. She was secretly plotting away to prevent Naruto from joining the ANBU or staying in the ninja ranks, preferring him to serve with her and her sisters in the police force. She knew that she had to shoot down any inclination that the boy might develop early on. There was a great natural attraction for most people to join the special shinobi forces, in part the mystique and honour of being the best of the best. But that wouldn't stop her or her sisters from getting what they wanted.

Naruto walked around and found a familiar face at a stall. He gave his sensei a foxy grin before looking somewhat confused, "Kurenai-sensei, what are you doing here?"

_Good question Naruto-kun._

The truth was that she had taken some time off to take on a genin team to widen her experiences. But she was still technically an ANBU member, albeit on sabbatical. Her commander had ordered/pleaded with her to be the face of the CINT division, which she couldn't quite say no to. She had dutifully prepared the notes and handouts but was finding little luck with the current people. They were all too easily impressed by the other flashier units that her corner had become quiet and somewhat neglected.

Then she saw Naruto and brightened. She knew that the boy was a tactical genius who would be right at home with the other combat orientated units, but he had a devious intelligence that he kept hidden away like a true ninja. She knew that he would be an excellent addition, but needed to sell the idea to the boy.

"Well, I still do work for the ANBU and I guess this is a favour for my taichou. So, have you thought about being part of the CINT division Naruto-kun?"

"Not really," replied Naruto candidly, grabbing some pamphlets and flicking though them, "what happens there anyway?"

Kurenai smiled before leaning forward, whispering into Naruto's ears like she was imparting on a great secret, "Well, I guess we are the second side of the Intelligence division. You know what they do right?"

The blond nodded, "Yeah, they spy on people and stuff like that."

"Very good, Naruto-kun," she said throatily, "and we are the division that tries to confuse the villages who might want to spy on us. We give them misinformation to confuse them, to get them to make bad decisions. It is like a game, where we set the rules to make them cut their own throats. Does that sound interesting?"

He nodded, thinking that it was quite intellectual in some ways that had a certain appeal to it. Setsuna recognised his interest and tried to diffuse it quickly. She snatched a handbook and asked Kurenai a question, "So, how much field work do you end up doing?"

"Well, not as much as say the hunter-nin division," she admitted, "but every once in a while we –"

The Hyuuga ignored her and continued, "So, you pretty much stay behind a desk all day thinking of plans. Correct?"

"Not exactly," she hedged, "we have to give our proposals and see that they are implemented properly."

Naruto was quite an active person, so the idea of being deskbound didn't have that much attraction to him. Kurenai decided to go for another approach. She stretched luxuriously before giving Naruto a very slow wink, "But think of all the fun that we can have together Naruto-kun. Just you and me, late nights at the office..."

She was then rudely interrupted by the appearance of Mitarashi Anko who promptly put the boy into a headlock and dragged him over to the other empty stall. The Torture and Interrogation unit was a necessity for most shinobi villages, but it was hard to recruit or retain people in that division. It took a certain level of sadism and sociopathy to break down a human being and still be socially functional afterwards.

"Hey, gaki, have you ever wondered to what I really do at work?" she purred to the boy.

"Err... no, not really."

The Snake Kunoichi firmly pushed the blond into a chair and restrained him, pulling the straps nice and tight as she placed a finger over his lips when he protested.

"You see, Naruto-kun, we do some of the most important things in the village. Some people just won't talk without a bit of ... persuasion. That is where we come into play. Think of us as playing a game between who has the most willpower. We find the limit to how much a person can take before they break and give up, or kick the bucket."

Naruto tried to find a diplomatic way to say "no fucking way in hell" but was left struggling. Luckily Kurenai and Setsuna came into the picture and tried to extricate him from Anko's grasp.

The MP crossed her arms and shot the kunoichi a dirty look, "There is no way in hell that Naruto is becoming a torturer. I did not raise him up to be that kind of person."

Anko scoffed at that, "Oh please, you didn't raise him up at all. Who the hell are you to make his decisions for him?"

Meanwhile Morino Ibiki wondered if he had forgotten something important when he didn't see Anko at work.

_That's odd; she usually hangs around here and scares the prisoners shitless. I wonder what happened._

He shrugged off the feeling before getting down to recording the sessions he had with the inmates. He came across a letter addressed to him.

_Hmm, strange. I didn't see this before..._

He opened it and read it aloud:

_This is just to confirm that Mitarashi Anko has been assigned by the TI division to man the stall in the ANBU Careers Fair. If this is in error, please notify the ANBU commander as soon as practicable._

Ibiki felt his blood run cold and the paper dropped from his hands, "Oh... kami, no! It's lonely enough in here without her scaring away those recruits!"

He grabbed his coat and rushed his way to the Hokage Tower, praying that his subordinate didn't do anything too outrageous.

Back at the Careers Fair, Anko was holding back the two females with a whip as she summoned some snakes to form a guard around the boy.

"Now, pay particular attention to my wrist. That is where all the power comes from," lectured the kunoichi as she fended off the women with a growl.

Suddenly there was a purple blur and a flash of steel as the snakes were dispelled back to their realm and Naruto was freed. He was subsequently shanghaied to another location as the three girls took off after him.

"Hey brat, how have you been?" asked Uzuki Yuugao as she re-sheathed her blade.

Naruto looked around him before hugging her deeply, "Oh thank you! I mean, I like Anko and everything, but she can be... intense."

She smiled at him before ruffling his hair with a smirk, "Not a problem. You sure are popular today, aren't ya?"

The boy rolled his eyes and nodded, "Yeah. Makes me wanna leave and find something else to do."

"Now, now, don't be so hasty. Have you thought about joining my division?"

"Which is?"

"The Front Line of course," she proclaimed proudly.

"Ah, what does that mean?"

"Well, when Konoha goes to war, we are the captains for the regular forces. We also carry the Hokage's Colours, his personal guard and force. We also do anything and everything related to fighting and battle. So it is up close and personal. It's pretty much all field work and practical experience. And plus I am there as well."

Naruto pondered that for a few moments before smiling, "Well, that does sound good. What's the least attractive part of the job then?"

Yuugao closed her eyes in thought, "Hmm... I guess you are on deployment at odd times. When there is no declared war, it's pretty cruisy and we get seconded to other areas. But with conflicts, we are working constantly to win. Things can get quite dangerous, I guess, but hell. I have seen your record and we would love to have you on board. Can you imagine all the mischief that we can get up to?" she said with a devious grin on her face.

"So, what do you say?" she asked expectantly.

Naruto scratched his chin and nodded slowly, "Well, I do like fighting and blowing shit up..."

They were then joined by the three others who glared at Yuugao. She gave them an imperious look before grabbing Naruto by the shoulders, leaning on him as she rested her chin on the crown of his head.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" demanded Anko, outraged that someone would try to steal her Naruto-kun from her and her division.

"Yes, this is not fair having Naruto-kun being abducted by strangers where he cannot be properly supervised," ground out Setsuna.

"Oh please, I was teaching this brat when he was just six years old. Isn't that right?" asked Yuugao.

Naruto gave that a lot of thought, "Well, I wouldn't quite call it teaching..."

The violet haired ANBU developed a twitch before leaning dangerously close to him, "How can you say that Naruto-kun?! After all those times we shared with Hayate, didn't they mean anything at all?"

The blond saw the tears develop and hastily tried to reassure her, "Ah, it was great. You were the best! I really don't know how I would have ended up if I didn't meet you," he said earnestly.

Yuugao smiled gratefully at that before hugging the boy to her chest.

"You're such a cute kid, you know that?"

Naruto nodded, sending a delightful shiver up her spine.

"So you will think about joining my division?"

She felt another nod.

"... Do you mind shifting your head a bit to the left and nod again?"

The jinchuuriki shrugged before readjusting himself and nodded again, coming into contact with her nipple as Yuugao flushed slightly.

The others coined onto her game and quickly grabbed the boy, pulling on all four directions as Naruto felt like a blanket being torn to bits.

Anko growled aggressively at them, "Oh hell no! You are not leaving me alone with Ibiki again! Do you know how freaky it is, for him to walk up to you with a knife and ask you if you want to know how he got his scars?!"

Kurenai tugged harder, "Tough, I am sick of those idiotic CINT boys who speak to my chest and try to cop a feel! I am not going to be sexually harassed at work for the rest of my career dammit!"

Yuugao was unmoved as she tightened her grip, "Oh, no you don't. I taught Naruto-kun first and I will be the one to see how good he is on top of me. I mean, underneath me. Err... working underneath me as my subordinate. Yes... that's right!"

Setsuna huffed at them all before scowling, "Back off you shameless bitches! Naruto will be a MP. He is a Hyuuga in everything but name and blood... umm, but he still is a Hyuuga nonetheless. Eh, screw logic. You will not have him!"

_Ah nuts. What do I do?_

Kyuu was watching the scene with trepidation and proposed a solution.

_**Run Naruto, run! **_

The jinchuuriki quickly kawarimi'd with a kage bunshin and took off. The women quickly shelfed their differences and chased after the boy. Naruto managed to clear the gate and took off, flash stepping into the sunset.

"Dammit, gaki! You can run, but you have to return to Konoha eventually!"

**End flashback**

"So that is how I became a nukenin," concluded Naruto.

There was dead silence as Itachi and Kisame digested his words.

"... Are you saying that you left the protection of Konoha because four breathtakingly beautiful older women wanted you badly? And you were too much of a coward to make a decision?" Itachi asked with disbelief.

"... Well, when you put it that way it does sound kinda stupid..." responded Naruto, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Itachi, I think I need to take off his testicles with Samehada. He clearly doesn't have a use for them."

"... Agreed. And here I thought my otou-tou was foolish."

_I guess now isn't the time to tell him what me and Mikoto got up to in his bed... _

_**Kaze no wameki koe oyobi bunsan subete hakai ni**_**:** **Kamujin**!

_Fin._

* * *

A/N

Apologies again for the wait. I am currently writing my thesis.

For those interested I have a new Love Hina fic coming out soon. It's called "A History of Violence".


	20. Convergence, the third

**Breaking the Boundaries**

A/N

Many apologies but sometimes things just do not work out the way we expect or planned. For those that gave helpful comments and support, it is greatly appreciated and I thank you.

Once again, I make a call for beta readers to assist me. I apologise if for whatever reason I haven't been responding to messages, please make the effort again to get in touch via PM or review.

Dialogue normal/external speech  
_Dialogue_ inner thoughts  
**Dialogue** Kyuubi speaking aloud  
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.

Chapter started: 11Jun09  
Chapter completed: 12Aug11

* * *

**Previously on Breaking the Boundaries**

_"How about Sabaku no Gaara?"_

_"He made it through the exam. It wouldn't really do for the Kazekage's sons and daughter to suddenly die in the Forest. We are allies with them, after all. But you can add another thing to the dossier."_

_"What is that?" Jiraiya asked absentmindedly, his attention focused upon Naruto._

_"He's a cannibal."_

_"That's nice... what?"_

_Yamato looked deadly serious as he handed him another report by the operative conducting surveillance on the Sound Trio, "His abilities with sand is amazing, almost the same as his ancestor with that bloodline. But he has the propensity to eat people as well. There was an altercation with Naruto as well, but our operator didn't get a close enough look before Uzumaki ran away."_

_Jiraiya shook his head with disbelief before rubbing his temples, "I have no idea how my network missed that bit out, but that's just messed up. Some shinobi have odd diets but this..."_

_He shelfed that away for further analysis as the doctor tending to Naruto made some notations on his medical file and moved away from the boy. The Sannin walked purposefully towards the man and stopped him in his tracks._

_"What's wrong with him?" he asked_

_"Besides the massive blunt force trauma to nearly every part of his body and severe cuts and wounding, there is also the cursed seal upon his neck. And you know the survival rates for them. He's even worse off than the Uchiha who's at deaths gate right now."_

_"Dammit!" he growled out in anger, slamming his fist into a nearby wall._

_"What else can go wrong?"_

_Jiraiya should have known better than to tempt fate._

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

**Convergence the Third**

**Konoha  
'Ne' Headquarters**

"Let me guess, did the tailor forget to cut the scythe high on your shirt again 'Mi'? Was it really extreme enough to bring him over here like that?"

The assassin scowled at the other operator's cheeky questions before flipping him off with his spare hand. Kabuto's supine form was trussed over his shoulder as 'Hebi' dumped the spy onto him when they entered into Konoha proper. She claimed that he could lug the body around since he was a male and was to be regulated to such manly duties as carrying comatose torture victims.

"No, and I only did it once. I specifically asked for high armholes to match my jacket, but he didn't do. He was practically asking for it! Qualified and registered tailor my ass," 'Mi' complained with a growl.

"Wow. You get violent and stabby over clothes. No wonder you're a natural for the job," commented 'Ushi' with a slight drawl. Her eyes danced slightly when she saw him scowl in her direction, pleased that she had managed to score a barb on the usually unflappable shinobi.

"No kidding. I once saw him go ballistic when they tried to cheat him with non Sea Island cotton," joined in 'Hebi' with a good natured smile, stretching in a manner that caught 'Mi's' attention discretely.

"Nag, nag, nag," he complained bitterly. "Whatever, I need to put him in a secured room with that chakra leaching seal array. Is it ready or not?"

'Ushi' blinked before nodding uncertainly. "I think 'Karusu' managed to complete it in time, but we never really tested it for the long run, or at high concentrations. So, he isn't a tailor that can't meet your high expectations? He didn't lie about it being bespoke?"

The nin gave the woman a dirty look before shaking his head and changed his grip on Kabuto. "This little bastard is a medic that can regenerate his cells like Naruto. Though not quite as fast."

"He nearly castrated 'Mi' as well," added 'Hebi' helpfully.

The men around them winced before nodding in sympathy. 'Mi' lapped it up for a second before deciding to punch the unconscious 'genin' in the ribs. He felt one crack satisfyingly under his fist, before it started to reform again.

"You know, the effect is somewhat ... lost if they aren't conscious," 'Hebi' commented dryly.

The man gave an indifferent shrug before doing it again. "Makes me feel better. So where is this magical chamber of ours?"

'Ushi' pointed towards the northern part of the complex with her right hand. "Make your way to the other interrogation cells, it should be the one marked with fancy fuuinjutsu script that no one can really tell what it is. If you squint, it looks like a couple of people writhing around in agony, or drunk on a Friday night."

"I know where it is," 'Hebi' volunteered helpfully and started to lead the way. 'Mi' gave a short grunt before following along, Kabuto's bound legs bouncing awkwardly as he went. The two of them made their way to their destination in comfortable silence until they came across a familiar blonde who smiled and quickly run up to them.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Yugito asked with interest.

"We got ourselves a spy that we will torture, interrogate, torture, rehabilitate," 'Mi' responded gaily. "Then we will break for a snack or a nap, then torture him some more before the day is out."

Yugito blinked at that answer before turning to face 'Hebi' for a second, hopefully more serious, opinion.

The older blonde rolled her eyes before nodding. "Yes, 'Mi' will do exactly that in the next week or so. So if you hear maniacal laughing coming from an isolated room, don't be afraid. It's just him getting his jollies off. With another guy."

"You freaking sadist," accused the Nibi jinchuuriki with a huff.

"I love what I do," responded the man unrepentantly, crossing his arms and ignoring the last aside that 'Hebi' sent his way. This meant that he let go of Kabuto, unfortunately sending him onto the ground with a painful thump.

"How did you find him anyway?" she asked with interest, prodding at his body with her foot like it was a log of wood.

'Hebi' took on an affectionate smirk, deciding to toy with her erstwhile student. "It was all Naruto; he used his highly developed sensory and deduction skills under my ... _tutelage_ to find him and report him to us. Yet another way my darling boy adds value to 'Ne'."

"What kind of ... tutelage?" Yugito asked warily, disliking the sudden shit eating smile on her mentor's face.

With a mysterious grin, the older woman stayed silent, leaving a slightly confused jinchuurki with burning questions on the tip of her tongue.

"Hey wait! I'm talking to you! Where the hell is Naruto-kun now?"

'Mi' yawned a bit before turning his head to face the girl. "He's probably dominating the Chuunin Exam with a hand tied behind his back. Or maybe he's getting it on with his two female teammates. Damn, what a lucky bastard."

"What do you mean?" Yugito asked dangerously, not liking how her day was turning out just by meeting her two teachers.

"You know, about that, if you manage to look back way into history and the team allocations, it has always been MMF," he said seriously.

"Oh, not this again," 'Hebi' groaned out in annoyance.

"MMF?" queried Yugito.

"Male, male, female. Almost without question, that has been like the holy trinity since Konoha was founded," 'Mi' confirmed matter of factly.

"I'll have to take your word for it," the blonde accepted hesitantly, "but I don't see why that matters at all."

"Well, just forget the probabilistic argument that ignorant people like to believe in, what happens when boy and girl work together in life threatening situations on a very regular basis?"

Her eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Oh."

The assassin decided to roll Kabuto over on the floor and rest his foot over his throat. "Are you kidding me? Is this the first time that you have thought about this? Have you even seen his jounin-sensei as well?"

Yugito narrowed her eyes before nodding grimly.

He took on a lecturing tone to the suddenly interested blonde, "Ok, the unofficial rule of genin team selection is two guys to one girl. No one really knows why it happens like that, but that's the way it has been structured since I was a genin. However, it gets kinda awkward, but Naruto gets to avoid all of that nonsense. As an enterprising, young and hormonal boy, he has the perfect opportunity to, you know, have lots of fun. Without another guy being involved. It's even better when you have a female sensei to give a running commentary on what to do. And maybe even join in."

"Would you stop that? Just saying it over and over won't make it true. And stop projecting those stupid fantasies as well onto Naruto; it will rarely happen, at least not back in the day," 'Hebi' complained with long suffering annoyance.

"I guess back in your days meant back when dinosaurs roamed the Elemental Nations," Yugito observed innocently.

"Yes when dinosaurs- No! You disrespectfully little hussy, I should-"

The jinchuuriki turned up her nose before commented superiorly, "It's not my fault you're getting along in your age, just like your partner over there."

There was a rather pronounced silence after her words which had the desired effect.

"What did you say?" 'Hebi' asked dangerously.

"Oh, just speaking the truth," Yugito responded nonchalantly, acting all wide eyed and innocent.

'Mi' and 'Hebi' looked at each other before nodding in tacit agreement.

"You know, jealousy doesn't suit you Yugito," 'Mi' started off predatorily.

"Yes, we all know that age is a great proxy for... experience," continued the blonde kunoichi.

"And experience is a great thing," 'Mi' said fondly, "especially for someone new and unused to certain things in life. I mean, when you need help you got the professionals right? It doesn't make any sense for the blind to lead the blind."

"Guidance is great because every boy has to become a man, sooner or later. And if they aren't taught how to do it right the first time, I mean, that's just a tragedy waiting to happen," 'Hebi' said cheekily.

"Yep. I taught him how to kill and survive this harsh, harsh world out there," 'Mi' said in a fatherly tone.

"And it's up to me to fill in the gaps," 'Hebi' added suggestively, "which only I can do. Boy toys are so much fun to have. So eager to please, so happy to find that perfect introduction between a man and a women. Little naive girls just don't cut it."

Yugito gritted her teeth at the smiling duo before spitting out, "I hate you both! There is no way that Naruto-kun will choose an old hag like you over me!"

There was dead silence as the two blondes stared each other down.

"Apologise, now," 'Hebi' demanded dangerously.

"Make me!" spat back Yugito with a devil may care look on her face.

"Hey, not that I don't like watching two hot women fight each other in a corridor, but we have a prisoner to deposit. And you're missing out on the mud and bikinis. Can I call for a raincheck?" 'Mi' asked hopefully.

The women gave him a glare that promptly shut him up.

"I was just saying... oh fine, be that way. Prudes," he grumbled out in disgust.

The glares suddenly intensified even further, even making his iron constitution wilt somewhat under the combine power of blonde dissatisfaction.

"I'll go dump the prisoner while you two sort out your differences," he conceded weakly before walking away.

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
Central Tower  
Secured Infirmary East**

_Now... this is interesting..._

Cold eyes regarded the ordered city around him as he slowly walked through the wide roads. With a keen sense of appreciation, Orochimaru took in the miniature Konoha that inexplicably represented the mindscape of Uzumaki Naruto. Stopping for a moment, he pushed his hand into a wall to find that it was as solid as it would have been in the real world. Exerting more force, he concentrated mentally in an effort to distort the bonds holding the false reality together.

_How very odd..._

Despite his not inconsiderable experience, he was unable to do it. The sannin grimaced slightly before walking away with no particular destination in mind. He could even hear his footsteps hitting the pavement, shadows flittering over the ground, even down to the faint feeling of sunshine hitting his face.

_Every detail, it's here perfectly. Down the last detail. A fraudulent reality._

_My, my. You are a curious one, aren't you?_

Orochimaru's shade looked around in avid interest at the mindscape which manifested itself within the blond jinchuuriki before stopping. There was an area that felt a bit off, concentrated in a manner that no word could ever quite describe. But it was as familiar to him as Icha Icha Paradise was to Kakashi. The beginnings of a smirk started to form on the Snake Sannin's face before he walked confidently towards it. Traversing the grounds in a matter of moments, the nukenin found himself in front of an apartment building that he recognised in his youth.

_Hmm... the shinobi quarters. What could be in here?_

"Funny, I wouldn't think that Naruto-kun would let you in here."

Instinctively he turned around and moulded into a fighting pose where normal restrictions such as joints had no meaning. His eyes narrowed slightly as he extended his extrasensory powers, a bizarre mixture of chakra and something else, towards the entity confronting him.

He saw a woman regarding him with a coy expression on her face. Her ivory like skin definitely brought her up a few points in his mind as he discretely checked her out. She had long dark hair that seemed to drink in the light, a black lacquer bound into plats that extended beyond the small of her back. Her epicanthic eyes stared at him with a probing intensity which arrested his attention. Wearing a soft looking robe without shoes she looked harmless, causing Orochimaru to smile softly before letting go of his guard. He was still at full alert, though his probes started to recoil away from the woman, as if she was something that shouldn't have existed in this place at all.

_Then again, I could say the same for myself really..._

"Ah, so you must be the Kyuubi," he deduced with a mocking bow.

"Yes, that is what you ningen call me, I suppose," she acknowledge with another bow that screamed out condescension and put his to shame. From the slight crinkle around her eyes, the inflection in her voice, to the sheer sinuous action of her bending body which made a snake look arthritic.

She cocked his head at him as they looked at each other in silence. It dragged on, as Orochimaru refused to budge despite the increasingly dangerous scenario that he had found himself in.

_Why are you roaming around here so freely?_

The Kyuubi seemed to tire of the staring game and asked nonchalantly, "Why are you here?"

The sannin seemed to consider her question before responding just as casually, "Many reasons, I guess. 'Because I felt like it' is something that comes to mind."

She laughed at that, a languid sound that was as smooth as honey. Taking a few steps forward, the Kyuubi affected a smirk before stopping within striking distance.

"I must admit that I do not get guests here on a regular basis."

Stopping at that, she shook her head and corrected herself ruefully, "Well, not ones that I do not invite willingly anyway."

Orochimaru blinked slowly at that before smiling himself, "Well, I'm flattered I guess."

"Flattered that you come barging into my beloved like the wretched interloper that you are?" she asked sweetly.

"I do not think that it is fair for you to keep Naruto-kun to yourself, he is such a fascinating boy," he shot back just as nicely.

The Kyuubi regarded the man for another moment before giving a satisfied smile, "My, this has certainly been an interesting few days. Not only does my host enter into the "prestigious" Chuunin exams-"

The renegade had to smirk at the emphasis placed upon the word.

"We discover that you have done something that should not really be possible. But more importantly, you are marking my property. That seal of yours is responsible for that."

She pointed to the horizon where storm clouds were gathering. It was an angry looking thing that threatened rain and thunder.

"I am quite partial to blue skies you know, they remind me of his eyes," she said crossly.

"Would it matter if I said I was sorry?" Orochimaru responded facetiously.

The Kyuubi dropped the pretence of civility and exerted the power that was straining to be release, "Do you really think that you can come into my home and usurp it?"

Orochimaru refused to stagger back, despite the force that she had placed within her words, "Your home? You forget that you are stuck in this boy's body, under very odd circumstances. I never quite understood how the greatest practitioner of the Path ended up with such an ... _ignoble_ situation."

His words stopped her cold as she tried to comprehend how he knew. "How do –"

"There are many paths to ascension," he responded mysteriously before chuckling, "Your one caught my attention but the risks weren't worth it. I wouldn't want to be immortal in that state."

Now he had really got her interest as she considered that the upstart bastard could actually be of some use, "You know too much for a mere mortal..."

He angrily spat at that and laughed harshly. "I am beyond that now. No one can understand the depths that I had to go, to pierce the layers of mortality to understand everything that I do!"

"Wow, megalomania much?" she observed dryly.

"Perhaps," he allowed without any shame, "but then again that is very rich coming from you and what you did. Tell me, was your cost worth it?"

The woman was silent at that, her mind firing away as she tried to understand how Orochimaru knew so much.

"We are not so different really," the sannin continued earnestly, "we have goals to accomplish and place very little value on human life. Some people call us monsters for that, but they cannot see the results and what they can accomplish."

"I think, that it's time for you to die," she concluded slowly.

He bared a wicked grin at her, his highly developed incisors showing in a menacing way.

"This has been the whole point all along," he whispered out softly.

"I cannot die."

* * *

Naruto had woken up in some terrible ways in his young life. Up on the list was regaining consciousness to see 'Mi's' self-satisfied smirk after a training session, like it was some kind of major accomplishment to beat up on a kid three times his junior. But the blond knew it was bad when he woke up to see the perfect skies of the bizarre place he went to in his dreams most of the time. Granted, seeing Kyuu wasn't a bad thing per se, but the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was collapsing over Yuugao as he had pushed himself over a boundary he didn't know existed.

_Well, shit._

His body felt like it was on fire, a fever hitting him like a freight carriage as he tried to stand up. Falling over, he gave up for now and stared at the clouds before putting his hand to his neck tentatively. The blond probed at it, hoping to meet smooth, unbroken skin, but was disappointed. It was the size of a small nut, tomoes engraved upon his flesh as he traced it with his fingers. It had an odd texture, slightly hard, like a metallic tattoo that was raised somewhat but remained strangely organic.

_Seriously, what, the, fuck?_

The pain and nausea was still with him after a few moments, but he ignored it and stood up, stumbling along the road to get a good grip onto something solid. A door way helped him to stand unbent, but it was a continual struggle to not collapse back onto the floor and hug himself.

_Urgh, why do I feel like I was beaten up by a closet paedophile?_

**Kit?**

He turned saw his saviour looking at him with naked concern. He turned and stumbled into the Kyuubi's embrace, her comforting arms reached around him and he felt power throb between them. His aches slowly drained away, still being present, but the edge had been taken off allowing him to concentrate better. He gave her a thankful hug before trying to walk a bit.

_Shit, I never felt pain before in this place. What the hell happened?_

**Ummm kit, you were beaten up by a closet paedophile.**

Her delivery was dry and perfect, causing him to spin back in horror.

_What? How could you let that happen to me, Kyuu?_

His accusation made her look upset and she swatted him across the head, making the blond growl some more.

**Whatever. You let this happen to you. By being so weak and defenceless, it was like kicking a puppy. The outcome was never really in dispute. **

He wanted to yell at her, rail against her words as lies but he just slumped over in self-loathing. The blond remembered the fight between the two of them and it was no contest. Given enough surprise and the chance to unleash his zanpakuto, he might have pulled off something approaching a stalemate, but he was clearly dominated before the fight even began.

_Damn it!_

As much as he resisted the urge to stamp his feet and yell, the teen couldn't help himself.

_This isn't fucking fair! What the hell do I have to do to get a break around here?_

_How, how much better do I have to get before I can stop getting hurt?_

**You're lucky that you weren't awake when he started to undo his pants once you were knocked out. **

_Nani?_

His question revealed a moment of weakness that he would show no one but the Kyuubi. She understood his sentiments, in fact she subtly fed his insecurities, but this wasn't something that she had planned. That wasn't going to stop her from using it despite its opportunistic nature, however.

_What the hell happened, though? He fucking bit me, then stuff started to go hazy. Oh shit, what about Hinata? Ino? Yuugao?_

**They are safe for now. An ANBU team found you guys and took you to the central tower. And for the bigger question about Orochimaru, well, he violated you with his chakra. He put a part of himself into your body, deep enough to affect your soul.**

_Kami, that sounds disgusting!_

**That's because it was, kit.**

_What, what the hell happens now?_

**Well, you see, I'm not sure.**

_What do you mean? Aren't you the certified genius around here?_

**Dammit, don't you dare use that against me now!**

_You can't have it both ways, you greedy kitsune. Wait, he split his soul up into pieces? Wow. That's pretty fucked up. How can anyone do that to themselves? Divide off parts of their soul like it's going out of fashion?_

**Most people can't. Or won't. It leaves their sanity in tatters and weakens their grasp on life. But if they are strong enough, they can exert some control over their host.**

_Wait, that bastard can control me now?_

**Oh relax kit, do you think that I would let him do that to you?**

He relaxed a bit at her assurance, but still felt a bit uneasy about the whole situation.

_Dammit, what do I have to do to get stronger. I mean, all of this extra training and I still get my ass kicked! It isn't fair dammit!_

**Don't be too hard on yourself. You haven't spent the last thirty or so years training and butchering your soul into pieces. You just have spent the last seven. You'll get there.**

_That's not the fucking point!_

**Yes I know. But there are some limitations that you can't overcome just like that. You have to want something so bad, to really give it up. **

_I want that fucker dead, you hear me! Dead!_

**My, my, aren't you a bit touchy? And bloodthirsty? I must say I feel slightly turned on by all of this. You really are a bad boy aren't you?**

_Nani?_

**All in good time I guess. We have work to do, before pleasure. First up is to get you up and running, and then deal with this pesky little seal on your neck. **

_I don't like this. What the hell is happening in the real world anyway? How long will I be unconscious?_

**Not sure. I think we should worry about our uninvited guest first.**

Kyuu had a predatory grin on her face that sent shivers down Naruto's spine in an unusual way. She drew him in close and whispered into his ears.

**Now be very, very quiet. We are hunting Orochimaru's.**

She gaily took his hand in her own as they stalked Naruto's mindscape with on objective in mind.

It was hunting season.

* * *

**Come on kit, don't tell me that this isn't fun.**

_Well, maybe, just a little bit._

She held onto his hand tightly as the two of them moved through a fan search pattern of the mindscape, something that not even Naruto had bothered to explore deeply in the past.

_This is weird you know, I mean, how big is this all?_

**Naruto-kun, how big is your mind?**

He stopped to think about that question before sounding a bit unsure.

_I donno. Big I guess._

**You guess or you hope?**

_Quiet you!_

**The human mind is a wonderfully complex thing, capable of so much. Though I wonder if this does accurately represent everything in Konoha, despite the fact that you haven't been to all places.**

_You know, I never really thought of that. _

**Could be useful in the future, once we find our rabbit.**

_Rabbit?_

**I mean, Orochimaru.**

His silence was mocking, despite the hard pressure being exerted on his hand by the Kyuubi, warning him that any smart comment would be met with pain.

**What, it was an honest mistake.**

_Oh please. Of course there is a natural connection between that bastard and a furry animal._

**One day you will easily be able to hunt them both with the same difficulty that I have with those damnable rabbits.**

**It's good to have a goal to work towards, isn't it kit?**

He refused to answer that one and pointedly ignored her for a few moments.

**Kit, try and narrow his location for us. He can't keep hiding away forever. As much as I like spending time with you, this is getting a bit annoying.**

_How the hell do I do that?_

She stopped for a moment and placed her hands over his eyes.

_Hey, what –_

**Calm down and close your eyes.**

The blond stifled his irritation and complied reluctantly.

**Now, relax and think of this place. How long have you known it?**

_For as long as I've met you._

**Exactly, you know this place well because in a real sense it is you. Now, how does it feel normally?**

_I – don't know. Calm usually, or a place that feels ... nice I guess._

**And how does it feel now?**

He thought about the question for a few moments, scrunching his eyes as he truly felt deep and recoiled slightly at what he found.

_Kinda... oily? Something like a ... stain that won't go away. Urgh._

**Not bad kit. Where is it located though?**

Naruto relaxed even more, feeling something bizarre happen. He didn't quite need his eyes anymore as his senses seem to expand beyond his body.

_Woah..._

**What's happening kit?**

_I can see ..._

It was like seeing everything in details that he could never appreciate before. Naruto remembered Wave for some reason and how he looked at the coastline. The horizon seemed to stretch out towards the ocean and into nothingness, the equivalent of staring into space at night. But it was now like he was able to zoom in and comprehend what had formerly been beyond his sight.

He could see the parts of the mindscape that were as solid as reality, plus the parts that were barely holding onto existence yet seemed concrete from a distance. He could feel bizarre concentrations of highs and lows around the place, though he couldn't find a word to describe what they were. Over and over he looked, his senses stretching beyond what was considered normal, even for a shinigami. Things from the tiniest details were clear to him, without warning or real understanding as the stimulus flooded his mind with increasing intensity.

Oh dear.

The Kyuubi could feel the reiatsu burst coming from her host as he instinctively used his powers to seek out the odd meta-human that had invaded their territory. The knowledge retained from the original soul-slayer came into the forefront of her mind, understanding flowing easily as she understood what the blond had done. Her eyes quirked northwards as she gently laid her fingertips on Naruto's temple, before covering his eyes.

My, oh my.

A large part of her was annoyed at how Naruto could grasp certain things so easily, but was unable to do others. She saw how his body was trembling at the effort to use the latent reiatsu that flowed in tandem in his body. The sheer balancing effort was getting to him and she did not want to see one side overcome the other.

Ah Naruto-kun, you must realise that these things are two streams that run parallel to each other, but must never twine.

She gently removed her hands from his eyes and exerted her own power into him, with just the right amount of sharpness to jolt him back into their reality.

Naruto crumbled a bit, causing Kyuu to support him slightly as he finally started to breathe again. He wondered about the inanity of needing oxygen in a dream, chuckling hysterically at the notion before he had to take in deep breathes again.

**What's wrong?**

_Nothing._

But his tone was flat and there was something wild eyed about her boy that concerned the woman.

**Kit, what happened?**

She pressed him about it, refusing to let go of him until he relented and explained himself.

The teen refused to say anything else, his mind in shambles as he tried to remember and comprehend things that no mortal was made to do. For a brief moment he had held the entirety of the projected world and had understood. But now that he was lucid and awake, it began to flow away from him, like water held in a person's palm. No matter what he did, the tricks that he had learnt to memorise and retain it were of no use. He felt empty in a bizarre way, like a container bereft of anything to hold.

_I saw it. I saw it all..._

Kyuu looked concerned at his mumblings, the feral look in his eyes slowly fading away back to sanity.

_But, but now... it's gone._

She nodded in understanding before engulfing him into a comforting embrace.

**I think it's better that you didn't remember. Looking too deep, too fast has driven stronger people than you mad, kit. **

The blond stayed silent after that, blinking every once in a while as his shattered thoughts rearranged themselves into something resembling order.

_What, what the hell just happened?_

Kyuu remained silent as the blond mumbled for a bit, blinking furiously to ward off the headache that was fast approaching.

**Something ... dangerous.**

_Alright, I'm never going to do that again._

**Probably for the best.**

They remained like that for a few moments, a maternal scene of comfort between the two as the shocked boy was confronted again by his weakness. She gently nuzzled the crown of his head with her chin, her fingers lightly running over his back which sent light shivers through the boy. After enough time had passed, she softly pressed him with a question.

**Did you see anything useful though?**

Her charge nodded hesitantly before opening up his thoughts to her.

_I know where he is._

* * *

"Well, that could have gone better."

The wry comment was made to no one in particular, but that didn't stop Orochimaru from grimacing and looking at his arm in disgust.

What had once been a well formed limb was now a corrupted mass of flesh that seemed to be dying from the inside. The pseudo-flesh was rotting, the stench hitting his nose and causing his stomach to churn in disgust. He stifled his annoyance, rationalising that he had experience worse things for the sake of his experiments.

"For Kami's sake, Minato, you pretentious hack, couldn't you even seal the Kyuubi right?" he spat out disdainfully.

He knew that placing his seal on the jinchuuriki would have been the ultimate prize, an elegant way of addressing the slight that the Sandaime had dealt to him all those years ago. He may not have wanted the blond for a host, but controlling a potential powerhouse like Uzumaki Naruto was too good of a chance to ignore.

Despite his antagonism towards the Yondaime, he had at least grudgingly respected his abilities with fuuinjutsu. But seeing the spectral embodiment of the nine tails not only alive and well, but also wandering around Naruto's mindscape had him reconsider the tiny bit of praise he was willing to give out.

The whole situation raised more questions than answers, especially seeing how she wasn't as powerless as he had hoped.

He remembered the power that she had emanated before casually unleashing it like a ninja lazily throwing a kunai. It was enough to make him shudder in remembrance.

His will was strong, but he sincerely doubted that it was enough to suborn that of the Kyuubi along with Naruto.

"What the hell are you?" he asked again out loud, leaning against the wall as he tried to think of an exit strategy.

_Most people's minds are not like this, and I would know, I've raped my way through enough of them to tell. And the fact that the Kyuubi seems just as stuck in here as I am means something._

Orochimaru more sensed than saw the sudden appearance of two people. The first was the infuriatingly polite woman that had sent malign chakra splinters into his arm which were slowly eroding his flesh while travelling towards his heart. He had no idea about what would happen once it reached there, but he would rather not cross that bridge. Next to her was the shorter blond boy who had attracted his curiosity. Both of them stared at him in gruesome satisfaction, especially Naruto who looked like he was ready to rip off his arm, beat him half to death with it and then eat him while he was still conscious.

"Oh, it's you again," he said rather unenthusiastically.

"It's time for this to end, I'm afraid," the Kyuubi said dispassionately.

Naruto seemed to struggle with his rage, the fact that he was held back by the woman being the only thing that was preventing him from blindly rushing at the sannin. He gritted his teeth angrily, words that were on the tip of his tongue failing him as he just gave up.

"What, no words Naruto-kun? My, oh my, I always did find the silent and still ones so fascinating," Orochimaru taunted maliciously.

That was the trigger that he needed and Naruto didn't disappoint.

"You sad excuse of a piss drinking whoreson, why don't you just eat shit and die!" he shouted out hoarsely.

**Wow, I knew 'Mi' was a bad influence on you.**

The Snake Sannin's eyes widened in surprise and chuckled, "My, what a filthy mouth that you have. Maybe someone should wash it out with something."

_He never stops, does he?_

"As much as I love the banter between the two of us, I brought you here for a reason," he spoke out mysteriously.

"What do you mean, we found you," Naruto asked suspiciously.

The pale faced man chuckled at that before giving them both a condescending look, "Yes, you would have thought that wouldn't you?"

It was then that they noticed the strange concentration of pressure that surrounded the area that they were in. Its presence was slowly wafting over and lightly touching everything around it.

Kyuu narrowed her eyes and flash ignited some chakra, sending an intense burst that covered the area that they were in. Naruto and Orochimaru winced at that, but they both stayed on their feet as the blond's eyes widened at the widening gap which was now visible in the horizon.

_Shit, what is that?_

**I think that's the metaphysical representation of the dimensional door which contains some sort of spatial entity.**

_Wait, what?_

**It's where he came in from and is the source of the corruption that you're feeling. **

Disappointed that his genjutsu was dispelled so easily, the renegade sighed before extending the Kusanagi from his mouth again. Holding the blade delicately in his hand, he gave them a half hearted salute before relaxing into his fighting style.

"Let us see how things turn out now."

* * *

**Hi no Kuni  
Konoha  
Safehouse**

"Did you have your fun?"

Orochimaru turned with an ambiguous smile towards the Kazekage, the taciturn man who gave him a suspicious look before sitting back into his chair more comfortably.

"Indubitably. It was awfully refreshing seeing youths that are entering into the cusp of their powers."

Sabaku no Hideki was a hard man, his face usually hidden behind the veil which formed part of the customary robes worn by elders in Kaze no Kuni. They were long and loosely flowing, hiding a multitude of things that were easily in his grasp. His darkened eyes regarded Orochimaru with amusement before they quickly schooled themselves back into indifference. Years of training and intrigue had made him a difficult man to read, even to his closest advisors who always had to tread lightly around the kage.

_He is cold steel, this one. Hard and unyielding, everything that I need and more._

"And then crushing them before they had a chance to shine," the sannin finished smoothly.

"That's a trite justification, why would you even bother entering into the Chuunin exams personally?" the kage asked curiously.

His features hardened into a scowl as he stood up deliberately, "This was an unnecessary risk because they now know that you are here, operating in their heart. I know that you things such as secrecy and subtlety are beneath you, but honestly, did you take leave of your senses?"

"I wanted to see how my old village did things after I have left, to see if they had changed anything. Plus, there were a few... trophies that I wanted to take as well," he admitted candidly.

"Trophies," the kage asked warily, his displeasure still evident in his harsh tone.

"Nothing to concern yourself over," he said soothingly, "I was just removing some obstacles that could potentially become a problem for us during the end game."

"Genin? You exposed yourself to take care of some wet behind the ear rookies? What threat do genin pose to our plans?" Hideiki asked flatly.

"All genin are not made equal," the sannin countered, "especially the ones that I took care of. Call it a preventative measure. You should know, your dear son is a genin himself. In many ways, he is a deal breaker. Konoha has a few things which might become problematic if left... untouched."

"This is not what we had agreed upon," the kage said darkly. "We were supposed to be relying upon the element of surprise; perhaps you remember that concept from your first year?"

Orochimaru had to crush his instinctive reaction to punish such insolence, and contented himself with a lop sided grin. "My presence will draw their attention away from what we are doing. They will lose sight of everything else in their pathetic and amateurish attempts to take me down. When they do that, it wouldn't be too hard for you to slip your kunai through their ribs, will it?"

Hideki could tell that he was being mocked, but refused to take the bait. "That could work, in theory, but then again, their threat levels are raised up unnecessarily. How will we respond to that?"

"What's there to respond to?" Orochimaru asked pointedly. "It looks like only one single man was involved, so they will do the usual things. But the tactics used for holing up one person are different to preventing an entire army from knocking on the doors. The cracks will come and then we shall see who is laughing."

The kage still looked uneasy at that, but there was little he could do about it at this point. "We shall see, I guess. Though, these surprises and unilateral decisions make me seriously reconsider our arrangement. One would think that they were not entered into in good faith."

Laughing at that, Orochimaru stood up and gave him a cynical look. "Good faith? What are we, fiduciaries to each other? Let's not play at games here. You are the one that wanted to break up the _Hikari no Doumei_ (Alliance of Light), did you not?" the renegade pointed out blithely.

The kage's mouth twisted at that name before he grimaced. The strategic relationship born between the Fire and Wind nations was one that had held them through the various shinobi wars in the past.

For generations, the two had held each other in bonds of brotherhood as they had endured conflict after conflict before the Daimyo's had decided that enough was enough and imposed their peace on the Elemental Nations. They had had faithfully honoured the spirit and letter of their venture for generations, being sealed in blood, tears and promises.

And now the Kazekage wanted to renege on it.

Other nations knew that to take on one would invite retribution from the other. Years and years of cooperation had created strategic benefits which had culminated into the _Kaji Arashi_ (Firestorm) doctrine. The combination of katon and futon jutsu had created devastation on a level that few could comprehend. Firestorms raged throughout the wars, self-sustained tornadoes of fire and ash that indiscriminately destroyed everything in their path. In the past they had caused the roads themselves to burn—the air itself became a weapon, reaching levels that caused super-heated steam to erupt—and sucked people into the eye of the storm like a vacuum. Few nations would willingly stand up to that knowing that their countries could be consumed in a conflagration that would leave little for the survivors.

Iwa had learnt that to their sorrow before they regressed into tactics that diminished the effectiveness of large scale jutsu use. But it was a lesson that no tactician could forget when dealing with the Suna-Konoha alliance.

But for something that had worked so well in the past, why the kage wished to act against it seemed baffling.

They stared at each other, each measuring and pondering if they could trust the other at all before filing away their contingency plans.

"Speaking of this, are you sure that they won't interfere?" Hideki asked seriously.

"They?" Orochimaru asked coyly.

"Please, don't play at being stupid. They will be present and judging this stupid little contest that they foisted on the villages after the last time. Our entire plan kind of fails if that assumption falls through."

The Snake Sannin scoffed at that notion, "Since when have they? For over two hundred years they have left us do what we wanted. The kages bow down to them in name only, but they are just paper tigers. You should know that, you have dealt with the Wind daimyo intimately, if the rumours are true. How is she by the way?"

"Acting like a stupid irrational woman," the kage replied flatly.

The renegade laughed at that before sighing in sympathy. "Doesn't help that she is a powerful, irrational woman, does it?"

"No," admitted the Kazekage candidly.

"I must admit, it is an odd precedent that she had started by giving most of the military contracts to Konoha. How does it feel to have them operating in your jurisdiction?" he goaded with a sincere looking smile conveying his faux concern.

"There is little choice in the matter, while the daimyos are acting unconscionably," Hideki ground out in anger.

"Yes, it's all about the funding, isn't it?" Orochimaru asked sardonically.

"That inbred bitch has no idea of what she is doing, and Konoha is guilty of undercutting our prices to capture more market share," he seethed out loud, remembering the various indignities that he had to suffer, where he had to beg for contracts that should have been his as of right.

"Konoha has not lived up to their side of the bargain. An ally does not enrich them at the expense of the other," Hideki declared righteously. "I don't care that they are projecting strength when it does not exist, it cannot continue any longer. Suna will show then that we are not a captive protectorate of the Konoha superpower. We can stand on our own two feet."

Orochimaru clapped at that, a light tapping of his palms, slowly and deliberately with the ever present sneer on his face. "Oh, bravo, bravo. That is certainly one way for the junior to surpass the superior. It warms my heart. It really does."

Hideki cocked his head sideways before standing up. "Isn't that really what you are doing? So bitter about Sarutobi appointing Minato that you went off and decided that if you weren't going to have it, then no-one else was?" he asked slyly.

"I do not expect you to understand the delicate situation and relationships that existed back then," the sannin denied flatly.

"Of course not," the kage agreed mockingly, "we all have our reasons for doing this, and it's not like I can judge you for your motivations. Why, that would make me a hypocrite, and I think I have sent far too many to their deaths to not realise that now."

The Kazekage buffed his fingernails against his robes before continuing, "It's as though our daimyo doesn't understand the concept of the shinobi caste. Though Konoha may be our allies, there is always room for 're-negotiation' of our agreement when times change. I have made very pointed overtures to Sarutobi to no avail. Betrayal, if that is the right word to be used, is only natural when the benefits exceed the costs. And betrayal is something that the Elemental Nations know all too well. Isn't that right Orochimaru?"

The yellow eyed man quirked up his lips before giving a mocking bow. "Guilty as charged, my dear Kazekage. Guilty as charged. But then again, I am not the one about to break an alliance that has stood over two wars, some piddly little border disputes and the envy of the rest of the world."

"The situation is ... fluid," he responded cagily.

"Isn't it always?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
Central Tower  
Secured Infirmary East**

"Na-Naruto-kun..."

Hyuuga Hinata stood miserably by the Uzumaki's bedside as she gently took his lukewarm hand in her own. Her sensitive fingers gently probed for a pulse running through his arteries before finding an irregular pattern. Her brow furrowed as she remembered how strong it was usually when she had the guilty pleasure of holding his hands as they went out, usually with Hanabi riding on Naruto's shoulders. That had always annoyed her, but she would have given a lot to see her crush back to his normal state of being.

His pulse should have been as steady and strong as a metronome, almost capable of being used as a time reference. But she felt it stutter and flutter like a candle in the wind, which bothered the girl to a level that she couldn't understand. He was the rock in her world, the thing that she could depend on for being there and able to stand when she would fall. But now that wasn't the case, and it was never a pleasant thing to have self-held truths to be proven false.

But what was worse was the crushing feeling of guilt that threatened to overcome her as she gazed upon her lifelong crush.

_Naruto-kun..._

The strongest person that she ever knew beside her father was standing on deaths door as he fought desperately to save them. She gently brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen over his eyes. With some trepidation, she slowly nudged the blond's head to the side so she could see the seal.

The mark was dark and ominous, indelible ink which stained the boy's tanned skin like some sort of tar. She made a move to touch it, but Naruto subconsciously flinched away from the offending hand. She had to suppress a cry before she lovingly rearranged his head so it was straight again.

The girl looked lost as she didn't know what to do. Ino was still in a medically induced coma while medics and some members of the ANBU were examining her. She knew that Team Seven had been placed in the same position and some of them were still being operated on by the medics. She had heard rumours that Shino had his arm amputated as a result of some wounds he had taken.

_Stupid, lousy Hinata, lying unconscious when he needed you._

_Needed you!_

_What were you doing?_

_When he needed some help, the only time he really needed help, and you were taking a nap?_

_How can you protect him when he is the one risking his life to save you?_

_What use are you to him?_

Her self-recriminations had robbed the kunoichi of her sleep. Her pale lavender eyes were tinged with crimson as she tried to hold the tears in. She felt useless and worthless, the scornful words in her subconscious punishing her along with her conscience. She had tried to keep up appearances, remembering years and years of lectures about decorum and self control from her family.

But any self control was beyond her at the moment, her painful insecurities pulling her downwards. As she felt her cheeks moisten, Hinata hastily made a move to wipe them before anyone could see her shame. She grabbed onto Naruto's hand desperately, grasping onto him in a way that she could not while he was conscious.

_Why me? Out of Team Eight, why me? _

She had visited Ino briefly before being firmly ushered out of the room. The only thing she knew was that the medics were unsure about her condition. The high frequency brain waves she was emitting indicated that she was caught in some sort of genjutsu based nightmare, but no technique seem to be helping her regain control or snap out of it. The only reactions were slight whimpers and shouts which no one could explain. There was talk of a specialist being called to assist, but she had no idea if that would help at all.

The Hyuuga got off easy compared to her teammates. The worst that she had were a few bruises and a shattered pride. But she was the one to be left watching the pieces come apart without being able to put them back together again.

It was stupid and somewhat selfish, but she felt that it was a form of torture she was going through as well. After everything that they have been through, her team was as close to her as her family. In some respects, they were even closer. She had always felt that they were strong enough, that with Naruto with them they were untouchable.

But she now knew the truth. That because she had let the blond take on the lion's share of the work had things ended up the way it did.

_No, it was my fault._

_My fault that I let Naruto-kun do that. _

_I knew that we couldn't rely on Ino, but I could have been stronger for him, so that he didn't have to suffer like this._

_Naruto-kun doesn't need people that he has to look after. He needs people who can stand by his side and rely upon._

_What were you Hinata? Were you his partner, the person he could trust to fight and watch his back?_

_Or were you just one of these parasitic leaches that added no value and took him for granted?_

_What are you Hinata? Which one? Decide now damn it!_

She felt her fists tighten as she swore that this would never happen again. She didn't question the odd voice in her head because she agreed with everything that it said.

_I will get stronger._

_I will do it so you don't have to be hurt anymore. _

_Anything for you._

_Anything. _

The kunoichi held onto Naruto's hand with such desperation that she would have caused him some discomfort had he been awake. But it remained cold and clammy, like all the familiar warmth had been sucked out of him.

"If you do that any harder, you might break a bone or two."

Startled, Hinata looked up to see the ANBU guard look at her suspiciously, both of them casually resting their hands over their ninjatou. She felt slightly self conscious until she realised that she had a right to be here.

"I would never hurt Naruto-kun, never," she responded with uncharacteristic viciousness.

The female ANBU gave her an inscrutable look, helped by the neko face mask that covered everything but her eyes before she gave her a slight nod.

The taller male operative cocked his head slightly before relaxing his grip on the hilt of his blade. "Perhaps, but it looks like he sure took a beating for the rest of your team."

Hinata coloured at that, not being able to deny that statement as she was reminded again of her failings. Ashamed of the blunt truth, she bowed her head slightly, her fists clenching as she started to shake again.

Turning to her right, the guard gave her partner a disproving look which he shrugged off

"Maybe it would be a good idea if you gave him some time to rest and recover," she began kindly, "there isn't really much anyone can do for him right now."

The Hyuuga heiress was loathe to leave the blond alone by himself in the cramped, sterile room with the two masked operators, but she could admit that her presence wouldn't do anything but make her feel better.

_Haven't you had enough of that? Trying to make yourself feel better?_

_Isn't it time that you stood up and took some responsibility so that when he wakes up you won't be nothing but a waste of space anymore?_

Hinata gave an imperceptible nod to herself as she gave Naruto one last tearful look before walking away from the room. The two guards watched her exit before standing more at ease and moved to opposite ends of the infirmary.

They had a job to do and they were damned if anyone else would hurt Uzumaki Naruto under their watch.

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage Tower  
Jounin Lounge**

"Another drink please."

Yuuhi Kurenai sat in the bar conveniently located in the jounin lounge, along with the rest of the jounin sensei as they tried to digest the events of the last five hours. It was a sombre mood that everyone was in, even for those who did not enter in teams but had found out what had happened. Most people were not surprised to see that Kurenai had come down there after seeing her students in the infirmary. She had held it before taking her feelings out on twenty year old aged sake. The porcelain cups were arranged neatly in front of her, but were heavily used over the last few hours as various people had joined her. Some of them gave a few quiet words of support, while others were content with just being there and drinking as well. She didn't mind but was in no real mood to talk to anyone about what had happened.

"Was- was I wrong to send them in?" she asked in a tortured whisper to herself. The jounin was questioning her judgment after everything that had happened, feeling responsible for how things had turned out.

Her feelings had taken a wild ride as she was informed of Team Eight's encounter with the Snake Sannin. Her heart seized as she thought of the potential disaster that could have led to. And what it did lead to. While she knew that Naruto was good, he was nowhere near Orochimaru's level.

_Hell, I don't think anyone is in this village. _

That was a morose thought that depressed her, seeing how there were threats out there that not even she could face comfortably. And to have her three students up against that renegade just made her wonder if karma was realigning itself somehow.

With trepidation she had approached the medical quarters where Naruto, Ino and Hinata were placed. A semi-crazed and hysterical Hinata ran up to her and hugged onto her with such a distraught look that her heart broke for the girl. She had said what she could, and tried to get the story from the Hyuuga. The disjointed tale was enough to make her pale and check up on the remaining two. Their conditions were as bad as Hinata made it out to be, and the two of them stayed around for a few hours, hoping for a breakthrough. Unfortunately, circumstances were not so obliging so she went off for a few moments, trying to understand what had happened just a few hours ago. The Hyuuga heiress refused to go home which brought a wan smile to her face.

_Oh Hinata... I hope he opens up his eyes one of these days._

_Otherwise it will just be another one of those easily avoidable tragedies that we see too often._

The other jounin-sensei gave her sympathetic looks before murmuring soft nothings, unable to really add anything which would make the situation better.

"Should I have held them back, and this wouldn't have happened? Right?" she asked them, a tinge of desperation in her voice as self-loathing was starting to hit.

"Look, you can't blame yourself for this. It wasn't your fault," Asuma tried to counsel the woman, seeing how wound up that she was.

She scowled at the cigarette smoking man before taking a shot of liquor. "That's easy for you to say. Your team made it through without one of them being nearly beaten to death and the other in a coma."

Asuma frowned at that before crossing his arms. "Hey, don't get all bitchy at me. The fact is that these exams are dangerous and things happen. There is no amount of preparation that you could have done to prevent that. You did the best you could so that they could stand up on their own two feet."

"That, that doesn't make me feel any better," she said moodily, her cup raising to her plump lips before sending the liquor down.

"You really care for them don't cha?"

She looked at Genma sadly before nodding. "They are my first and probably my best."

Kurenai laughed at that before sighing, "How sad is that? I've been spoilt by them and any other team in the future won't be anything but a disappointment."

"Don't say that," Gai advised seriously, his face uncharacteristically not sporting his grin which too many people saw as a sign of naiveté.

Stopping for a moment, she poured more sake unsteadily before putting it down on the table. Her crimson eyes grew reflective and maudlin, tears building but refusing to flow. "I, I was so sure that they could do it. That they would dominate the exams. And – and then this happens."

Asuma took a deep breath before placing his hand gently over her shoulder. "How are they?"

"No one really knows. Naruto and Sasuke are placed under ANBU watch while we try and figure out what to do. Ino looks like she's been screwed up and no one seems to understand why."

"Is it true then?" Genma asked intently.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

He looked around before lowering his voice. "Was _he_ there?"

Kurenai looked confused as she tried to avoid the question. "What are you talking about?" she answered disingenuously.

The other man seemed to read an answer in her response and shut up. Taking up his glass he gave the ceiling a salute before drinking it in one motion. He put it down before looking around the rest of the room.

"Where the hell is Kakashi? And Anko?" he asked curiously.

Everyone else looked around, but no one really knew where the secretive nin was. Mitarashi Anko was the proctor for the second exam and her absence was also conspicuous. Kurenai didn't seem to notice as she was lost in her little haze, trying to think of how the problem could have been sorted.

_Did I fail them somehow?_

_Could I have stopped this?_

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
Central Tower  
Secured Infirmary East**

"Oh Naruto-kun..."

'Hebi' whispered out in soft pity as she saw the boy lie on his bed, breathing shallowly as a solid heartbeat began to register on the medical equipment. His sun tanned face was a sallow, pasty colour that looked like a corpse on the coroners table.

The blonde carefully reached for the boy's hand to squeeze it gently. She had never seen him like this, not even after the brutal training program that 'Ne' had devised for him when he was still a kid. Though torturous and inhumane, even by shinobi standards, he had never been as badly injured as he was today.

Her hands then fondly reached for his cheek, feeling the bizarre coldness that seemed to be emanating from his skin. She gently turned his head over so she could see the side of his neck.

Though it was a simple symbol it represented so much ugliness that it bothered her. The only other person in Konoha who had it was Mitarashi Anko, who was well known for her psychological issues, which may have been a direct result of the seal. The potential for such a seemingly innocuous thing to change her student bothered her deeply.

"You really care for that brat, don't you?" 'Mi' asked carefully, seeing the tenderness that seemed uncharacteristic for the kunoichi that had been partnered on and off again for over a decade.

Both of them were dressed in ANBU fatigues, masquerading as bodyguards in the small Dignitary Protection unit. Most people knew better than to enter a room sealed with the black ribbon. Given the rather volatile political state of affairs, it was standard operating procedure that the operators were given orders to kill on sight anyone that remotely looked like a threat and crossed the ribbon.

She gave an absentminded smile as she continued to stroke the blonde's hair gently. "Naruto just grows on you. I mean, how many kids do you know that are as strong as him?"

'Mi' closed his eyes for a moment before replying casually, "Oh, I don't know, Uchiha Itachi, perhaps?"

The kunoichi's eyes flared at that before she shook her head vehemently. "Don't even say that! Naruto is not like that sociopath. He has compassion and a heart and wouldn't go off and kill his entire family for no discernable reason!"

Nodding at that reasoning, 'Mi' had a sardonic smile on his face when he realised something. "That may be true, but what would happen if he ends up seeing his mother again?"

He gave her a conspiratorial look before musing out loud, "Do you think he will pull a Kinslayer on Kushina?"

'Hebi' had never really considered that before, but dismissed it out of hand. "As much as I would like to see that, it's unlikely to happen."

"Oh? She hurt him really badly for no reason and there are only a few ways that a person can react to that. One is to get broken by it, the other is to break the person that did it."

Staring at Naruto for a while, he sighed before shaking his head, "And I don't think that our boy will be broken by anything. Not even what I had to do to him. But still, you underestimate the abandonment issues that he has. His psych profile certainly fits it and it's been consistent since he joined us, no matter how hard he tries to avoid it."

"Right, and I'm sure yours says that you're a deranged sociopathic child abusing sadist," 'Hebi' commented sarcastically.

He winced at that and touched his chest like she had wounded him. "Ouch. Painfully true, but still, I thought we were partners. Solidarity, remember?"

She gave him a withering stare before sniffing, "I was told to moderate your behaviour so it reached something that could be seen as acceptable. We operate in two man cells and I drew the short straw, again. I can't wait till rotations come again. I'll grab Naruto while you can have Yugito."

The assassin gave her an inscrutable look before feeling the need to defend himself. "Oh come on, I'm not that bad. You're really breaking my balls here. Haven't I saved your life on more than one occasion?"

"You've endangered it more times than you've saved my tight, shapely arse," she shot back at him.

'Mi' rolled his eyes before facing Naruto again. "Whatever. Back on topic, if she did come back, I'm sure Naruto would wage a sophisticated and relentless campaign of psychological warfare against Kushina until she was driven to suicide."

He ran the scenario in his mind before grunting, "That ... would be something to see."

"You have little sympathy for that woman, don't you?" 'Hebi' asked with some surprise. She had never seen her partner express his emotions so strongly before and it fascinated her. 'Hebi' had long wondered if he had feelings or was just a highly functional but patriotic killer.

"She is not fit to be a mother. It's that damned simple. We live in a village full of orphans because being a shinobi is dangerous. Our life expectancy is low and it makes life that more precious because it is so kami damned finite. So when a mother makes the choice to abandon their kids because it's all too hard, then yes. I hope that bitch regrets her selfishness and burns in hell. And then die. Can you imagine how Naruto-kun would have turned out if we didn't step up into the picture? Being left alone by himself in that shitty little apartment when he was just ten?"

'Mi' had a far away look in his eyes before continuing, "Hate just leads to more hate. Sure, Sarutobi was taking a more active role in the kid's life, but he had his reasons for keeping his distance. Stupid ones, high minded ones, but it wasn't an arbitrary decision. If we didn't bring him into our world, he might have developed an unreasoning hatred of Konoha that would make the sun look like a campfire. Right now he has a general distaste for the majority of the people living here. And that's fairly understandable, considering everything."

"I guess that's better than nothing," she responded drilly.

He looked at her like she was being obtuse. "Trust me, it is. Hell, the alternative is much worse. He could have hooked up with Orochimaru and could you imagine what the two of them would be like against Konoha?"

The kunoichi shivered a bit before lightly running her fingers in Naruto's hair. "Scary stuff. But that's never going to happen. It looks like that snake faced bastard has made his way to the top of Naruto's shit list. I'm sorry 'Mi', but you have been replaced," she said with a grin.

"Very funny," the assassin shot back before sighing, "You should be careful, you know."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

He hated to touch on such a delicate issue, especially right then but he pushed on nonetheless, "I think you're getting too close to Naruto."

"You're just jealous that he occupies more of my mind than you," she teased with a smirk.

Not willing to admit that it did actually annoy him a bit he scoffed at that, "Whatever. Just be careful about forming attachments."

"I don't need to be lectured by you," she spat our resentfully. She glared at him before crossing her arms and sniffing, "I have fought just as long and as hard as you have. Don't you dare go off at me about 'attachments', I still remember -"

"Stop there, now," he whispered out softly. 'Mi's' eyes hardened into granite blocks that indicated when he was at his most dangerous. The two of them stared at each other before they both backed down, neither acknowledging who was wrong in the first place.

They both ended up staring at Naruto, watching his chest rise up slowly but rhythmically. 'Mi' was fond of the kid and he was like a fixture in 'Ne', but he realised that nothing would be the same anymore. He gave a discrete glance towards 'Hebi' before trying again.

"Be reasonable 'Hebi'. He's a jinchuuriki in a world that either wants him for their own, or dead to deny him to others. It doesn't exactly promote a great life expectancy."

She just gazed into Naruto's withdrawn face before lightly stroking his forehead again. "I don't think that it will be a problem. This kid will probably outlive all of us."

He could easily believe it, but that was supposing that Naruto could live for the next five or so years. Their accelerated training program to create mini Minato's were showing some promise as the jinchuuriki were shaping up nicely. But there was no substitute for experience, something that 'Ne' had learned to their regret.

She turned to face him before sitting down on the seat next to Naruto's bed. "I'm an adult for crying out loud. I know that making friendships is dangerous in our line of work."

Her eyes grew soft for a moment before blinking. "But dammit, that is what makes Konoha different. The fact that we put our bodies and souls on the line willingly. We are not pawns who give the kage or daimyo a blank cheque to our bodies. We are still human beings, with all the weakness that comes with it."

She was reluctant to raise an issue that had bothered her for years, but decided that he had opened up the floodgates. "That means that it is my right to take a risk to whom I open myself up to. It's not something that I want to be afraid of, living a life where the only person that I can trust is myself. I just find that to be incredibly... sad."

Her partner said nothing as he heard her, realising that this was possibly a shift in their relationship.

"The more connections he has, the healthier it is for him," she continued in a deliberately lecturing tone that would get on 'Mi's' nerves. "Relationships are important to him. In fact, he realises that more than most people his age. Or even older. Abstract concepts like nationalism, patriotism, they are just words to Naruto. They have no more meaning than things like hot and cold. He knows what it means, but it doesn't motivate him to do the things that we do. Sure, it's not great but I know that he would never act against a friend unless he was betrayed first. For whatever reason, that gives me a lot of comfort," she finished with a grin.

"That might change though. Especially with how things have been moving so quickly and out of our control," he pointed out with concern, "Speaking of things vaguely related to killing, have you read the official after action report on Wave?

That was another surprise that she could have lived without, especially when all the grisly details were placed upon paper. "What do we make of it?" she asked uncomfortably.

'Mi' just let loose a filthy curse before smacking his fist into an open palm. "Dammit, there was a reason why we closely observed Naruto out on our ops. Despite everything, the boy has never killed until this day."

The blonde thought long and hard on that and was startled to realise that it was true. "How about his clones?"

"They don't count. At best, it's an indirect thing because it's just not the same. But in a single engagement he has killed more civilians than we have in a fortnight."

"They were hardly civilians," 'Hebi' felt compelled to point out somewhat pedantically.

"In terms of skill and power, it was like throwing a water proofed explosive note into a barrel of fish. You've seen the pictures, he and Zabuza ripped the Kami loving shit out of them. I expected nothing less from the Butcher of Kiri, but from Naruto? We did not raise him to be indiscriminate," 'Mi' pointed out harshly.

"Don't remind me, but let's not be hypocritical as well," she replied with a slight frown.

"It's messy business that we do," he shinobi agreed, "And Naruto knows that we are not the nicest of people around the place, even considering that we are shinobi. People would call us bandits and highwaymen if they knew of our existence."

"We are not thieves and killers, 'Hebi' shot back at him adamantly.

He shook his head at her seeming naiveté before it was his turn to adopt a lecturing tone. "Oh really? Are you so sure about that? Instead of strangers and travellers, we prey on other nations and villages. There is no accountability in our work, just results and anonymity. None of this registration bullshit where our faces are a matter of public knowledge for clients. The only thing that we answer to is Danzo, our consciences and the kage's noose if they ever find us."

"You're getting awfully philosophical about this. You thinking of getting out?" she asked flatly.

The question hovered between them before he sighed out loud like the burdened man that he was, "Despite my ... _feelings_ about what we do, we perform a necessary and bloody job until Sarutobi frees himself of his delusions. We are like garbage collectors. We are needed, but you wouldn't invite that person over for dinner."

'Hebi' wrinkled her nose at that comparison and complained rather testily, "I think what we do is more glamorous than that. We are better than most of the ANBU that are fielded currently."

"Yeah, like that was hard," the assassin snorted, "The Kyuubi massacred most of Konoha's best when they stood down that bastard fox to give the Yondaime a few more minutes. What's left is the best that the Academy had to offer from very slim pickings. Nearly two generations of shinobi died that day. We are slowly catching up, with every mission that we take on. It's just a matter of time and volatility. We have the resources and the talent, but whether or not other forces will sit back and wait is another matter entirely."

"Kami, this makes me feel so old and useless," 'Hebi' complained suddenly. "And don't you dare make a crack about my age."

"It isn't getting any easier, every day when you look at yourself in the mirror and wonder how you ended up like this. I'm sure that when if I was a boy I wouldn't quite be so proud of everything that I've done," he confessed.

"We've done enough and we bore witness to it. That's enough for me," 'Hebi' responded strongly and with feeling. "Oh yes, what's the news on Naruto's so called _protector_?"

'Hebi' said the words with barely concealed contempt as she regarded Yuugao's direction with disdain. The violet haired ANBU was in a critical condition still, located in another room where medics were struggling to find out why she had severe internal haemorrhaging with no external wounds to show for it.

'Mi' understood the question and put his paranoia to work, "Did she intentionally do a poor job to let him die? That would have been an unlikely cover, seeing as she nearly did die and all that."

He mulled over it for a few moments before scratching his chin. As badly as 'Hebi' wanted to think the worst of the kunoichi, it just didn't feel like the right explanation to him. "I don't think so, though, the two of them appear close. Don't be too harsh. I mean, look at her; she's in a critical position and looks like she's going to be crippled anyway. That poison is doing nasty things to her body."

While she accepted that, it still irritated her to some level to see how things ended up the way it did. "It just annoys me that he's more injured than she is. Dammit, she was supposed to be a bodyguard. It's more than likely that Naruto's cover as a jinchuuriki was blown by some hateful villager. We don't want him snatched or murdered. But hell, she got off light compared to Naruto-kun. I always think that failure is suspicious."

Again the assassin played the part of the devil's advocate, "Let's be realistic, it was against Orochimaru. That sick fuck would have kicked the shit out of us if we were there."

Another truth, but one that they didn't particularly enjoy admitting. "I know, I know, it ... it just annoys me that despite everything that we do, shit like this happens. Right in our very bloody village. Seriously, what the hell are the IS ANBU doing? Playing with themselves?"

The man laughed at that before nodding his head. "Who knows, maybe. They might just be happily masturbating away while Konoha burns around them."

He then got more serious before drawing out a notebook and writing down things of interest that had occurred to him. "Despite what Danzo bitches out about Sarutobi covering for his ex-student, the ANBU make it a priority to murder Orochimaru if he's seen on sight. Well, at least report and make up plans for it. It isn't because of a lack of effort that the bastard is still running around and creating overly complicated plots to destroy our village. He is just that good. And he knows our playbook and tactics; hell, he helped write quite a few of them. We all thought he was a devious bastard back then, but he was _our_ devious bastard. Maybe, maybe we should have known better."

The fact that an enemy of Orochimaru's calibre could enter Konoha at will and pull something like that off shook 'Hebi' and she couldn't let it go. "But still... if Naruto isn't safe within Konoha's own walls, where is he?"

"That kid doesn't want to be safe. He wants to be independent. To be able to stand on his own two feet and look at anyone that wants to mess with him in the eyes. And then spit on their faces when he's done trashing them. Any other kid would be a monster with that kind of power, but Naruto can control himself and understands how dangerous things are for him. Which probably makes him the best person to be responsible with it. Or so we hope. If anything, we can channel his rage to more useful ends."

The blonde just took Naruto's hand and raised it to her mouth, touching it to her lips. "What do we do now?"

After finishing his notes he looked up at his partner and snapped the notebook shut. "We play this charade for a while before report back to 'Ne'. And then we prepare."

"Prepare?" she asked warily. The last time she had heard that they had seriously meant business over state borders.

"Yes, do you think that son of a bitch came back to Konoha to tag two genin?" 'Mi' asked rhetorically. "No, he's planning something big and we have got somebody who knows something in our hands."

"You won't be gentle on him, will you?" she asked strangely.

"Please, this is me. Gentle goes with me like you and celibacy."

She sighed at the cheeky grin on his face and slapped her palm to her face. "I knew it was a mistake to have sex with you."

* * *

**Konoha  
Hokage's Office**

"Why haven't their families been notified?"

The Hokage sat at his desk while the ANBU Commander was facing him, looking uncomfortable as he flicked through a dossier which had precious little fact but worthless many conjectures. He idly wondered how many people went over this before it sat on his desk, but decided that it wasn't worth the paper it was written upon.

"It would not be prudent for us to release such sensitive information right now," the masked man began delicately. "Not when we do not know what actually is going on."

"Tell me, when will we know what is going on," the Sandaime asked with razor sharp dryness.

The ANBU started to scratch his chin before mumbling a bit, "I can't give you anything beyond an indicative timeframe, but rest assured when I know you will know."

Sarutobi stared at him before the younger man coughed uncomfortably. "Accidents happen all the time, especially in the Chuunin exams; it will hold for the time being," he said defensively.

"Accident implies a lack of intent and due care, this was a targeted direct attack upon our shinobi," the Sandaime replied coldly.

"Yes, by one of your ex-students as well," the commander replied just as coldly.

That caused the old man to stand up in anger. "How dare you-"

"I dare because it is the truth and needs to be said," he replied evenly, showing Sarutobi how cool and dispassionate he was under pressure. There were reasons why he was appointed to his position, though he did not wish for those qualities to be used against him at that moment.

"Are we sure that he is here?" Sarutobi asked again.

The ANBU pulled out some documents out his vest and placed them upon his desk. He spread them out across the wooden panel, everything from the initial combat scene to the surgery that Yuugao had to undergo.

"You've seen the marks," he replied, pointing to the pictures of the juin jutsu in particular. For completeness sake he produced more documents regarding the past findings on the seals from when they were first encountered by Konoha.

"Kami help us," Hiruzen breathed out sadly.

_Not again. When will this ever end? _

They were slightly different in shape and size from Mitarashi Anko's, but then again the renegade did have a fair bit of time to improve and refine his technique. He had remembered when his student had approached him with the idea of augmenting standing shinobi with the equivalent of a chakra battery and he had approved of it. The old man had little doubt that this was the result of it.

_And to think I was so supportive back then..._

"How do you wish for the information to be controlled?" the ANBU commander asked warily.

"Can any secret really stay a secret in this place?" Sarutobi asked sadly.

"For a massively public event like the Kyuubi where everyone had a vested interested in knowing how we were saved, no," the ANBU admitted candidly.

"But for an event only shinobi know of, that are sworn to secrecy under penalty of slow torture by Ibiki, then I think we can manage. Because, if we don't, then what chance do we have at all?" he asked rhetorically.

"What is your advice then?" the Hokage asked reluctantly.

"Compartmentalise, deny, delay and defend. Then deny some more. It is a very effective strategy practiced by insurance companies. It will work for us," the commander replied confidently.

"Then do so," he ordered.

"Roger that sir. I will gather up everyone who has knowledge of the events and give them a 'stern talking down to'."

The old man chuckled at that euphemism, which he had developed himself back when the hardest thing he had to deal with was Jiraiya peeking at bathing women before he knew what to do with him.

Glad that things were no longer so tense between him and his boss, the ANBU continued with his plan. "Everyone will know what needs to be done. Some of the CINT boys will be on the case and everyone will be up for finding Orochimaru, sir."

"Sounds sensible, let's hope for all our sakes that no one finds out about the situation between Uchiha and Uzumaki. We do not need more complications than what currently exist."

The ANBU gave a short salute before going off through the window, each man left alone with decisions that would affect the polity. After a short moment, there was a knock on the door as Jiraiya seemingly stepped out of nowhere, a cheeky grin on his face as he gave a comic salute with his right hand.

"That was fairly impressive, that you could maintain that for so long," Sarutobi commented lightly.

That caused the white haired man to scowl lightly. "You knew that I was there?"

Hiruzen rolled his eyes before sighing with some disappointment, "I might be old, but not incompetent. Was there any reason for you to hide yourself just then?"

Giving a light shrug with his shoulders, the sannin made his way over to the spare seat in front of the Hokage's desk and sat down heavily, "Not really. Force of habit I suppose. Been doing it for too long."

He scrunched his face in annoyance before commenting, "But not enough to fool the best. It's saved my life more times than I received royalties from Icha Icha, which is saying something."

Both men smiled at that, both having the entire first run of each book on their respective bookshelves. It was part of the odd bond that they shared. Deep inside they knew each other quite well, and it was Sarutobi's deepest failing that he could never quite appreciate what kind of person his student would become.

"You are too kind to that man," Jiraiya said all of a sudden.

"What do you mean?" the Sandaime asked with some confusion.

His student looked at him as if he was senile. "There have been administrative fuck ups recently, and they have been gross. The worst in living memory. Need I remind you of them?"

The Hokage rolled his eyes and sighed, "No, but I'm sure you will regale me with them again."

"This is not a laughing or trivial matter," Jiraiya snapped and stood up. "First we have the Kumo 'diplomat kidnaps the Hyuuga before losing his arm because he wasn't put under observation properly' incident, the Uchiha 'slaughter an entire founding clan without nobody noticing the chakra usage until afterwards' incident, the Scroll 'Naruto shows that being awesome is an incidental benefit of being Jiraiya's godson' incident, now the Orochimaru 'waltz into Konoha to brand the best and brightest along with showing the rest of the world how we can't even run a Chuunin exam securely' incident. What's next? The 'entire village turns into zombie from biological warfare and start eating each other' incident?"

"Tell me, can you honestly say that you have operational control of this village?" the sannin demanded.

Student and master stared at each other, both of them entrenched in their own positions that they could not back down from them now.

Jiraiya looked anguished as he sat back down with disappointment. "Damn it, I left here thinking that things were in order. That things were being done properly. That I served a better purpose being out there collecting intelligence than being in here."

"I, I trusted you dammit," he said sadly. "I trusted that even if what happened to Naruto did happen, you would do the decent thing. And for the most part, it was okay. Except for that fucking orphanage. Minato's son deserved better."

The Sandaime sighed at that, knowing that it was a sore point between the two of them that wouldn't be reconciled anytime soon.

"And I'm going to tell you. You were wrong," he accused flatly.

"Over what?" asked the Hokage.

He chuckled and seemed lost without an idea about where to begin. "About me, about this village, about Naruto, about everything, why not. You don't need me out there more than you need me in here."

"I admit that you gave me an excuse to be out of the picture, and, I took it." The white haired man looked ashamed but continued on, "That is my sin and I guess that means I have to pay for it. But no more. You tolerate that man's screw ups and we all suffer for it."

"What would you have me do then?" the Sandaime demanded. "Yes, there are problems, but there have always been problems. No village can run a security network that is absolutely impenetrable. The doctrine has always been to acknowledge this and use misdirection. We can stop an army, but we cannot stop one single person working alone without any support."

There was a sour look on Jiraiya's face before he interrupted, "That's not quite true. Ame does a good job of it, but I doubt you would be willing to go to their lengths."

The kage took a deep puff of his pipe before taking off his hat. "Isolation harms everyone. You should know this. It makes conflict easier to justify when they are not people to you, but faceless enemies."

The sannin acknowledged the reasoning but ploughed on. "The point remains that the ANBU have been failing. Despite the reviews and commissions that you undertake, there are structural issues that you cannot address because of the Hunter strategy," Jiraiya argued forcefully.

"If memories serves this old man correctly, you were a key architect of that," Hiruzen pointed out sarcastically.

"Well, yes," he admitted ashamedly, but continued on doggedly, "but I think we need to change it somewhat. It's running down our forces ragged, where some of the people that need to stay in ANBU are rotated out to serve. We cannot keep on doing this along with the low margins on missions. The high volume strategy is slowly deteriorating our quality from the inside, and I don't think that we can renegotiate rates easily into the future. At the very least we have to deal with the Suna situation."

The Hokage felt another familiar headache approaching as he rubbed his temples. "Yes, I am very aware of the ill feeling that exists between us. But it is difficult to say no to a daimyo when they want something."

The sannin remembered the first time he had encountered part of the royal family touring their domain. He was invited to join them and he could not find a way to say no without incurring their displeasure. The shinobi was glad that he did because he had gained very valuable contacts and had a better understanding of the geo-political landscape than he did before. The daimyo of Hi no Kuni was an affable enough man, with exquisite manners and even more exquisite courtesan, but he recognised the ruthlessness within him that was needed to govern a country in the Elemental Nations.

"Why would she ask and divert its contracts away from her own village, though?" Jiraiya pressed like a mastiff, "It's unprecedented and disruptive to our alliance. I've been to Suna and the anti-Konoha sentiment is building up."

The Hokage didn't want to ask his question, but pressed on nonetheless. "How bad is it?"

Jiraiya sat back on his chair heavily, his hand rubbing his eyes with tiredness as he remembered the tenseness in the village where none existed a mere decade ago. "Think of it as a poison. An economic decline that is slowly sapping the vitality and growth of Suna. I mean for crying out loud, they live in the middle of a desert! Any disruptions to their welfare tips the balance in a bad way. Not only that, but the recipients are us, a trusted ally. It looks bad and is affecting the information sharing that we have against Iwa and Kumo."

It had long been a concern to him that there was a big problem with the extra-workload that was passed their way. Sarutobi was loathe to say no and display any more weakness in front of the world and reluctantly accepted. But he knew that wars had been started on lesser matters. Another long puff and he felt the rich tobacco enter his lungs, one of his only sources of comfort that he could enjoy, "Is there a way, to perhaps, farm out those contracts back to Sand? Like make them independent contractors?"

"It's certainly sneaky enough," his student agreed, "but it doesn't address the root problems. We need to get our daimyo to convince her to go back to the status quo. Our shinobi are being overworked and they are paying for it in the field. And I don't think that Suna wants to take the scraps off our table as well. They do have their pride, like any professional."

"We can deal with Suna after the exams," Sarutobi stated sadly, "there are more important matters to deal with, I'm afraid. How are Naruto and Sasuke?"

Jiraiya gritted his teeth and stood up suddenly, pacing the room in anger as more regrets weighed upon him. "Sasuke is in better shape than Naruto, but that's not saying much."

"We have two bigger problems that you need to intervene now. Your commander can't handle this, anymore than I could," the sannin stated flatly.

"What might that be?" Hiruzen asked warily.

"We tend to forget that we are not always dealing with orphans in the shinobi ranks," the Toad Sage responded dryly, "and we have two victims with rather prominent parents from founding clans that will not appreciate being lied to about their children and current heirs."

The Sandaime winced at that and wondered how badly his life would be for the next week. "Yes, quite."

"I suggest that you speak with them sooner, rather than later. I hear that Mikoto is rather upset and had a confrontation with the ANBU who refused to let her see her son."

"How did she find out?" Sarutobi asked with annoyance.

"Oh, I might have mentioned it to her, in passing," Jiraiya replied breezily.

"You what?" asked the Hokage in mortification.

The sannin lost his jovial expression and gave his master a serious stare. "She had a right to know, will keep her mouth shut and can help Sasuke stay grounded enough to not leave the village. Orochimaru has eyes on him and that cannot be good. He needs to know that there are things in Konoha that are not worth leaving behind. I'd suggest the ANBU to keep an eye out on him, but I have no confidence in them at the moment."

"That will be remedied soon enough," Hiruzen muttered darkly.

"What?"

The Hokage gave Jiraiya an enigmatic smile but said no more.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" the white haired sannin asked with trepidation.

"Consider this the price of your impertinence," the kage responded mysteriously.

"Man, I knew I should have gone rogue and accepted Kumo's offer when they made it. They even added a harem as well," Jiraiya lamented to Sarutobi's amusement.

The two of them spent the rest of the night speaking and exchanging information. And during that exchange Sarutobi realised that his student had changed from the long journey he had taken after the Kyuubi's rampage. Regret started to sink in, which he viciously repressed as the two of them argued long into the evening, ideas offered and refined before the beginnings of a plan began to emerge.

Jiraiya left, giving a clumsy salute before heading off to see his godson. For a brief moment Sarutobi envied his student's freedom to go off and do the things that he wanted. His wizened hands stroked the desk which had sent more men and women to their deaths than he had ever personally taken.

_Is this what it comes down to? A gilded cage?_

The trappings of the kage position meant so much to him, but decades of familiarity was breeding contempt in his mind. Hiruzen shrugged that insidious thought out of his mind before gazing at his clock longingly.

The hands were moving slowly towards the hour, signifying another all nighter that he had to pull because duty would not permit otherwise. His hand moved absentmindedly to his mug, grimacing slightly when he tasted the cold dregs at the bottom. Swirling them around, the Hokage watched the tea leaves move in odd patterns like pollen floating in the air.

Hiruzen stood up and stretched slightly, feeling his muscles complain as he moved over to his pot. His eyes moved over the familiar item, being a gift from the Nidaime who had given it to him when he was appointed as Konoha's Fire Shadow. The Senjuu had joked that it would be the most vitally important thing he would ever need in the office.

With a fond smile on his face he realised that his old sensei was not joking at all. The ability to stay awake for ungodly hours to make incalculably important decisions under uncertainty was at times the difference between victory and defeat.

There was another light knock at his door that made him groan internally. The sheer immediacy of all intelligence was overwhelming at times, never letting him take a break for an extended period of time. Sarutobi looked sadly at his cup and wondered if he could accelerate his retirement.

_Doing nothing but read all day sounds wonderful right now._

"Sir, I have come back with my report."

Hiruzen found Kakashi at his desk, his trademark bored expression on his face as he lazily pushed a manila folder onto his desk.

_Can this day end? Will this day end?_

"Let's dispense with the preliminaries, what did you find?" he asked brusquely.

The Copy Nin still wondered if the old man was still upset with him about the whole 'stabbing Naruto in the chest' incident back in Wave. He was rather annoyed at being sent out for a seemingly trivial mission such that he couldn't properly give his team one last test before they entered into the Chuunin exams.

But that quickly changed when he started snooping around their mysteriously destroyed forward operating base.

"The attack was premeditated and highly unusual. There was chakra residue all over the place and it was suspiciously close. The ANBU have been over the scene on our northern border already. But I just didn't stop there."

The Hokage grunted at that while flicking through the paperwork. He agreed that there was little extra marginal value to be added by sending him, but Kensuke Nomura had insisted. That opinion changed when he hit on the last few pages of the report which made him widen up his eyes.

**Flashback**

"This incident requires a thorough investigation, do you understand me Hiruzen?"

The trip to the Capitol had been a rather pleasant one on the well maintained roads that criss-crossed Hi no Kuni. Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken a light ANBU escort that made good time after he had received a personal summons from the Fire Daimyo.

"There were good men out there. Loyal to a fault. Especially Kurata. Those are very important qualities, do you not agree?" the daimyo asked his kage.

Sarutobi gave a wary smile and nodded, wondering internally if that was another subtle dig which Nomura had just given him. As time passed the man's memory remained sharp as a tack and he in particular gave the old man grief about his ex student.

"But times change and he couldn't quite pull front line duty as he used to. Then again, it was highly improper to deny him what he loved doing. So as a reward I had him assigned to a quiet, out of the way garrison where he could earn his pension with an honourable discharge. Does that sound appropriate?"

The two men faced each other, a genial smile on Kensuke's face as Hiruzen gave a light cough. While the Fire Shadow generally enjoyed the verbal spars with the daimyo, they were awfully personal this morning and he had to tread carefully.

"Your compassion and benevolence are well known, sire, such that people outside of Hi no Kuni know of it as a fact," the kage replied sincerely.

Nomura grimaced at that, causing the Sandaime to wonder if he had insulted his sworn leader somehow.

"Yes, quite. Others would accuse me of favouritism, but I tend to believe that duty should be rewarded, if only to set a good example. Kurata was a good man."

His face then twisted into something ugly and he stood up suddenly.

"As it happens, Kurata is now very much a dead man."

There was naked anger in the daimyo's face, his fists clenching as he paced the office like a predator. Hiruzen examined Kensuke carefully, wondering how important Kurata must have been to make him so angry.

"I'm very sorry to hear that-" Sarutobi began.

"Save your condolences for when you mean them," The Daimyo responded flatly, stopping in the corner of his room to face the kage.

"I have no doubt that he died in an honourable way. In fact, I think he would have preferred dying in battle instead of in bed. He was a veteran of Hirigata Pass after all."

The daimyo gave another scowl before correcting himself, "Maybe the word survivor is more correct. But the fact remains that he was in a secured location surrounded by soldiers and your shinobi. And he died in a secure location surrounded by soldiers and shinobi. Do you know what I'm referring to?"

The Hokage nodded and tried to remember specific details about the attack towards at their northern border.

"You'd better, because I do not take border incursions lightly. Especially not if my dear cousins think that they can violate the delimitation agreements negotiated by our ancestors. They were sealed by blood a long time ago. If anything, they could be used as sufficient cause for war."

War wasn't a word that Hiruzen wanted to hear, especially when it came out so casually from Nomura's mouth. From long experience he knew that he tended to act more on words said in conversation, not ones in more serious and formal settings.

"And I am rather annoyed that I get a ten page report which is light on details and specifics." The daimyo walked over to the paperwork in question and waved it in front of Sarutobi's face.

"Though, I must admit, heavy on speculation and vague in future response," he completed dryly, his point made.

"There was insufficient evidence left at the scene, so there are no strong conclusions that can be drawn," the Hokage defended strongly, remembering how frustrated he was when it first happened.

"Is that an excuse I hear?" Kensuke asked blandly.

"I've heard this rather quaint expression from some of the men of the seventy ninth. In fact, it comes from this sergeant from the Hiroki province. If memory serves me correctly, it goes like this."

"Excuses are like assholes," he started with a deadpan expression, "everyone has one and they all smell."

Nomura stopped himself again before qualifying his statement, "Unless of course, you are Yukino, then that is a place that I wouldn't mind spending more time in. But nonetheless, I like to think that I pay you to do a reasonable job-"

"Actually, you don't really pay us –" Sarutobi started to say before he was interrupted by a hand gesture.

"A nominal salary is a salary nonetheless," Nomura replied airily, waiving off the concerns as he smoothed his robes. "In any event, I am fairly sure that the royal treasury has spent some time and money on giving health benefits to shinobi, even upon retirement. In fact, I'm told its one of the most comprehensive programs anywhere. It sure beats Kiri and their appalling lack of infrastructure."

"That might be true, but-"

The daimyo seemed to tire of the constant interjections and tossed the report over his shoulder. "But nothing. I have seen the mission logs, and impressive work by the way. You are running more missions than any other village. That's all well and good because I just adore efficiency and productivity."

Kensuke walked back to his oak desk and sat down, drew a calligraphy pen out and started making notations on a ledger while talking to the Sandaime. "At the end of the day, a shinobi's duty is to his lord. Tell me, who might that be?"

Sarutobi rolled his eyes gently but played along, "You, sire."

"Yes," he agreed amiably while doing some calculus in his head, "and national security is one of those boring, but necessary parts of the job description when you sign on as a Konoha nin. In fact, this is the same for all nations. My cousins and I would hardly let shinobi operate in our borders otherwise. The concessions still mean something."

Nomura blew gently on the drying ink and held the paper to his critical eye. His teachers had always commented that he had no real style or patience to become a true master, but it was something he hardly cared for. The sums seemed right and he pushed it towards the Fire Shadow.

"Time to cut some of the private contracts back and work towards keeping Hi no Kuni that little bit more secure," he said sweetly.

Sarutobi knew a dismissal when he heard one, no matter how much it irritated him that the richly dressed man in his opulent palace could give him orders like a mere servant.

_Insolent, young –_

The daimyo frowned for a moment which made the Hokage still slightly, wondering if the rumours were true and that Nomura had mind reading powers. It was outlandish, but his penetrating stare was something that had unnerved many people, including the other feudal lords. Reaching into his desk, he smoothly pulled out the drawer and took out an envelope. It was of heavy, fine velum which was sealed with red wax. An imprint of a tiger was pressed upon the wax, keeping the contents together.

"This is something for your son as well. I do remember the wager that we had, even if he doesn't. Tell him not to spend it all in one go as well."

"Will that be all?" the Sandaime asked flatly, quickly pocketing the envelope into his robes.

"Why, yes. That will be all. I'm so sorry about taking up your time, but it is always a pleasure to see you in person. After all," Nomura chuckled with affected mirth, "I'm not sure how many more occasions that we will meet again in the future."

The Sandaime's blood chilled slightly at his words, compounded by the odd knowing look in the daimyo's eyes.

As he got up to leave Nomura had one last parting shot to give. "Not that there is any rush and all that, but please have it mailed out to me by the end of the fortnight. After all, it will take some time to muster up all the troops in Hi no Kuni."

**End Flashback**

"Are you sure about this conclusion?" Sarutobi asked intently, his eyes devouring the paragraphs written on the fly with alarm.

"As sure as I can be about anything," Kakashi answered in his trademark drawl. When the Fire Shadow gave him an annoyed look, the nin subconsciously straightened up his posture and adopted a more concerned tone.

"The tracks were very faint and all but missing, so I had to go for a very long haul recon over the northern border. Pakkun and his brothers found very faint traces which extended to Ta no Kuni. So I did what any other nin would do in that situation. I snuck by the borders," Kakashi related in a measured tone.

"How was security there?" Hiruzen asked innocently.

The copy nin closed his visible eye and gave a light shrug. "About what you would expect for a smaller nation, but when I got inside things were... odd."

Sarutobi fought back the urge to yawn and instead propped up his head with his arm, where his elbow was resting on his desk, "What do you mean, odd?"

"Everyone looked afraid and desperate," Kakashi responded flatly, "like every moment they had was their last. There were rumours of a power struggle between a few groups which had destroyed a few villages around the place."

The Hokage took some time to digest the new information, piecing together Kakashi's accounts with what Jiraiya had told him. "Did you manage to go to Otogakure?"

The silver haired shinobi made a face, which was hard to tell normally due to his mask. But Hatake had been serving Hiruzen for too long for the kage not to notice. "Not really. I don't think it actually exists at all. I did a quick tour of the place but there were no obvious buildings that even looked like a Hidden Village, as we know it."

There was a mysterious smile on Sarutobi's face that made Kakashi nervous as he said his piece, wondering what was going on behind the crafty old man.

"What do you think that means?" the Hokage asked softly.

Hatake raised his eyebrows slightly before he started to think on the issue. "It's rather odd, as we have heard that there are nin taking up contracts, so they have to be assigned somewhere. Somehow. I didn't probe too deeply because the tracks separated to different areas after they reached the heart of Rice Field Country."

"This is definitely something to think about," Hiruzen stated dourly, his free hand moving to his goatee which he proceeded to stroke. For some reason he found it to be a soothing act that helped him think. Adroitly, his mind came up with several hypotheses which he went through, discarding and retaining the more likely ones.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?" Kakashi asked with affected boredom, desperately wishing to go home and get some rest after a month behind Konoha lines.

"Not just yet, Hatake," the Sandaime murmured out, his eyes scanning the various pictures that the shinobi had taken out in the field. Taking a slow breath, he stood up and walked to his window.

The sun had come up like it did every day. And nearly every morning the kage would stare at it from his office, a regular pattern that seemed depressingly familiar to him. The old man couldn't help but feel that they were on the cusp of something, that there was a gathering storm out there that he needed to deal with.

"In your opinion," he began darkly, "was this a pre-meditated attack on Hi no Kuni by Ta no Kuni, or was someone else using it as a base?"

Kakashi blinked as he stood up as well. The constant pace and state of hyper-alertness that he went through on his mission had exhausted him, though he wasn't ever going to display that in public.

Slowly, he walked over to the window and scratched the back of his head absentmindedly, as he had thought about the exact same things on the way back to Konoha, "I don't know. Things are a mess right now in Rice that some band of Iwa or Kumo nin could have decided to set up a forward base there."

"Yes, relations are still fairly strained between us and them," the Hokage noted dryly, a wry grimace on his face as he wondered if they could ever get beyond the horrors that both sides inflicted upon each other during the last Shinobi War.

"But I honestly cannot say, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied. "We need more investigative teams before we can present incontrovertible proof to the daimyo. Right now all we can say is that attacks occurred and the perpetrators went off into Ta no Kuni as part of their extraction point. It could have been just one way point to their ultimate destination."

There was silence between the two men as they both considered the problem and how it would affect them into the future.

"Get some rest," Sarutobi ordered gently, "but before you do that, there is a ... problem that we have to deal with, delicately."

Inwardly annoyed at that, the copy nin nonetheless nodded his assent and waited for his orders.

"This concerns Sasuke and your team. There has been an unforeseen ... _incident_."

"What's happened?" Kakashi asked with a growing sense of unease creeping from his stomach.

As his leader told him what had happened during the Chuunin exams, he wondered if there was anything that they could do to fix things.

Sarutobi sat back down heavily and watched the conflicting emotions playing over Hatake's face and did not envy the task that the jounin had to do. His eyes briefly glanced over the clock and wondered if he could take an extra long lunch break at his favourite spot, but ruthlessly crushed that errant thought.

_I can rest when I'm dead._

With that morbid thought he dismissed Kakashi and turned his eyes to more reports that were stacking up on his desk and wondered if there was a point beyond burnout.

_Kami knows I've earned it._

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
Central Tower  
Secured Infirmary West**

_Well, damn._

The irrepressible blond's healing had improved since he was last taken into the central tower. The bruises covering his face had faded, but the teen was still unconscious and seemingly dead to the world. He was only given a few moments before a masked ANBU firmly asked him to leave so he made his way over to the other injured people. The shinobi could see how information was being restricted and segmented amongst those who needed it.

_The classic hallmarks of ANBU IS._

He mused at that thought before darker ones began to form.

_Or a conspiracy._

He only knew because he was present in the Central Tower when they had hurriedly moved them into the infirmaries. Otherwise he would never have known that his surrogate brother and student had been beaten to an inch of his life, along with his ex girlfriend.

_Ex-girlfriend. Kami, how did that happen again?_

It was a bitter thought that still rankled the swordsman, how their budding relationship had been called off for no good reason in his mind. But still, he did care for the violet haired kunoichi and wouldn't have wished for her to be injured like she had.

_Then again, for someone to do that to her and Naruto, while escaping, is bad news. No ordinary genin could have done this._

He finally reached the eastern wing of the suddenly secured infirmary and had a somewhat easier time of getting in. His face was fairly well known amongst the shinobi ranks and most people trusted him. Even fewer knew that Yuugao and Hayate used to be an item and found it easy to overlook the orders to turn him away. He then looked at his former lover, who looked like she had been stabbed several times with a sword. The bandage-covered wounds that were certainly consistent with that of a long blade.

_Well... she... actually... probably was._

Hayate quietly sat on a nearby chair, his eyes moodily looking over Yuugao as he wondered how many times he had to do this in his shinobi career.

_Too often. The hospital seems like my best friend._

It was at that moment that he started to cough, a nasty hacking sound which forced him to grab a handkerchief from his pocket. He quickly brought it to his mouth and tried to breathe through his nose. It helped slightly, but there was still a raw pain from his lungs that wouldn't go away anytime soon. He hesitated to look, but eventually lowered the cloth from his mouth to see the blood-tinged phlegm with an annoyed grimace.

_Dammit. _

With great distaste he folded it up and deposited it back into his trouser pocket, annoyed that his condition was worsening over time. His coughs had gotten the attention of a medic who had been seconded to the infirmary to deal with the inevitable casualties that the second exam would deliver.

"Are you okay?" she asked with some concern.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," Hayate said dismissively, his concern still being with Yuugao as he looked at the ECG and the waveforms flowing across the screen. He had limited experience with such things but knew that a steady pattern was preferable to an irregular one.

The medic didn't look to assured and gently placed a few fingers around his wrist. The tokubetsu-jounin gave her an annoyed look for her presumption, but did little to stop her.

"Everything seems normal," she muttered softly before looking at him with a question in her eyes.

"It's something genetic," Hayate allowed vaguely, hoping it would be enough to stop her from questioning him any further.

"Ah, I see," she stammered out in embarrassment. "Is there any reason why you're here?"

The last bit was asked to cover for her professional mistake as many ninja's were quite secretive over their health, especially if they belonged to a clan. They were quite touchy over such things and most medics knew better than to pry into such issues.

"I'm here to see how Uzumaki and Uzuki are doing. They are important to me," the swordsman replied coolly.

"Patient Uzumaki's condition is rather classified at this point in time. Patient Uzuki has some, uh, _complications_."

_I hate it when they use that word._

"Complications?" he asked intently.

She looked apologetic before shaking her head. "I'm afraid that it is not my place to tell you. Confidentiality and all that. I mean, she doesn't even know yet."

Hayate sighed a bit before looking resigned, his head dipping slowly as he mulled over what could have happened in the forest. His mind came up with increasingly lurid scenarios before he shook his head and decided to make himself comfortable.

_This could take a while._

* * *

"Hey, you."

Hayate winced at how weak Yuugao sounded, but then again there were multiple tubes going in and out of her mouth and nose. The kunoichi was hooked up to IVs and was on a steady regime of blood replenishing pills when she had woken up and found herself bedridden. She also had to face the annoyance of being told nothing and had relied on people visiting her for information. It was a somewhat bitter revelation that few people did bother to come, or perhaps even know that she had been close to death. She had drifted off to sleep and when she had awoken, Yuugao was glad to see that Hayate visited, even if she was uncomfortable with his presence. Especially when he fell asleep himself in a chair.

The man had woken up with a scrunched piece of paper being thrown at his face, which didn't do much for his temper, but seeing that sly smile on her face was worth being awoken rather rudely.

"Naruto's doing fine, well, as much as can be expected, I guess. He still hasn't woken up yet," he replied gently.

"That little brat better not die on me, not after me putting my beautiful body on the line," she joked weakly as she struggled to sit up.

Wordlessly Hayate got up and gave her a spare hand, which she used to hoist herself and push herself against the headboard. She gingerly touched the side of her ribs as it ached, and started to gently pry underneath the bandages to see how bad the wounds actually were.

"Please do not do that, there needs to be pressure on those wounds as they haven't completely healed yet; it has barely been a day."

Both of them turned their heads to face the admonishing medic who walked down the hallway briskly. Quickly grabbing onto the clipboard lying on a nearby desk, she went over the routine checks that occurred whenever a patient regained consciousness.

Hayate just stood back and watched the medic flash lights into Yuugao's eyes and record her reaction times, wondering how bad it all was. Not all ninjas were blessed with accelerated healing factors, and most injuries did take some time to heal.

_Better than being a civilian. Having no control over the chakra pathways makes broken bones a bitch to heal._

It was a little known fact that consistent use and control of chakra had many benefits, like circulation, metabolism and a strengthened immune system. It also meant cuts, bruises and broken bones tended to heal faster than usual. The increased general level of fitness also meant that their recovery levels were much better than that of a normal person.

"So, what's the diagnosis?" Yuugao asked casually, the only hint of concern being a slight tightness around her eyes which Hayate picked up.

The medic gave him a meaningful look before the wounded kunoichi sighed and made an impatient wave with her hand. "You can tell him as well. I guess, out of anyone besides that blond brat, he has a right to know."

"Thanks," Hayate drawled out, wondering if she would maintain a bedside vigil for him if the situation was reversed.

"I know you would do the same for me," Yuugao replied sweetly before clutching her ribs again.

_I don't miss this part so much. The sex and playfulness, definitely. The bitchiness? She can keep that._

He must have made some sort of facial expression which gave away his thoughts because she gave him a wicked smirk that caused him to roll his eyes.

Seeing that the two of them had history, the medic wondered if it was appropriate to tell such sensitive information, but it was Yuugao's call.

She took a deep breath before speaking in a compassionate voice, "I am sorry, but the wounds that you have taken render you unfit for active duty."

There was complete silence for a moment as both of them stared at her in disbelief. It stretched on as the two ninjas tried to digest the sudden bit of news.

"What-what do you mean?" Yuugao asked in a brittle voice. Her hands instinctively clutched onto Hayate's, a vice like grip which he returned.

_Kami, I hate this part of the job._

"The damage done by the enemy's blade contained a unique poison that managed to linger in your system. There was some remarkable healing done in your muscles which helped you live until help could arrive. But a large portion of the toxin remained in your body which has broken down your immune system."

She presented toxicity charts which didn't make any sense to them, so she pointed to the danger areas. "We have no idea what it is. All our tests and examinations so far have come up with nothing. The good news is that it has stopped spreading."

"Can't, can't you leach it out or something?" the kunoichi asked desperately.

"Trust me, we tried that," the medic replied somewhat apologetically, "we ran an operation where we filtered out your entire blood out and replaced it with the same type, but it's still there because it changed your organs, so it secretes out slow amounts."

Yuugao whitened at that and grabbed onto Hayate's hand with more force, if that was possible.

Hating to be the bearer of such bad news, the medic gritted her teeth and continued with the rest, "You are lucky to be alive. I'm afraid that you have to have regular transfusions from now on."

Yuugao blinked her eyes, unwilling to believe and protested out loud, "But, but I feel okay! I mean, sure, it hurts a bit, but–"

She tried to stand up to show that she was perfectly fine, but halfway up she collapsed back onto the bed. The kunoichi was dumbfounded, unable to believe that her body was so weak and unresponsive. "What's wrong with me?"

Sighing at the scene, the medic came and helped her sit more comfortably before speaking softly, "The poison manifests itself as a bizarre form of chronic fatigue which will strike you at irregular intervals."

Yuugao couldn't hear her words as the medic subtly made her exit. Though she had made many similar pronouncements in the past, it was never something that she enjoyed doing.

The kunoichi sat there for a while, still as a statue before tears started to flow from her cheeks. Slowly, she started to shake before she started to cry. It was a small sound at first, but gained momentum until it was a soul heaving shudder that tore at Hayate's heart.

Hayate stood there, confused and unsure of what to do. He had never seen Yuugao cry before, not in all the time that he had known her. They have laughed, argued and fought with each other, but she had never been so weak and vulnerable. It was like a large part of her had been broken and there was nothing that he could do to help.

_Fuck, dealing with crying women is not my thing. Where is that damnable Naruto? I'm sure he could do something._

So he did the only thing that he could, which was to hold onto her. She grabbed onto him like a lifetime, his shoulder quickly being stained while he made comforting and reassuring sounds to her. He wasn't sure if they actually made sense and he was lucky that Yuugao wasn't really paying attention as well. Ironically enough, both parties felt useless, though in different ways.

"What, what the hell now?" she whispered out brokenly.

"What happens now?" she asked forlornly.

"I'm useless, what do I do now?"

* * *

**Konoha  
Training Ground Forty Four  
Central Tower  
Secured Infirmary East**

_This is just great, another unfamiliar ceiling._

Naruto slowly opened up his eyes and laid still, his body sending messages of pain to him as he blinked slowly. The blond slowly tilted his head to the side to see a jug on his bedside table. He wanted to lift up his arm for some water, but even that simple act seemed beyond him at that moment. Closing his eyes again, the jinchuuriki winced at how everything had went to hell in just a few hours.

_Man, I wish this was just a horrible nightmare that will go away._

As much as he wanted that to be the case, he knew that it wasn't true.

**Well, you're awake now and that's a good thing. Right?**

Naruto grunted internally and opened his eyes again, focusing on the bare concrete ceiling above him. It was stark, unpainted and had uncovered pipes running through. He thought it was awfully similar to the ones at 'Ne', where he had woken up many times before.

_How odd, do all military places use the same builders?_

**Probably the same specifications to save costs, but are you okay kit?**

_Am I okay?_

Naruto was about to give a flippant reply before he stopped himself and really thought about the question. He slowly moved his arm to his neck, gently touching the place where the Snake Sannin had bit him.

He had done the same thing in his mindscape when he had gained consciousness there. The blond was hoping beyond all odds that it wasn't there anymore, but he was to be disappointed.

The circular marks were still present, each eliciting a slight wince when he poked at it with his fingers. Pain that would have debilitated other people was something he had learned to push aside, the only thing that he was grateful to 'Mi' for.

_Why is it still here?_

**You know the answer to that question, Naruto-kun.**

He did, but it wasn't something that he wanted to admit, not even in his thoughts.

The teen idly traced the stylised tear drops which were on the side of his neck, near where his jugular vein would be. They felt quite similar to what they were in his unconscious state, a bizarre metallic feeling tattoo that seemed to be part of his flesh. He gritted his teeth at that before letting them drop back to his sides.

_Well, fuck._

**It makes me sad that you never catch a break, kit, it really does.**

_Really?_

The blond sent a wry thought to his erstwhile companion while he wondered if all hospital beds were so stiff and uncomfortable. He sniffed a bit, wincing slightly at the heavy use of bleach and starch before ignoring it and allowing himself to relax for a few moments. Everything had happened so quickly and rapidly that he wasn't sure he was on top of everything, or anything.

**Don't get too complacent now, Naruto-kun. Everything changes now.**

One of the ANBU noticed that the boy was awake but allowed him a few moments to get his bearings, before speaking up. "You're awake, I will inform the officer in charge, stay inside the room," he ordered in a no nonsense tone.

"How is–" Naruto started to ask.

"Save your questions for later," the operator interrupted rudely, "because I don't have the answers. Stay in the room, kid, it's for your own good."

The blond scowled at the man, giving him the finger while his back was turned and grumbled out loud, "Miserable bastard."

One more ANBU remained and waved his finger at him like he was a truculent child. "Really, we are here to help, so don't do anything stupid. We're surprised that you're up at all."

Despite himself, the blond gave a self conscious chuckle before scratching the back of his head. "I'm pretty tough, you know."

Giving the teen a considering look, the man couldn't help but nod his head at that. "You are a tough little bastard, aren't ya? You know, we always need people like you."

The jinchuuriki blinked for a few seconds before pretending to give it some thought. "ANBU uh? I'm not sure."

Scoffing at that notion the operator came up closer and leaned in and started to whisper conspiratorially, "Look kid, you don't get any hardcore than the ANBU. None of this kiddy civilian contract nonsense. Pure black ops with danger pay. And who knows, maybe one day we will even get performance bonuses."

Seeing that the genin wasn't looking impressed as they should have been, the man crossed his arms and shook his head. "This will all make sense to you in a few more years. Don't worry, if you're good enough we'll contact you."

He moved again to the corner, his eyes constantly roaming around the room looking for potential threats to come in at any moment. Naruto rolled his eyes for a bit, before noticing some very discretely placed security cameras which gave full coverage of the infirmary.

Looking around for anything to do, Naruto sighed before giving up and tried to stand on his own. Grabbing onto the side handlebars, he tried to hoist himself before giving up and rolled over to the jug. Grabbing onto it he started to pour the water into his mouth, his throat greedily taking in the liquid that some splashed onto his shirt.

**Kit, didn't I teach you manners?**

_No?_

It was then that he realised he was not in his familiar clothes and wearing the thin paper gown that was anything but comfortable.

"Where are my clothes?" he asked the guard still left in the room.

The ANBU pointed to a footlocker at the foot of the bed with his hand. "Don't worry. We got most of your stuff, or what we could find."

"How is Hinata-kun? Ino-kun? And Yuugao as well!" he shouted out testily.

"No idea, but I'm sure the commander will be here soon enough to your questions. Hey, they don't tell me anything so don't waste your breath," the ANBU advised rather gruffly.

Seeing that he wouldn't get any joy from the man, he pushed himself up so that he could sit upright. Leaning against the headboard, he gripped onto his sides as he fretted over his teammates.

_Shit, I hope Hinata and Ino are alright. And Yuugao. Dammit._

**I thought you were upset with her, weren't you a few weeks ago?**

Naruto scowled internally before giving a mental wince.

_I guess that's not so important, after all._

**Geez, you're a pushover aren't you?**

_It was more Anko and Kurenai's fault than anything else. _

**But she didn't do anything to stop them.**

_Yeah, that's right._

He thought about it and sighed out loud, his thoughts going everywhere and nowhere, leaving him disorientated and confused.

_But hell, bleeding all over me kinda makes us even._

**Soft, soft I say. You're rather easy to please. Ooo just destroy my trust in you and all that, but it's all okay if you bleed over me at the end, I forgive you. Pfft. Soft.**

_Oh shut up, you._

Soon enough the doors opened again and a man stepped into the room. He was wearing the standard ANBU combat fatigues and jacket, with brown hair and eyes. There was nothing really remarkable about the man, no facial scars or peculiarities that would make him stand out in a crowd. A small part of Naruto was quite impressed that anyone could be so ordinary that they would blend into the surroundings.

_Damn, he must be one hell of a ninja._

**Possibly, but think of how hard it would be for women to remember, or notice him, in the first place.**

"How's the seal?" he asked in concern.

The teen instinctively touched the side of his neck before grimacing. "It hurts like a bitch," he stated flatly.

The ANBU winced in sympathy before rubbing his chin. "Don't worry about that too much. You survived, which makes you more special than you know."

"What, what do you mean?" Naruto asked dangerously.

The man was frowning absentmindedly as he was thinking of what he needed to get done. "In good time. I need to debrief you first, kiddo, then we can get someone to have a look over that. Don't worry too much about that yet. "

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto asked brusquely, tired of having his questions ignored since he had woken up.

"Things have happened to you which are important, Naruto. Now, I know a lot of it won't make any sense to you, and I'm afraid that it may never will."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"I need to know details. What happened when you met that Oto nin? How did he fight? What did he look like? Did he tell you what he was doing in Konoha?" the ANBU continued without a pause.

"I'm not telling you anything until I see my friends," the blond stated flatly.

The operator sighed before shaking his head unhappily. "Don't let this face fool you, it may look plain and compassionate but really, you don't want to get on my bad side. I will find out what I need to do, even establishing a very brief but painful reign of terror over you and everything that you care about."

His face somehow transformed in a menacing way which might have freaked out a rookie genin in any other circumstance. Sadly for him, Naruto was no ordinary genin. He was more outraged than afraid, causing him to gape at the man before spluttering out, "Seriously, who the hell are you?"

The man just gave a slight hint of a smile before responding, "Call me Tenzou, kid."

_Fin._

* * *

**Authors notes**

Sorry about taking this long to update; you can blame my beta for everything.


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